1234 - amazon web servicesideastream-production.s3.amazonaws.com › images › about › lp ›...

1234Listening to the Community and Looking for What Matters

The Listening Project…

123The Listening Project…

“It is easier to keep talking once you know someone is listening.”– A participant in the first community

dialogue of The Listening Project 1

This comment was voiced in 2001during the first of aseries of conversations where public broadcastingbecame the listener – the audience – as residents of

Northeast Ohio defined their needs and identified theircommunity’s assets.

In the three subsequent years, hundreds of individuals in townmeetings, audience panels, broadcast forums and mail,telephone and Internet surveys have told ideastream how itcould help strengthen local communities.

The comment describes how public broadcasting canstrengthen the resolve of Northeast Ohio residents to improvetheir communities and their own lives. It is the reasonideastream has continued to conduct The Listening Project everyyear since. Its message continues to shape the relationshipideastream has with its audiences.

4ideastream

Mission StatementTo strengthen our communitiesby providing distinctive, thought-provoking programs and servicesthat enlighten, inspire, educate,and entertain.

Vision 2005ideastream will be recognized asan indispensable multiple mediaresource connecting communitythrough preeminent programmingand services that enrich, respondand relate to our lives.

The Listening Project 4 set out tolisten to the diverse voices of thecommunity in order to reveal:

- The public’s assessment of itscommunity, its assets andchallenges, and its viability as aplace to live;

-The public’s level of socialinvolvement, trust, andcommunity volunteerism; and

- The public’s idea about therole public media plays inthe community. Researcher: Judith M. LeRoy, Ph.D,TRAC Media Services, Inc.

Listening to the Community and Looking for What Matters

sm

3

The Listening Project

Four years ago, ideastreaminitiated a longitudinalcommunity research

exercise, The Listening Project, toseek a better understanding ofNortheast Ohio’s assets andchallenges – as defined byresidents of the area – allowingideastream, then a new publicmedia organization, to betterserve its community.

In 2001, ideastream talked withover 7,000 Northeast Ohioresidents to establish theparameters for its research.Since 2001, hundreds ofindividuals have been invited toparticipate in The ListeningProject research.

In January 2005, ideastreamconducted the fourth ListeningProject. In previous years thesurvey was conducted duringautumn months. However, forits fourth iteration, the Projectwas delayed until January toavoid the influence of the 2004Presidential Election.

Demographics of TheListening Project 4ParticipantsFour-hundred-and-fifty randomlyselected individuals from theservice areas of WVIZ/PBS and90.3 WCPN were surveyed bytelephone.Two-hundred-and-fiftyquestionnaires were returnedfrom 1,500 randomly selectedWVIZ/PBS and 90.3 WCPNmembers. Seventy peopleresponded to an on-airinvitation to completeinternet questionnaires.

In addition, 60 viewers andlisteners responded to a requestfor volunteers to participate inaudience panels, where theytalked in moderated discussiongroup situations about issuesthat emerged during thequantitative phases of research.

Some columns do not sum to 100% because of missing answers.

AgeUnder 3535-4950-6465+

EducationNo HSHS DegreeAttend CollegeCollege GradPost Grad

RaceWhiteBlackHispanicOther

GenderMaleFemale

RandomTelephone

Survey

24%27%30%20%

7%32%24%21%13%

75%12%3%10%

37%63%

WVIZMembers

Survey

0%12%32%56%

0%11%20%35%34%

95%2%2%0%

35%65%

WCPNMemberSurvey

6%21%41%32%

0%1%14%36%49%

96%2%0%2%

53%47%

InternetSurvey

26%41%24%9%

0%4%14%41%41%

83%2%3%12%

52%48%

WVIZAudience

Panel

33%8%58%0%

0%8%33%50%8%

58%33%8%0%

33%67%

WCPNAudience

Panel

40%20%40%0%

0%0%20%20%60%

90%0%0%10%

50%50%

Demographics of The Listening Project 4 Participants

Through the years, TheListening Project data andanecdotes provided a

portrait of a community withmany assets – resources thatresidents heartily enjoy.Thatdata also shows growingconcern about the seriouschallenges facing the community.

Each year, respondents wereasked to describe the assets ofNortheast Ohio – things thatmake it a good place to live.They were also asked to identifythe challenges and problems –areas that need to be improvedto keep the community strongor to make it better.

On all the surveys, the questionsabout resources and challengeshave been open-ended.Respondents are not promptedby any list, so the items thatcome to the top are thosenamed by the respondents, notthose suggested by ideastream.

What are the Assets of thecommunity?

These are the assets mostvalued by the community fromthe random telephone sample:

chart 1

The order of respondents’ mostfrequently-named communityassets has changed since the firstListening Project. In 2001,Location/Environment/Access andCulture were the two leadingassets, followed by People/Families/Community Values. In2002, Location moved to the topof the community sample list,followed by People – an asset thatshowed significant growth in thepost-9/11 surveys the previousyear. By 2003, People/Families/Community Values was mentionedby more respondents than anyother asset.

