Education

Broadcasters’ Group Accused of Using ‘Misleading’ Data

By Cindy Currence — April 11, 1984 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The National Association of Broadcasters issued “false data” in publishing a guide on children’s television programming, officials of Action for Children’s Television charged at a press conference here last week.

Peggy Charren, president of act, a consumer-advocacy group based in Newtonville, Mass., called the guide “a heartless exercise in premeditated deception” and said she believed it was designed to hinder efforts in the Congress to pass legislation that would require television stations to air at least one hour of programming for children each day.

But according to Shaun Sheehan, a spokesman for the nab, “The Guide to Innovative Children’s Programs for Television” was produced for program managers at television stations to help the stations develop appropriate programming for children. Mr. Sheehan said the guides were distributed to television stations and others with “an interest” in children’s television.

The guide lists 101 “regularly scheduled, locally produced” children’s programs “currently airing at some nab member stations.” But according to Ms. Charren, that information is misleading.

In a telephone survey conducted by act officials late last month, the group discovered a number of inaccuracies in the guide, Ms. Charren said.

According to the act research, about 25 percent of the shows listed in the guide are not currently aired, 3 percent are not scheduled regularly, and about 6 percent are short segments, rather than programs.

“The nab wants Congress and the American people to think that commercial television is a paradise for young viewers,” Ms. Charren said, adding that “anyone who has ever searched the television schedule for children’s shows knows otherwise.”

Mr. Sheehan said the information in the nab guide is accurate and “was an honest effort.”

“We’re not going to pay any attention to the [act] findings,” he added.

HR 4097, a bill to require commercial television stations to air educational and informational programs for children at least one hour a day, is currently under consideration in the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Consumer Protection, and Finance. The bill was introduced last October by Representative Timothy E. Wirth, Democrat of Colorado.

A version of this article appeared in the April 11, 1984 edition of Education Week as Broadcasters’ Group Accused of Using ‘Misleading’ Data

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read