According to Nielsen statistics, Americans watched an average of 34 hours of television per person per week, in 2009. (Andrew Plumb/flickr)
With national unemployment at record levels, an economy seemingly reluctant to get out of first gear, and experts struggling to solve a foreclosure crisis, it may come as no surprise that Americans are watching more television. According to the Nielsen Company, we’re watching a lot more TV than we used to. Nielsen collects viewer data and television ratings, and says that the average American now watches about 34 hours of television on any given week.
Robert Thompson is professor of Radio, Television and Film, and Director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University. He discusses America's continued enthrallment with the small screen, and whether or not sitting in front of the tube is our new national pastime.
Kambiz Hosseini: Iran's Jon Stewart on the Presidential Election
P is for Prison: Sesame Street and Overpopulation in America's Jails
Karzai Walks Away From Peace Talks, FEMA Flood Maps Have Big Consequences
An Inside Look at The Largest Solar Boat Ever Built
Overpopulation of Prisons, The History of Privacy & Democracy, Will Snowden Be Extradited?
The show is a co-production of WNYC Radio and Public Radio International, in collaboration with New York Times Radio and WGBH Boston.
Major funding provided by:
Comments [7]
When is the last time that you received a check from a television network for watching their programs?
I don't believe that all television is bad, but being on "Media Autopilot", or the habit of watching television continuously literally taps your productivity, weans your brain function, and doesn't do a whole lot for your figure.
People are watching more TV because they don't have jobs to go to or money to shop for anything except food.
I have chosen to live television-free
here in Detroit for the last 21 years.
I don't feel like I'm missing anything
but the noise and fear it seems to
create in our homes, oh, and billions
of commercials.
I just recently purchased a small internet enabled tv for our kitchen specifically so I could stream live NPR and podcasts while cooking. How do you know when you are watching too much radio?
You know your husband watches too much football when your 16 month old points the remote at the tv and says, "ball" while looking at you in antcipation.
I got rid of my tv almost a year ago but I find myself watching more tv programs on dvd and the internet than I ever did before i got rid of the set.
This is perhaps due to a lack of work and a need to escape.
No one in our household watches TV. Guess that sends up the actual listener average. How do they ever find the time for Five+ hours per day?????
Leave a Comment
Register for your own account so you can vote on comments, save your favorites, and more. Learn more.
Please stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Names are displayed with all comments. We reserve the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the Comment Guidelines before posting. By leaving a comment, you agree to New York Public Radio's Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use.