People/Family/Community Values isagain the number one communityasset in 2005. It was theoverwhelming first choice, namedby 67% of the respondents. Inthis category are such things asfamilies, friends, living in quietneighborhoods, a place to go tochurch, the diversity of thecitizenry, and what one might callthe “familiar” – all those“comfort” things that people takefor granted and struggle to putwords around.

“The thing about it is, mostly,the people.That’s what makes

this a good place to live.”

“Good people live here.”

“It’s just a good place to live.It feels good, here.”

Clearly, the social fabric of life inNortheast Ohio – one’s home,one’s friends and neighbors,one’s familiarity with thecommunity – merge into the“familiar” that makes people feelcomfortable and settled.

Location/Environment/Access ishighly valued by 23% of therespondents.This categoryincludes elements of physicalconvenience and pleasure rangingfrom transportation to shoppingmalls and parks. Here, people talkabout venues, places to go to findwhat they want in a safe andconvenient environment.

“The ease of getting around.It’s got an urban situation butit’s not so fast, not so slow asother places I’ve lived in. . . .Man, I can get around this

city. I love it.”

Despite the vicious winter of2004-5, Weather/Seasons wasnamed as a primary asset by 31%of the respondents – unusuallyhigh for the category.

4 T H E L I S T E N I N G P R O J E C T 4

Community Assets & Challenges

5

Employment/Cost of Living isperceived as an asset by 11% ofthe respondents, although theother face of this cluster,Economy/Jobs, is perceived asthe area’s biggest challenge bymost residents.

Culture, perennially identified asan asset on The Listening Projectsurveys, is mentioned by 8% ofthe community sample – exactlythe same as last year and theyear before.The audience panelsparticularly liked the diversity of culture.

“It’s one of the really goodcities in the country to eat.And I can afford to have asubscription to ClevelandPublic Theatre. I can also

afford a limited subscriptionto the orchestra.You can’t getmuch better than that. I can

participate in all sorts ofdifferent arts events. I could

be busy every night, if Iwanted to, seeing dance or

theatre – large companies orsmall companies. Music. If Ihave the time I can go fromseeing some blues band in

some bar in Lakewood to theCleveland Opera.”

Activities/Sports/Recreationrounds out the list of mostmentioned assets.

“LeBron James! He’s one ofthe town’s biggest assets.”

“For a small-town kind ofplace, we’ve got it all. Major

league baseball, NBAbasketball, NFL football. And

good places for the teamsto play.”

All of these things cometogether to make NortheastOhio a very attractive place,although, respondents worrythat people from other placesdon’t know it:

“I was a chief financial officerfor an ad agency in town andwe had to recruit from San

Francisco and New York.Theydidn’t want to come. I would

bribe them,‘I will pay you$3,000 to come for the

weekend, all expenses paid.’They would show up and I’dshow them the city. . . .And

most of them would stay. Thehousing values, the educationsystem . . . the art museum,

the zoo – all of those things.It’s informing people of

what’s here.”

Do different people see thecommunity’s assets differently?

There are demographicdifferences in the perception ofcommunity assets:

• Women are far more likely toname People/Families/Community Values than themen (73% versus 56%).

• Sixty percent of theindividuals under the age of65 name People/Families/Community Values as anasset, compared to 84% ofthe 65+ respondents.Thelonger one lives in an area,the more one seems toappreciate this aspect ofthe community.

• College-educated respondentsname People/Family/Community Values, but theyare also more likely to nameCulture (12% compared to6% for those without acollege degree).

• The High School and SomeCollege respondents aremore positive about Weatherand Location/Environment/Access (shopping, parks, etc.)than are college graduates.


• Blacks value People/Family/Community Values as much asWhites, with both groupsrating it about the same (65%versus 66%); they are morepleased by Employment/Costof Living factors and less byWeather. They are slightlymore appreciative of Culturethan Whites (9% versus 7%).

• People who say they use90.3 WCPN occasionally oroften (23% of the communitysample) are statistically morelikely to name People/Family/Community Values than non-listeners (76% compared to64%).They are also morelikely to name Culture (11%for listeners versus 7% fornon-listeners). People whosay they use WVIZ/PBS (two-thirds of the communitysample) were not statisticallydifferent from non-viewers.

What are the Challenges ofthe community?

These are the challenges most identified by thecommunity from the randomtelephone sample:

chart 2

In 2001, the first year of TheListening Project, Economy andEducation were nearly tied for thedesignation of biggest communitychallenge.Through the years,Economy has risen as a challengepriority. In The Listening Project 4,twice as many respondentsnamed Economy/Jobs as any otherchallenge: 64% of therespondents said Economy was acommunity problem, and 30%named Education. This finding isconsistent with other surveys ofthe region. Other identifiedchallenges are consistent withprevious surveys, with urbanproblems, crime and drugs, andpolitics staying on the list. Thisyear though, Environment droppedoff the top six and was replacedby People, a category thatcontained negative comments like“Mean people,” “Closed-mindedPeople,” “Insular neighborhoods,”and “Non-inclusiveness.”

Do different people see the community’sproblems differently?

The challenges of Economy andEducation are real andpersistent, but they do vary in perceived degree amongdifferent populations.

• Men are more likely tothink Economy is worsethan women are(71% versus 60%).

