[493] in Humor
HUMOR: Remote Life
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Andrew A. Bennett)
Fri Oct 14 10:59:03 1994
To: humor@MIT.EDU
Date: Fri, 14 Oct 1994 10:54:34 EDT
From: "Andrew A. Bennett" <abennett@MIT.EDU>
From: Espacionaute Spiff domine! <MATOSSIAN%ARIES@VAXF.Colorado.EDU>
Forwarded-by: Peter Langston <psl@acm.org>
Forwarded-by: Chris LaFournaise <lafourc@storm.CS.ORST.EDU>
NEW SURVEY DETAILS AMERICA'S RELATIONSHIP WITH TV REMOTE CONTROL; 1 OF 3
SAY WATCHING TV NOT AS ENJOYABLE WITHOUT THE REMOTE CONTROL
NEW YORK, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Just how important has the television
remote control become in our everyday lives? A Magnavox survey of American
households, conducted by Opinion Research Corporation, indicates it's
practically indispensable, and reveals a lot more about America's
relationship with its remotes.
Among the survey findings:
-- One out of three Americans say watching television wouldn't be as
pleasurable without the remote control as it is with the device.
-- Personal control is a real issue in one out of every three American
households.
-- 18% of women surveyed, compared to just 9 % of the men, said that if
they had to choose, they would rather give up sex than their TV remote
control for one week.
The survey results are being released upon the introduction of the new
line of Magnavox Remote Locator(TM) color televisions which help TV
viewers find their lost remote controls in seconds, simply by pressing
the TV's "Power-On" button.
Additional highlights of the survey:
-- Over half (55%) of the respondents said they lose the remote control
up to five times a week. And 11% of those surveyed said they lose the
remote between six and ten times a week.
-- After they've lost their remote controls, 63% of Americans say that
they spend up to five minutes a day looking for it. Sixteen percent say
that they spend 10 minutes a day looking for it.
-- The most frequent places that Americans find their remotes include in
and under furniture (38%), in the kitchen or bathroom (20%), and in the
refrigerator (6%).
-- One percent of those surveyed actually reported finding theirs with
their pet.
-- When asked who was most likely to lose the TV remote control in the
household, 31% of the men polled said "they were," while only 19% of the
women said "they were."
-- When asked who was most likely to handle the TV remote control in
the household, 62% of the men polled said "they were," while only 37%
of the women said "they were."
Dr. Dean Krugman, a professor at the College of Journalism and Mass
Communication, University of Georgia and one of the nation's leading
authorities on television viewing, notes that in almost every research
study performed on the television viewing process males use the remote
control at a two to one ratio over females.
"Men are more often the ones controlling the viewing process at home,"
notes Professor Krugman. "As a result, there's a lot of -- let's say
interaction -- that takes place around the remote."
-- There's Even an Etiquette --
According to the Magnavox survey, 1 out of every 4 Americans "channel
surfs" (quickly flips through channels) to find a program to watch. Men
were shown to be twice as likely as women to dominate the remote control.
Only 7% of those responding agreed that the right to control the remote
is equal between men and women.
And, there's even an etiquette evolving around the remote control:
-- 62% of those surveyed said they found it rude when the person who
controls the remote constantly channel surfs.
-- 52% of respondents find it rude when the person who controls the remote
won't take requests from others also watching.
-- 40% of Americans don't like it when a guest in their house takes
control of the remote control.
-- 40% are ticked off when they know someone has misplaced the remote
control but won't admit to it.
The Magnavox Remote Locator(TM) Survey, completed in August of 1994,
evaluated the usage of the television remote control in America. The
telephone survey was conducted for Magnavox by Opinion Research
Corporation of Princeton, NJ among a national probability sample of 1,013
adults comprising 508 men and 505 women 18 years of age and older, living
in private households in the continental United States.
The sponsor of the survey is Philips Consumer Electronics Company, which
designs, manufactures and markets Philips and Magnavox consumer,
professional/commercial and business electronics products. PCEC, with
headquarters in Knoxville, Tenn., is a division of Philips Electronics
North America Corporation, a $6 billion concern whose brands include
Magnavox, Norelco and Philips Lighting. PCEC is also part of Philips
Electronics N.V., the 100-year-old global electronics leader with
worldwide sales of $30 billion, based in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
/CONTACT: Michelle Zawrotny of Makovsky & Company, 212-532-6300/ Copyright
(c) 1994 PR Newswire
