Public Television Membership

PTV membership does not happen in a vacuum, and in order to understand some of the trends and problems, a few basic facts about giving behavior in the US should be understood.  Most people in the US do not regularly give money to charities.  This means that many people who are viewing PTV will never become members (estimated at 27% by PBS’s member research) . Most giving is done by women, not men. An average gift is in the $50 range, and a typical basic PTV membership renewal is also in this range.  People, regardless of their income, rarely give more than $100 to any charity. 

Much of the research listed below is password protected, if you are unable to access the content, please contact Kristen Kuebler or Craig Reed at TRAC Media Services or call 520.299.1866.
 

Core Viewer & Membership
A Power point presentation on the key for survival (2005)

DVRs and Public Television
Good news at last - research on DVRs and Public Televion (2005)

Core Viewer Overnights
A week-long survey of viewers (2005)

Core Values and Membership: Connecting the Dots
This Power Point presentation summarizes information taken from the CPB/TRAC Lapsed Member Project as well as other TRAC research. It covers core values of PTV programming, how and why people become PTV viewers and or members, types of audience, types of giving, a process model of philanthropy, types of members and survey results regarding lapsed members (2003).

Core Values
This Power Point presentation discusses what core values are and how they relate to PTV, viewers and membership (2003).
 
Membership File Analysis of Selected Markets
This Lapsed Member Study by CPB/TRAC Media supports the theory that lapsing is the “normal” state for most people on any station’s file (2003).

Member GRPs
Lessons learned from the Lapsed Member Survey (2003).

Lapsed Member Survey
TRAC interviewed 3,500 current and lapsed members via telephone. The respondents were drawn from four markets (Sacramento, Denver, Madison and Washington). The questionnaire drew on the findings from the depth interviews (2003).

Lapsed Member Study Overview
This Power Point presentation outlines the preliminary results from the Lapsed Member Survey findings and their application to your station (2003).

Show Me You Know Me
Discusses the types of viewers of public television, why they join, why they lapse and how to schedule pledge. A very short introduction (2003).

Core Values: From Audience to Community
An early Power Point on the beginnings of the Core Values research (2002).

Lapsing Multi-Year Members: Phase 1 - the Depth Interviews
Phase 1: The Depth Interviews. A membership motivation study (2002).

Summary of In-Depth Interviews
Using in-depth interviews rather than focus groups, approximately 200 people were interviewed in nine different markets. The interviewees were either lapsed multi-year members, current multi-year members or multi-year members who only renewed by pledge. The research focused upon why people supported and renewed their Public TV membership or why they lapsed (2002).

E-Philanthropy:  Easy? No. Essential? Yes!
Despite the crowing of info enthusiasts and the digerati, online giving and constituent relations through web and e-mail are still very much on the frontier of philanthropy. How slow do we have to go to avoid being fools who rush in? How fast do we have to move to make sue we’re not left behind? Once the “how” of it has been answered, who are the folks more likely to give online and respond to e-relationships? Discover it all in this comprehensive and engaging session. Kristen Kuebler, Ph.D./TRAC Media Services; Sharon Corey/WGBH; Mark Laskowski/CPB (2002).

Electronic Philanthropy Project - Report 1
This survey of the current practices and potential of the internet and e-mail for PTV membership programs provided some guidelines for developing online Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) strategies. This first report summarized the state of the internet and non-profit uses of the internet in 2000, with particular attention to Public Radio (2001).

Electronic Philanthropy - Report 2
This survey of the current practices and potential of the internet and e-mail for PTV membership programs provided some guidelines for developing online Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) strategies. This second report focused on the activities/challenges/opportunities for PTV stations in the online arena. The major findings were that Electronic Philanthropy has the potential to help stations confront the problem of shrinking membership files by attracting new donors and strengthening relationships with members. (2001).

First Year Renewal Study
This two phase study examined the relationship between membership and viewing at the market level, then used TRAC Pledge Automator data and program information to investigate first year renewal patterns. Phase I of the 28 market study was to predict membership using viewing and market characteristics. Regression analysis uses multiple predictors and determines influences on some outcome/renewal penetration (2000).

First Year Renewal Study PPT
This is the Power Point presentation that summarizes the two phase study which examined the relationship between membership and viewing at the market level, then used TRAC Pledge Automator data and program information to investigate first year renewal patterns. Phase I of the 28 market study was to predict membership using viewing and market characteristics. Regression analysis uses multiple predictors and determines influences on some outcome/renewal penetration (2000).
 
Who Pledges Public Television? A Pilot Study of Members and New Pledgers of High End Premiums
TRAC conducted two telephone surveys in 2000 with members who were mail renewers and pledgers. The surveys were performed in Madison and Sacramento (2000).

The Transactional Pledger
This Power Point presentation highlights the findings of the pilot study of members and new pledges of high end premiums. TRAC conducted two telephone surveys in 2000 with members who were mail renewers and pledgers. The surveys were performed in Madison and Sacramento (2000).
 
Membership in Multi-Station Markets
This study looks at data and implications for membership, cumes and giving in multi-station markets (2000)

Local Programming
How local programming impacts viewership in Public Television (1991).
 

Ethnic Research
Market Similarity Research
Member Research
Pledge Research
Programming Concepts
Programming Research