rage weekly viewing time has increased annually in American households, from 43 hours in the early seventies to 50 hours in the mid-nineties. In 1998, the average was 51 hours and 55 minutes per week (Nielsen 1998), which is close to 7 hours per day! Children spend an average of 28 hours a week watching TV. During prime time (7 to 11 p.m.), about 7 million teenagers and 9 to 10 million preteens are watching TV (Media Dynamics 1998).The media industry does plenty of research on viewers. One can learn such details as who is watching, at what hour, and which programs. Comprehensive research is motivated by the advertising divisions of various corporations that buy and sell time on commercial TV to sell products based on audience profiles. Those business forces are clearly convinced of the power and influence of TV and now are beginning to monitor the sales power of the Internet as well.One example of media business research is the detailed study on the media habits and interests of the 16 to 30 year olds known as "Generation X." Those young adults make up the first generation to be fully "raised on television." With an average weekly viewing time of 24 hours, they are quite specific about their preferences. They like nighttime comedies, adventure-dramas, those dramatic on-the-scene adventures, such as Cops and Rescue 911, and the daytime talk shows. Their favorite cable channel is MTV, followed by USA Network and ESPN. It was learned that radio is also a popular medium in this age group whose members listen an average of 3.9 hours on weekdays (driving time for most) and 3.8 hours on Saturday or Sunday. Generation Xers said they were fond of the television programs Beverly Hills 90210 and Friends. In interviews, they said that they found role models in the TV shows and that those shows were their main sources for fashion ideas and even for public information. Psychological, sociological, and medical researchers have been scrutinizing the ef...
