The Deep South and Medicaid Expansion

Click the image to read our newest report, “The Deep South and Medicaid Expansion: The View From Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina,” and learn more about public perception of the Affordable Care Act.

Media and Technology Stats and Studies – May 20, 2013

A soon-to-be published University of Wisconsin-Madison meta-analysis of data on more than 10,000 children in 15 countries is expected to show viewing international co-productions of Sesame Street has a positive impact on learning in children around the world. According to the University of Wisconsin, the study will show an average 11.6 percentile difference between viewers and non-viewers on “cognitive outcomes (including literacy and numeracy), learning about the world (including health and safety knowledge), and social reasoning and attitudes.” An NTI/PBS study recently showed PBS Kids’ TV and online media outlets attract a higher proportion of African American, Hispanic and low-income households, compared to their proportion of the overall population. A 2010 study of 600 pre-school children showed children who viewed PBS’ Sesame Street increased their ability to articulate scientific concepts by 100%.

Media Matters for America released Diversity of Evening Cable News in 13 Charts. The report looked at the race, ethnicity and gender of 1,677 guests and found that women did not make up more than 33% of guests on any of the cable news channels. Media Matters also found that Fox News had the highest proportion of white guests (83%), with MSNBC having the lowest (73%), and that African Americans were the “largest non-white group on all of the networks,” as 19% of the non-white guests Media Matters reviewed were African American.

Netflix released its ranking of the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) with the fastest speeds. Google Fiber ranked first with an average speed of 3.45 Mbps, with Cablevision, Cox, Suddenlink, Charter, Verizon-FIOS, MediaCom, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House, rounding out the Top 10.

NTIA reported that 18% of rural areas continue to lack access to download speeds of at least 6 Mbps, compared to 100% of urban residents.

The Center for Democracy and Technology has released a report explaining the technical reasons why the report’s authors believe the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s effort to step up Internet surveillance poses serious national security risks. Currently, the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) enables law enforcement officials to wiretap phone lines. The authority for tapping communications conducted via instant messaging platforms and VOIP platforms such as Skype is not as clear since these services rely on the Internet, rather than phone lines, to function. Among other things, the report concludes that requiring these service providers to build in intercept capabilities at endpoints exposes the United States to “serious consequences for the economic well-being and national security of the United States.”

A record year in political spending on local TV stations has led to a spate of broadcast mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in the US TV broadcast industry. The revenues generated by local TV stations during the 2012 election cycle allowed them to make their balance sheets more attractive for investors. LIN Television, Nexstar Broadcasting, Sinclair Broadcast Group, and Tribune are among the largest groups leading this new wave of consolidation, the value of which could exceed $6 billion through 2014, according to Moody’s.

Clear Channel reports its iHeartRadio service has reached 30 million registered users. This is compared to 200 million registered users for Pandora, the Internet radio market leader. Clear Channel also reported 60 million unique users per month, compared to 67 million active Pandora users. Clear Channel attributes this difference to the fact that Clear Channel users can always turn to local FM radio stations for local content.

Media and Technology Stats and Studies – May 13, 2013

A Grunwald Associates report commissioned by AT&T concluded that parents’ level of education correlated with their level of enthusiasm about the benefits of mobile technology in their children’s education. The report concluded that most parents whose children did not use mobile devices or who were less believing of the benefits of using devices to enhance learning do not have college degrees. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 30.4% of all U.S. adults aged 25+ have earned a Bachelor’s degree, which breaks down to 50.8% of Asians, 34% of Whites, 20.2% of Blacks, and 14.1% of Hispanics. Seventy-eight percent of parents surveyed in the Grunwald/AT&T report indicated that someone in the family owns a “personal or portable computer” with 52% saying their children use these devices. Forty-six percent of parents surveyed own a tablet, with 34% of their children using it. Additionally, in a recent Pew Research study, 62% of parents believed libraries should offer access to a wider selection of e-books.   