• Women are more likelyto rate Education as aproblem than men(34% versus 24%).

• Middle-aged respondents,especially those betweenthe ages of 35 and 49,rate Economy worse thanother age cohorts(70% versus 60%).

• The 35-49 group, those mostlikely to have children inschool, also are more likely tosay that Education is aproblem (33% versus 24%).

Community Assets & Challenges (continued)

7

Education level plays a great role in problem perception:respondents with less educationusually have a closer, morepersonal, look at a community’schallenges and issues. Whileeveryone says Economy is aleading problem, the respondentswithout college experience rankothers high as well:

• High school graduates aremore likely to complain aboutCrime/Drugs than peoplewith college experience(17% versus 6%).

• The high school graduateis less likely to nameEducation as a problem(26% versus 33%).

• Politics is another area ofsignificant difference – only5% of the high schooleducated respondents see itas a problem, while 11% ofthe college grads say it is.

Ethnic differences – due also topersonal experiences andenvironment - were apparent.

• Blacks and the otherminorities ranked Economyas problem number one –but not at the same levelthat Whites did (50% to68%; other minorities wereat 58%).

• Rather, for Blacks,Crime/Drugs was a moreprofound problem (18%compared to 9% for Whites),and non-English speakingminorities said Education wasa big problem (44% cite it).

When community problemswere addressed by the audiencepanels, they had the opportunityto talk about the issues ratherthan just rank them. During thediscussion, participantsimmediately linked the two mosturgent problems named by thesurvey respondents:Economy/Jobs and Education.

“In my opinion, I think it’seducation that’s the main

problem. Education is the keyto a stronger economy.”

“The economy and educationare related problems, buteducation should be the

primary focus for solving theeconomy problem.”

They agreed, however, that otherpeople in the community,because of personal experiences,may have different perceptionsand challenge rankings.

“If the guy can’t work, if theentrepreneur isn’t welcome,

or if the city makes itdifficult for him to stay andopen a new business – hesees things differently.Theproblems may be different

for different people.”

They raised other problems aswell:“The East versus West partsof town.” “The city fathers givingaway too many tax breaks toattract new companies andmaintain old professional sportsteams.” “LeBron James beingmore important than theeducation issues.” “Themental/emotional separation ofthe city” from the rest ofNortheast Ohio, which “keepspeople from enjoying and usingall the resources.”


Community Assets & Challenges (continued)

“We’re like a city without aheart. It’s like these dead

limbs of the suburbs. Not tooffend anybody who lives in

the suburbs by any means. I’mfrom the suburbs. But I think

we kind of have a detachmentwith the downtown area. But

there’s a lot of like,‘Well,where do we go when we go

downtown? It’s dead.’Nobody has any idea.There’s

a loss of energy.”

The panelists expressed a lot offrustration because the “badthings” about Northeast Ohioseem to be the primary focus.Like the participants in previousListening Projects, these paneliststhink that the commercial mediais overly negative about theircommunity, and that this createsan inaccurate picture thatresidents (and non-residents)“buy into” – promoting an imageof Northeast Ohio thatdiscourages citizens fromappreciating, acknowledging, andparticipating in the area’sresources and even influencingdecisions to move away.

The group participants agreedwith participants in previousListening Projects that Clevelanddid not promote its positivefeatures enough (e.g. theorchestra, the museums, parks,the lake, Rock and Roll Hall ofFame).There were many peoplein the audience panels who arebig proponents of Cleveland andits positive features.

“I took some people throughthe Boulevard, with all the

ethnic gardens and everythingin the summertime when it’sall green.Their jaws dropped.I’m talking about people whowere upper-middle income,and they were like,‘This is

Cleveland? I don’t believe thisis Cleveland.’”

They resent that Cleveland isfrequently the subject of badnews and the butt of negativehumor.They resent that peopledon’t see its assets.A numberare annoyed because they feelthat those who are trying tospark enthusiasm for the city aredoing so in a negative way – by“trying to make it likesomewhere else” instead ofcelebrating Northeast Ohio as aunique, individual place.

“We’re always trying to besomeone else instead of

building on the strengths wehave here.Why don’t we justbuild on the assets that are

here in this city? We have a lotto offer, but we don’t market

it correctly.”

Panelists acknowledged thatnegative news has to bebroadcast, but that therelegation of good news“to the back page” harms the community.

A final note – all therespondents to The ListeningProject 4 offered more assetsthan problems. On average, therandom sample of communityrespondents named 1.5 assetsand 1.4 problems per person.The members and Internetsample named even more assetsper person – 2.4 assetscompared to 1.6 problems.

9

The 2005 Listening Projectsurvey shows a time oftransition in Northeast

Ohio. Beginning last year,respondents’ assessments ofthe community began eroding,and this year the downwardtrend continued. In 2001, 96%responded that the communitywas either a good or excellentplace to live. In 2005, 71% feelthat way. The following table isfrom each year’s randomtelephone sample of NortheastOhio residents.

chart 3

The member sample, theInternet sample and thediscussion group participantsecho these findings.

Demographic variables affect respondents’ community evaluations.

