Contact:   Patie Maloney

310-446-6244

www.ema-online.org

 

 

Investing in Media that Matters --

A Gathering at Sundance Village

 

 

Case Studies: The Value of Positive Influences In the Media

 

 

  •  "The Fonz and the Library"[1]

Ø       On September 27, 1977, millions of viewers watched "Happy Days" and saw "the Fonz" take out a library card.

Ø       According to series creator Garry Marshall, requests for library cards grew by more than 500 percent nationwide in the days that followed.

  • "Designated Driver and Hollywood"[2]

Ø       In November 1988, members of The Harvard Alcohol Project went to Hollywood with a new idea: the "designated driver" .

Ø       They asked writers and producers to introduce the new concept to the public.

Ø       160+ primetime episodes resulted (subplots, scenes and/or dialogue) that said it's "okay" to party, but someone must remain sober for the drive home.

Ø       One year later, a Gallup poll found 67 percent of adults recognized the term "designated driver".

Ø       In 1991, "designated driver" appeared in Webster's College Dictionary.

·         Kaiser Family Foundation Survey on Teens, Sex and TV[3]

Ø       The survey "Teens, Sex and TV" sampled more than 500 15-17 year olds.

Ø       60 percent of teens say they have learned from helpful sexual scenes on TV to say ‘no' to sexual situations that make them uncomfortable.

Ø       43 percent have learned how to talk to a partner about safer sex.

Ø       TV's content can help bring about parent-child communication.  One in three 15-17 year olds (33%) said that they have had a conversation with one of their parents about sexual issue because of something they saw on TV.

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[1] Environmental Media Association, www.ema-online.org

[2] ibid.

[3] "Teens Say Sex on TV Influences Behavior on Peers," Kaiser Family Foundation, www.kff.org/content/2002/3229/TeensSexTVNewsRelease.pdf, May 20, 2002.