Alexandria, VA -- August 25, 2004 -- Amidst a highly competitive and rapidly evolving media environment, the nation's educators have -- for the second year in a row -- named PBS as their top source of video in the classroom -- for both off-air taping and product purchase.
According to the survey, conducted again this year by Grunwald Associates, PBS is educators' favorite among all major television providers, including the Discovery Channel, History Channel and Nickelodeon. The research study was based on a nationwide survey of 1,200 educators.
Among PBS programs, series like BETWEEN THE LIONS and READING RAINBOW are top choices for elementary school teachers, while NOVA is the top PBS pick for middle and high school teachers.
Additional findings of the survey:
- PBS is among the top three sources of online K-12 content. This ranking put PBS Web sites ahead of those from CNN, Disney, The New York Times Learning Network, National Geographic, The Library of Congress, The Smithsonian Institution and The National Archives.
- Ninety percent of teachers use video in the classroom, with about the same frequency as last year's study. (Twenty five percent indicate they use it more than once a week.)
- Forty percent of teachers are using full-length programs in class more frequently; 20 percent most often use selected segments of programs.
- DVD players showed significant gains in school, classroom and home penetration. At the school and classroom level, the availability of DVD players has doubled; home penetration grew from 61 percent in 2002 to 89 percent this year. Other types of technologies (computers with CD-ROM drives, media servers, DVR devices) held steady.
- Word-of-mouth is still the leading way teachers learn about video and multimedia content for the classroom. Search engines, links from other Web sites, print ads and other promotional tools are all a distant second.
PBS undertook this study to ensure that its educational content meets the changing needs of educators. "It's important for PBS and local PBS stations to adapt to the new ways teachers are using video and Web content in their classrooms," said Mary Kadera, director, PBS TeacherSource. "We also want to make certain our content is valued by educators, a critical audience for PBS."
Additional information and charts detailing other findings of interest to reporters are available by contacting Kevin Dando at PBS / 703.739.5073.
About PBS
PBS is a private, nonprofit media enterprise that serves the nation's 349 public noncommercial television stations, reaching nearly 90 million people each week. Bringing diverse viewpoints to television and the Internet, PBS provides high-quality documentary and dramatic entertainment, and consistently dominates the most prestigious award competitions. PBS is the leading provider of educational materials for K-12 teachers, and offers a broad array of educational services for adult learners. PBS' premier kids' TV programming and Web site, PBS KIDS® Online (pbskids.org), continue to be parents' and teachers' most trusted learning environments for children. More information about PBS is available at pbs.org, the leading dot-org Web site on the Internet. PBS is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.
About Grunwald Associates
Grunwald Associates has conducted the industry's most respected surveys on educator and family technology use since 1995. Using a unique combination of Internet-based research and more traditional methodologies, Grunwald surveys have helped define the school and home technology markets, and have been called the "gold standard" in the industry. Grunwald Associates also works directly with major companies and organizations, providing competitive analysis, focus groups, online and telephone surveys, and advisory group management. More information is available at http://grunwald.com.
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CONTACT:
Kevin Dando, PBS
Tel.: 703.739.5073 / kdando@pbs.org
Tia Gordon, PBS
Tel.: 703.739.5183 / ttgordon@pbs.org