• People with collegeeducations (assumed to havemore economic resources)were more likely to rate thecommunity excellent thanthose with less formaleducation (College, 36%;High School, 24%).

• Women were consistentlymore positive in theircommunity ratings (33% ofthe women said it was anexcellent place to live; 25%of the men).

• Blacks were less likely torate Northeast Ohio anexcellent place to live(Whites, 34%; Blacks, 17%).

• 52% of the radio andtelevision members rankNortheast Ohio as anexcellent place to live. Thatpercentage slips to 30% forthe population at large.

• Younger people (18-34)and those 65+ show themost precipitous andconsistent declines.

chart 4

How much do we trust each other?

Humans are social creatures and perceptions of communitysatisfaction are related to theircomfort with people thatsurround them. Every year,The Listening Project askedrespondents whether “Mostpeople can be trusted to do theright thing” or “Most people arejust out for themselves”.

Social Trust, Quality of Life and Community Engagement


These numbers have alsochanged. In 2001, almost three-quarters of respondents feltthat most people could betrusted to do the right thing; in2005, only 58% of the randomtelephone community samplefelt similarly.

Again, not everyone in thesurvey responded the sameway to this question.

• 69% of the collegegraduates say people canbe trusted, versus 47% forhigh school graduates.

• 52% of Blacks say peoplecan be trusted versus 61%for Whites.

• People under 35 showed lesssocial trust erosion this year– although they consistentlyhave been less trusting thanother age groups.

• The 35-64 year oldshave shown the most four-year consistency.

• The 65+ respondents, whoin the past showed hightrust levels, saw rapiderosion this year.

chart 5

Social Trust is also seen verydifferently by the randomtelephone community samplecompared to others surveyed.

chart 6

The community sample is muchless likely to see fellow citizensas trustworthy as theWVIZ/PBS or 90.3 WCPNmember samples.

Social Trust, Quality of Life and Community Engagement (continued)

11

Do people plan to stay here?

Despite both the decliningcommunity assessment anddeclining social trust, peopleare not planning a wholesaleexodus from Northeast Ohio.Around three-quarters ofrespondents plan to live here infive years.

chart 7

By demographic, those whoexpect to be here in five years are:

More likely older:65+: 89%;35-64 years: 74%;Under 35 years: 51%

More likely White:Whites: 76%;Blacks: 62%

Very slightly more men:Men: 74%;Women: 72%

More educated:College Degree: 77%;No Degree: 71%

Are people engaged intheir community?

Participation in communityactivities demonstrates people’s relatedness to thatcommunity and influences their satisfaction with it.Two items on The ListeningProject surveys measuredcommunity participation.

“First, in comparison with lastyear, had respondents belonged tomore or fewer civic clubs?” Inthe community randomtelephone sample, most peoplebelonged to the same numberof clubs.Among those whoseparticipation changed, moredropped than joined: 12%reported belonging to moreclubs this year; 29% reportedbelonging to fewer; and theremaining 59% said that theybelonged to about the samenumber of clubs as last year.

The radio and televisionmembers are much more stablein civic club participation thanthe other groups: their habitsappear set. In previous years,when asked for numbers oforganizations belonged to, themembers far exceeded the community sample inparticipation level.

chart 8

“Second, did respondentsparticipate in neighborhoodimprovement projects?” Twodemographics in thecommunity random sampleshowed significant variation:

• Blacks were more likely towork on a neighborhoodproject than Whites(44% versus 31%)

• Respondents with a collegedegree were more likely tojoin neighborhood fix-upefforts than those with onlya high school degree(41% to 27%).

• About one in three (34%) ofthe community respondentsample reported helping inneighborhood fix-up projectsthis year. This is up from29% in 2001.

• Radio and televisionmembers, as well asInternet responders, aremore participatory thanthe community at large.Forty percent of theInternet sample, 40% ofthe radio members, and40% of the televisionmember sample reportedhelping in fix-up projectsin their neighborhoods.

Do people think they canhave an impact in makingthe community better?

In the community randomtelephone survey, about 28% ofthe respondents felt people likethemselves could have a largeimpact in improving theircommunity, and 41% said theycould have a moderate impact.

There was variation by agegroup. In the following table,when we add large andmoderate impact categoriestogether, there aredemographic differences incomparison to the priorListening Project.

Chart 9

Younger, middle-agedrespondents (35-49) withcollege degrees (often female)are more likely to perceivethemselves as having sufficientclout to significantly impact thecommunity. Compared to lastyear, most individuals hadslightly less conviction thattheir efforts, and the efforts ofpeople like themselves, couldimprove the community.

Radio members believe theyhave greater impact than anyother sample – with a thirdfeeling they had high impactand an additional 51% claimingmoderate impact.The televisionmembers do not perceive thesame level of personal impactas the radio members, in part,perhaps, because the televisionmember sample is older.Community survey resultsshow people 50+ believe theyhave less impact than the 35-49year olds more frequentlyfound among radio membersand Internet responders.


Social Trust, Quality of Life and Community Engagement (continued)

13

Do people think WVIZ/PBSand 90.3 WCPN can havean impact in making thecommunity a better place to live?