Disney’s media networks business is enjoying its most profitable year ever, generating $5 billion in revenues in 1Q13, which grew by 6% since last year. ESPN led Disney’s growth, with its ad revenue up 10% in 1Q13. However, ABC – the company’s broadcasting unit – continues to struggle, with operating income down 40%, even though Shonda Rhimes‘ Scandal is breaking ratings barriers and is on track to become the #1 drama on TV for the second time in 3 weeks. Last Thursday, Scandal was up in ratings by 68% among 18-49 year olds, compared to the same night last year. Scandal also outperformed Fox’s American Idol for the first time ever last Thursday night, according to Nielsen.

The White House released new open data rules to make data the federal government collects more accessible by the public.

Nielsen reported that the number of TV Households are up 1.2% since 2012 to 115.6 million. Further, the Leichtman Research Group (LRG) report found that more than 1/4 of U.S. adults watch video daily on devices other than TVs. Nielsen will begin including Internet viewers in its ratings estimates later this year.

A University of Montreal discussion paper showed a positive correlation between broadband adoption and marriage rates among 21-30 year olds.

A Park Associates report found that 78% of U.S. broadband households have a home network. This rate is expected to increase to 95% by 2016.

The Federal Communications Commission released its quarterly report on consumer inquiries and informal complaints. Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) matters comprised more than half (58%) of inquiries. Radio and television complaints increased by 104% and cable and satellite services complaints increased by 67% in the 4th quarter of 2012, compared to the 3rd quarter of 2012. The FCC attributed most of the increase in complaints in these two categories to programming.

Fortune: Glenn Beck’s TheBlaze Media Network generates between $35 and $45 million in annual revenues.

EE Global – Time is Running Out!

Join the Joint Center (an endorsing organization) and over 300 attendees for the 2013 Energy Efficiency Global Forum, the Alliance to Save Energy’s robust, high-level energy efficiency gathering held May 20 and 21, 2013, in Washington, DC.

EE Global is encourages candid conversation on energy issues with discussion-based executive dialogue sessions and plenary sessions led by an impressive roster of thought leaders. The traditional exposition has been replaced with a Connections Club where attendees and sponsors can network and build relationships in an informal and relaxed atmosphere. Attendees can also venture out of the Convention Center and straight to Capitol Hill for an opportunity to mingle with U.S. policymakers at the Energy 2030 Reception.

EE Global allows for collaboration with highly-credentialed energy efficiency influencers, including leaders and policymakers from government, NGOs, universities, and industry in over 25 countries. It also offers the opportunity to hear from such distinguished speakers as Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.); Helen Burt, SVP & Chief Consumer Officer, PG&E; Odon de Buen, Director General, CONUEE; Jeff Drees, EVP, Professional Services Division, Schneider Electric; Dr. Naoko Ishii, CEO & Chairperson, The GEF; John Norris, Commissioner, FERC; and Govenor Bill Ritter, Director, Center for the New Energy Economy, Colorado State University.

Registration ends soon. Visit the Alliance to Save Energy to learn more about EE Global and purchase your ticket.

Media and Technology Stats and Studies – May 6, 2013

In an advertising sales pitch to advertisers at the Digital Content NewFronts this week, a top YouTube executive reported that YouTube viewers spend 2 billion more hours per month watching videos on the service than they did last year. Last year, 1 billion unique viewers watched 4 billion hours of YouTube content per month, compared to 6 billion hours per month this year. According to RBC Capital Markets, YouTube generated $4 billion in revenue in 2012, compared to $2.5 billion in 2011. One year ago, the Washington Post reported that a “disproportionate share of YouTube’s top personalities are minorities,” with the top channel attracting more than “5 million subscribers — enough to attract the attention of major advertisers.” Many other NewFronts presenters – including Univision, which participated in the NewFronts for the first time; CBS Interactive; Hulu Latino; and CNET – touted their goals to tailor their programming to attract Spanish-speaking viewers. Pew has reported that 79% of minorities visit video sharing sites, compared to 69% of whites. As the Joint Center has previously reported, a Horowitz Associates report found that, while Black, Hispanic, and Asian Americans are as likely as their White counterparts to have access to over-the-top (OTT) platforms - such as Netflix, Roku, and Hulu - they are more likely to use them regularly to watch video content.

Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business released a report evaluating what in its view would be the likely economic impact of the incentive auctions. The report concludes that limiting the bidding rights of the largest carriers would cause inefficiencies, including 40% less revenue from auction proceeds. One of the report’s authors also determined that hampering large carriers’ ability to participate in the auctions would actually lead to a 22-46 MHz spectrum deficit and a loss of 118,000 jobs by 2017.

Social media use is driven by a fear of missing out on keeping up with friends, according to a forthcoming report in Computers and Human Behavior. This fear was most prevalent among social media users under age 30 and correlated with a higher likelihood of texting while driving.

The Digital Entertainment Group reported a 5% year-over-year increase in sales of movies and TV shows during the 1st quarter, to $4.69 billion in 2013.

Parents with minor children are more likely to be deeply engaged with their public libraries, with lower-income households showing more demand for e-readers and classes on how to use e-readers, according to Pew Research: “Parents living in households earning less than $50,000 are more likely than parents in higher income households to say they would be ‘very likely’ to take advantage of: classes on how to download library e-books (44% vs. 29%); e-readers already loaded with library content (40% vs. 22%); digital media lab (40% vs. 28%); classes on how to use e-readers (34% vs. 16%).”

The University of Southern California has received a $3.25 million Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant to build capacity for measuring the impact of media.

The Joint Center Endorses EE Global

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is pleased to announce its endorsement of EE Global, the 2013 Energy Efficiency Global Forum, which will be held in Washington, DC, on May 20 and 21, 2013. Hosted by the Alliance to Save Energy, EE Global is the premier gathering of energy efficiency influencers from around the world, an interactive event designed for debate, partnership-building, and idea-sharing to drive the next generation of energy efficiency.

The EE Global agenda includes discussion topics ranging from the role of energy efficiency in a changing climate to the challenges of achieving net-zero to creating profitable emerging markets in developing countries. Twenty Executive Dialogue Sessions and two Plenary Sessions will feature such experts as U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, UNIDO Director-general Kandeh Yumkella, Whirlpool Corporation Chairman and CEO Jeff Fettig, and countless other Thought Leaders.

Space has been added to allow for an additional 100 attendees at EE Global 2013. Registrations are available on a first-come, first-served basis and can be purchased online.

Media and Technology Stats and Studies – April 30, 2013

UCLA’s Children’s Digital Media Center found that among children between the ages of 9 and 15, those who use social media often are more interested in becoming famous than other kids the same age. Earlier this year, Pew found Blacks and Hispanics to be the most avid users of Twitter and Instagram. Interestingly, the Girl Scouts found girls who are interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to anticipate that they will become famous at a lower rate (29%) than girls who did not report being interested in STEM (41%).

Pew released a study of civic engagement online. The report found people higher up on the socioeconomic ladder were more likely to “participate in civic life” online. Among Blacks, Whites and Hispanics, Hispanics overall were the least likely to be politically active both on and offline.

A Texas A&M University study found typed and voice-activated texting to be equally as distracting while driving.

Google reported that it has received more content removal requests from governments worldwide than ever before.

In a review of how well “covered entities” under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act have safeguarded patient data, the Department of Health and Human Services found most problems were caused by entities not being aware of the data and privacy rules in the Act.  Sixty-percent of problems were related to data security, 30% pertained to data privacy, and 10% related to data breach notifications.

Nielsen reports that affluent homes are more likely to subscribe to streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Plus, and Hulu. Homes making $100,000 or more were 85% more likely to subscribe to streaming services.

PriceWaterhouseCoopers found that while customers are reducing their talk time and using more data on their mobile plans, average revenue per postpaid customer with smartphones fell from $82.75 per month in 2011 to $77.79 in 2012.