C-SPAN turns 30 today -- and it's getting younger
C-SPAN, the camera that never blinks in its coverage of American government, turns 30 today. And to celebrate, the cable industry's public affairs channel is releasing a survey that shows 20 percent of cable TV households, about 39 million viewers, watch C-SPAN regularly -- at least once or twice a week.
The survey also shows an audience that is very active politically, fairly evenly split between liberal and conservative viewers -- and surprisingly young with 43 percent of its viewers between the ages of 18 and 49. Ninety percent of C-SPAN viewers say they voted in 2008.
Here are some highlights from the survey that was conducted by Hart Research Associates:
When C-SPAN launched, it was in 3.5 million homes. Today, C-SPAN’s programming is available in 97 million cable/satellite households with 78 million viewers saying they watched C-SPAN at some time in the past six months. The survey results also show the connection between viewers of the cable TV public affairs network and the American political process.
Eighty-three percent of C-SPAN viewers told Hart Research that they follow news and current events “closely” or “fairly closely.”
In addition to their high levels of voting (90%), C-SPAN viewers are active citizens:
35% have contributed money to a political campaign.
32% have written their member of Congress, Senator, or local elected official.
The Hart survey found a C-SPAN audience equally divided between men and women and representing adults across all age groups. C-SPAN also attracts an ideologically diverse audience. Specifically:
43% are ages 18-49
32% are ages 50-64
25% are ages 65-plus
Ideologically, 31% of C-SPAN viewers describe themselves as “liberal;” 28 percent say they are “conservative.”
62% report watching C-SPAN’s Presidential election coverage
61% have watched C-SPAN’s Congressional coverage.
Categories: Cable and Network News, Ratings, TV and Politics