The survey respondents wereasked to judge the stations’impact potential as Large,Moderate, Small or No Impact.Public broadcasting members,not surprisingly, evaluate itspotential for improving thecommunity highly. So, however,does the community at large.

With a stable, slightly increasingaudience,WVIZ/PBS has hadpersistently high impactassessments. Public radio, with aconsistently expanding service,has shown overall growth inperceived potential impact.Thisyear, 69% of the communitysample respondents said thatlocal public television has a“Moderate” or “LargePotential” to positively impactthe community. Fifty-sevenpercent of the respondents saidthat local public radio had thismuch impact.

Looking at those thatresponded “Large Impact” only– and eliminating the majority“Moderate Impact” vote – thesurvey showed that over one-quarter of all respondents saidthat the local broadcast entitieshave a large potential impactfor community change. 90.3WCPN, with a news and talkorientation, has influenced theassessments of those who useit most – the radio membersand the Internet sample.

chart 10

Whether or not people watchWVIZ/PBS and listen to 90.3WCPN affects how muchimpact they believe the stationscan have in the community.People in the communitytelephone survey who reportedviewing WVIZ/PBS occasionallyor often are much more likelyto say WVIZ/PBS has “LargeImpact” than non-viewers (37%versus 12%). Public televisionhas obviously impacted theseviewers with programs orseries that influenced theiropinions, attitudes and beliefs.

chart 11

The Role of ideastream in the Community


Just as interesting, however, isthe large “Moderate Impact”assessment from both non-viewers and viewers. In otherwords, respondents think publictelevision can have a positiveimpact on the community even ifthey do not view it very much.

For 90.3 WCPN there was alsosignificant difference in impactassessment from listeners andnon-listeners. Again, non-listenersalso saw potential communitybenefit from a service they don’tuse very much.

chart 12

The relevant point is that whileusers tend to evaluate publicbroadcasting’s potential for“making the community a betterplace” more than non-users;over 50% of those who neitherlisten to 90.3 WCPN nor viewWVIZ/PBS think the stationshave at least moderate potentialfor community change.

How can ideastream have impact?

Viewers and listeners – peoplewho are most likely to perceiveand experience publicbroadcast’s potential impact –were asked to compare thevalue of their current year’sviewing and listeningexperiences to last year’s.About three of four WVIZviewers in the communitysample (73%) report no changein value this year. Five percentreport their viewingexperiences were “Lessvaluable” this year, but 20% saythey were “More valuable.”

The radio results were quitesimilar: 18% of the 90.3WCPN listening respondentsfrom the community samplereport more valuable listeningexperiences; 7%, less; and theremainder—some three out offour listeners—report the samelistening value as last year.Evidently, most of the users ofthe local public media feel thestations are meeting theirexpectations for communityand personal service.

The participants in theaudience panels found publicbroadcasting is well-positionedto have impact in thecommunity, mostly due to“more localness.”

“I feel like, they’re (thecommercial channels) are

here and I’m here, but they’renot accessible to me. But insome sort of way, I have afeeling that I might bumpinto one of 90.3’s radio

personalities somewhere, orthey might be just aroundthe corner at the grocery

store or something. There’ssomething that’s close and

local about them (WVIZ and90.3), where the others . . .like I feel for me to be heretoday, I have contact withthe public stations in some

sort of way.”

The Role of ideastream in the Community (continued)

15

“As part of our business, weproduce fundraising events.

With the boards we’veworked with, they are moreenthusiastic about having

WCPN or WVIZ talent hostan event . . . more than

getting just another talkinghead. Because these (public

broadcasting) people arepeople who tell stories; they

are connected to thematerial they read.”

“I don’t feel like the people on 90.3 or WVIZ are

talking heads . . . they’rethinking people.”

“Commercial televisionunderestimates their

audience . . . public televisionisn’t like that.”

The panelists think the recentefforts of ideastream bolsterthe perception of localness.For example, the newWVIZ/PBS local hosted breaks:

“It gives a local face, I think.I’ve always liked the break. Ilike a couple of minutes tocatch up. I like that local

flavor – I get the weather. Iget a couple of news stories.

I get what’s coming uptomorrow. And, ‘We’re back,’

and that’s that. It’s kind of nice.

“You get to see that it’s alivetoo. . . .Well, I like that. It’s

easy to get caught up inthinking that these are allprerecorded, and maybe

they’re syndicated shows thatare all over the country, butnow you see a local flavor to

it. ‘Hey, look. Here is theweather.’They know that it’sgoing to be 18 degrees today

in Cleveland.”

“Another neat thing aboutthem is they’re very casuallydressed. They look nice, but

just not like an anchor with atie and white shirt.Well, it’slike a friend telling you, ‘The

weather is going to be 30degrees tomorrow.’”

“It’s not so contrived.”

What do people see as the role of local publicbroadcasting?

Most respondents see publicbroadcasting as a unique media.They expect different strategiesand a different look.“That’s part of its charm.” The contentand tone of the narrative voiceof the local public stations areimportant to people. A radiopanelist suggested that just asone enters into a telephoneconversation with a friend,listening or viewing is anadventure in “where we aregoing today.” The content thattakes them where they are goingis sometimes dense andtextured, an acquired taste,which many viewers and listenersare proud to have mastered.

“It’s amazing and corny . . .PBS is corny, but it’s great.We’re so geared toward the

flash and the slick andpreproduction (on

commercial television) – butonce you get past that, PTV

is phenomenal.”


“Like we’ve discussed earlier,some programs haven’t the

glitz and glam thing (ofcommercial news programs).But that’s not a bad thing.”

“With public radio andpublic television, peopledon’t listen for a topic.

People listen to the showand the station and absorbwhatever topic is there. . . . Ithink the key is that people

listen to the voice. I supposeit’s like – I guess I view it likea friend. I’d be talking on the

phone with someone, andwhatever they want to talkabout that day, I’m talking

about that.”

Respondents in previous yearshave been asked to choosebetween two possiblecommunity role and goalchoices,“entertaining andinforming individuals” and“benefiting and strengtheningthe community.” In thoseprevious surveys, respondents’answers varied by age: younger(under 50) and college-educated respondents weremore likely to choosecommunity strengthening; andthe 65+ and those with lesseducation more likely tochoose the other option. Theaudience panel discussiongroups were asked to talkabout this discrepancy.

It is instructive that they didn’tsee any discrepancy at all.Theysaid that though strengtheningand building community wasthe ultimate goal, informing,educating, and entertainingindividuals in the communitywas simply part of the processto reach the goal. “These goalsare interrelated.” “You have todo both!”

“The goals should definitelyhope to go beyond personalservice. It’s got to strengthenand benefit the community,

in the end.”

“When I’m watching – likeduring the political season,you’re informing me as an

individual, whether it’s local,national, or international. I

feel like that has a big impacton my community. So, by

informing me, I feel like youguys were doing a service tothe community, because youcan’t get that information

somewhere else. Everywhereelse, there’s a slant.”

How can ideastreamachieve its communitystrengthening goals?

“A Quiet Crisis” –the contentpartnership of ideastream andThe Plain Dealer about thelocal economy – was called amodel for these efforts:

“One example that I thinkwas really successful in thelast year that maybe wecould build on was thatpublic radio and public

television responded to ‘AQuiet Crisis’. . . .The Plain

Dealer initially was trying to. . . showcase core issues thatneed to be addressed – onemore example of ‘I’m goingto show you a problem.’ But

the response from publictelevision and public radio

was a whole ‘MakingChange’ series. It did

everything, including in-depthprogramming that showcased

where there is progress.”

“I see the ‘Quiet Crisis’ stuffas a model because it just

doesn’t dwell on what’s notworking. It’s showcasing whatis working and what needs to

be developed.”


17

Respondents, through theyears, have found the success of“A Quiet Crisis” to lie indifferent areas: 1) it was amultiple media campaign thatinvolved public radio, publictelevision and newspaper (The Plain Dealer); 2) the three media co-operated,cross-promoted, and followedup on each others’ efforts; and3) it continues as an ongoingeffort (from 2001 to today)that persists through time.

“I knew it had to beimportant because radio,TV,

and the paper all talkedabout it.”

“It made a bigger impressionon everyone because it

wasn’t one of those one-shot,‘tell ‘em a problem and move

on’ kind of things. It keptcoming back on you.”

The Listening Projectrespondents say another way inwhich ideastream canstrengthen the community is bymaking efforts to bring peopletogether – to help them “findout more about each other,”which would “bring theneighborhoods together.”

“And you know what? Youcould also help bring the

community together as well.Cleveland Magazine ran their

issue in December on Eastversus West, and people on theEast side didn’t realize there

were some things on the Westside that appealed to them. So

it brought people together.”

“I think that the stationcould have a lot to do here –bringing people together to

tear down the barriers.”

Panelists had specific adviceabout how ideastream could usethe biggest identified asset of thecommunity, People/Families/Community Values, to help peopledeal with problems.

“You need to get out into thecommunity. I hear us all saying

that. ‘Get out into thecommunity.’ . . .You could haveso much fun, and it would be

such a help for the communityif you got out there.”

“Be a part of the neighborhood,”was a common theme. Peopleare social creatures that live in aspecific place.That “place” meanssomething to them. It shapestheir lives and relates to theprovision of some of mankind’sbasic needs for food, shelter,safety, and family. Institutions that connect with these aspectsof a human’s life becomeemotionally important.

“Just be there for some ofthe local events. Have a

presence and let people seeyou. If they get to see youout and about, they’ll see

you’re involved in thecommunity.And then you’ll

have more influence.”

“People here love food.Bring us together through

neighborhood food events.”

“I want local entertainmentand local community

outreach, and they can bethe same thing. Get out inthe neighborhoods, out in

the parks.”


“All these communities arewilling to sit down and talk

to you and share whathappens to them.And then,

all of a sudden, all of thedifferences are kind of cast

to the side.You wind upfriends.You wind up

attending their events.Youget a better understanding of

mankind, period.”

“Make your voice evenlouder. I’ve not heard much

about what WVIZ doesbeyond the programs it

provides.That’s why we’retelling you to do it. Get outthere in the communities.”

“I’m looking for you to beout in the community,because that can be

informative, entertaining, andbenefit the community at the

same time.”

The panelists understood thatit’s going to take the efforts ofpeople living in the area to fixthe problems.They see a rolefor ideastream, here, too.

“Some of the commercials(break materials) are great. I

think they imply, just getstarted or get involved, orsomething like that. Have

you guys seen that? It’s kindof like, ‘Get off your couch,

and get involved.’ It’spositive. ‘You can do anything

you want to do,’ which isreally great.”

“I think it’s important – wetalked earlier about

inspiration being gotten fromthe station. I think the stations

can create – help start tocreate – a culture of

individual responsibility.We’reall looking to the governmentor private sector to lift us –we keep looking for answers

there, but we need to look forit individually.”

“Help us get to the root ofthe problem – see what theproblems are and how theycan be solved. Maybe how

people could be educated ina way to help themselves. It’s

all about helping yourselfreally. So we have to showpeople how they can help

themselves and liftthemselves up.”

“People who like 90.3 andWVIZ are the kind of

people who worry about the community.”

The panelists also say thatideastream, in order to harnessthe community’s strengths,needs to go beyond the goal ofeducating and informing. It alsoneeds to be a “bringingtogether” and facilitatinginfluence in the community.


19

“I think the whole concept isthat it (local public

broadcasting) can providethis undercurrent that wouldbring us all back together . . .provide the missing link thatI think our generation has.

We don’t have theconnectedness anymore.We

never went down andwindow-shopped at

Christmas.We never did anyof these things that

everybody talks about.Andwe want to stay here, and we

want to love our city asmuch as anybody.We want

that connectedness.”

“Public broadcasting canengender those feelings of

connectedness with thecommunity – get that feeling

going – in our generation,too.That’s the only thing

that’s going to keep a youngpopulation here.”

“My wife and I realize youngpeople like us need, well, weneed to get more active in

the community if we want tohelp.Working with 90.3 here,

today, with this group, is aplace to start.”

Who watches and listens?

ideastream influences thecommunity most directlythrough the people it serves. Inmany variables in The ListeningProject research, publicbroadcasting users andmembers respond in a morecommunity-friendly way thando other respondents. Whilethere is no suggestion that thecivic behaviors of listeners andviewers reported here arecreated by local publicbroadcasting, there are certaincharacteristics that influencepeople to seek out publicmedia, to be reinforced by it,and, thus, to associate it with arole of strengthening thecommunity. The Listening Project4 research describes the peoplewho watch and listen; it alsodescribes how this populationdiffers from the sample ofgeneral community members.

GenderRadio: Sixty-three percent ofthe community survey samplewas women, and about 23% ofthem listen to 90.3 WCPNoccasionally or often. Menlisten in approximately thesame pattern as women.

Television: Women view morethan men. Fifty-nine percent ofthe males in the communitysample view WVIZ/PBSoccasionally or often; 70% ofthe females do.

chart 13

EducationRadio: Fifty-seven percent of the90.3 WCPN listeners have acollege degree. A college grad isthree times more likely to listenthan a high school graduate.

Television: High school graduatesare somewhat more likely notto view any public televisionand slightly less likely to view“Often” than college graduates.



Age Radio: There is a perfectcorrelation between listeningand age:The older the person,the more likely he or she is tolisten to 90.3 WCPN.

Television: There was nosignificant relationship betweenviewing WVIZ/PBS andreported age.

EthnicityRadio: Whites are more likely tolisten than are Blacks.Twenty-four percent of the Whiterespondents in the communitysurvey listened to 90.3 WCPNoccasionally or often; 19% ofthe Black respondents; and 22%of the Latinos and Asians.

Television: Proportionately, morenon-Whites view WVIZ/PBS“Often” than do Whites (27%,Whites; 35%, Blacks; 31%, OtherEthnicities.) However, sinceWhites constitute 75% of thesample, they are majority of the viewers.

chart 14

Are public broadcastingviewers and listeners differentfrom non-users in terms ofcommunity perceptions andcivic behaviors?

For some of our civicmeasures, there is no statisticaldifference: trusting people;perceived satisfaction with thecommunity; and staying put,residentially speaking, are notpredicted by usage variables.

Public television viewers thinkthey have more personalimpact on the community. Non-viewers felt more powerless.

Public radio listeners werestatistically different than non-listeners, joining more clubs andparticipating in more fix-upprojects than non-listeners.

Are people aware ofideastream and its mission?

Northeast Ohio is becomingincreasingly aware and acceptantof ideastream’s mission tostrengthen the community. In2002, less than 2% of thecommunity sample and 15% ofthe member sample respondentswere able to provide a definitionof ideastream.

In 2005, respondents wereasked early in the survey,before it was clearly associatedwith public broadcasting, tochoose between one of threepossible definitions ofideastream: ideastream is aschool board agenda that bringsnew ideas into the schools;ideastream is a project fundedby local corporations topromote new technology in NEOhio; and ideastream is a multi-media public broadcastingoperation engaged incommunity strengthening.

The results this year wereheartening.Twenty-six percent ofthe community telephonesample picked the correctdefinition, as did 47% of the 90.3WCPN listeners, and 35% of theWVIZ/PBS viewers. Almost all inthe Internet and membercommunity samples chosecorrectly: 99% of the Internetsample; 98% of the radiomember sample; and 82% of the television member samplecorrectly identified ideastream.

21

• There continue to be seriouschallenges for NortheastOhio, and they aren’t new.Overwhelmingly, people areconcerned about Economy/Jobs. They are alsoconcerned about Educationand are aware of itsrelationship to Economy/Jobs. The challenges ofUrban Problems, Crime/Drugs and Politics continue.

• Northeast Ohio has manyassets, the most recognizedbeing People/Family/Community Values. It ishome. People value theLocation/Environment/Access,the Weather/Seasons andEmployment/Cost of Living.The Culture available in theregion continues to be seenas an asset. There is muchto celebrate.

• The people in NortheastOhio continue to rate thecommunity as a good placeto live, as a place wherepeople can be trusted, andwhere they plan to stay.But all those indices havedeclined since the firstListening Project Surveyin 2001.

• More than two-thirds of therespondents to The ListeningProject 4 believe that peoplecan impact their community.While this percentage isdown slightly since 2001,there remains an optimismthat the people ofNortheast Ohio can controltheir future.

• About two-thirds of therespondents to The ListeningProject 4 also believe thatWVIZ/PBS and 90.3 WCPNcan impact the community.This includes not only themembers of the two stations,but the general public,including those who are notregular viewers and listeners.

• People recognize thatWVIZ/PBS and 90.3 WCPNhave been addressing theassets and challenges of thecommunity and want thestations to keep doing that.Consistent attention to localstories is important.

Conclusions


• There is an increasingawareness of ideastreamand its mission. Almost allthe member respondentsunderstand ideastream. Aremarkably largepercentage of communityrandom telephone samplealso understand ideastreamand its mission.

There were few surprises inthe data examined in TheListening Project 4. Rather there was an affirmation that what has been learnedfrom previous surveyscontinues to be true. Thefocused audience paneldiscussions with recruitedWVIZ/PBS viewers and 90.3 WCPN listeners provided answers for manyquestions stimulated by thequantitative data.

First, the people in theaudience panels reiterated howimportant The Listening Projectis. They appreciated beingasked for their opinion.

“I was really pleased to beinvited to be a part of this –

to give feedback. I thinkwe’ve – we believe in this.That’s why we’re here. It’s

such a valued part of my life.. . . It’s nice to know thatthere is a segment of the

media that does care. I canhave a part in that.”

“I have a totally self-centered reason for my

appreciation for being here.As my son enters school age,

I need to become moreinvolved in my community,

and so coming to somethinglike this is just a start. It’s a

way for me to start chippingaway at almost a fear of

getting involved in thecommunity. I really

appreciate this opportunity.”

The audience panel discussiongroups were particularlybeneficial for ideastreampersonnel – who were able to hear and see the core users in person.

“ . . . I truly appreciate theopportunity to give feedback .

. . to be asked here forfeedback. It’s an opportunity

for me to express mygratitude. I feel a lot ofgratitude to every single

person that works for publictelevision and public radio. It’scrucial.As a part of the non-profit sector, I know that it’s

mission and heart driven.People really give their all. . . .”

Conclusions (continued)

23

The panels helped ideastreamdefine strategies and efforts onsubjects that will make adifference to involved,committed people in thecommunity. The discussionsreinforced for panelists thatthere are others like them inthe community.

“I’m really excited that thereare a lot of people here. . . . It’sreally interesting to see that

there are a lot of people whoreally think about these things.Everybody came in here for a

reason, and everybody hadthoughts to express on this

topic, and that’s reallyencouraging for me. I find that

very, very encouraging.”

“When I volunteered, I left amessage, and I wasn’t even

sure I would get a call back .. . so just getting a call backwas very thrilling to me. Butthen, to be invited to discussaround a table with kindredspirits, my appreciation andmy viewpoints about 90.3 . . .I think it’s very encouragingand uplifting. I’m grateful to

have been a part of it.”

Finally, panelists expressed thelink between their own abilityto impact the community andthe related ability of ideastreamto also impact the community.

“Public radio and televisionpeople, well . . . we’re a lot

alike.We’re interested in what’sgoing on, and we’re very

interested in our community.”

“It’s up to all of us to work onthings that help us all. . . .”

The value of the link betweenthe impact of the individual andthe impact of ideastream is themost important conclusion ofThe Listening Project 4. It wasrevealed four years ago in thefirst Listening Project. It tells how public broadcasting canstrengthen the resolve ofNortheast Ohio residents toimprove their communities andtheir own lives.

The Listening Project, the onlylongitudinal communityresearch project of its kind inpublic broadcasting, continuesto shape the operatingprinciples and set the goals forideastream, the innovative,provocative multiple mediapublic service organizationserving Northeast Ohio.

“It is easier to keeptalking once you knowsomeone is listening.”

1234 - amazon web servicesideastream-production.s3.amazonaws.com › images › about › lp ›...

Documents