CHILDRENS TELEVISION ADVERTISING IN THE MULTICHANNEL ENVIRONMENT

Much has changed in television since the 1970s, when most studies examining the content of advertising to children were conducted. An altered regulatory climate and changes in the industry structure (e.g., growth of cable and independent stations) suggest the need to reexamine the characteristics of such messages. This study assessed the nature and number of commercials during children's programs on three different types of channels: broadcast networks, independent stations, and cable networks. Clear patterns of differences were found across the various channel types. The broadcast networks provided the greatest amount of advertising; cable presented significantly less. Independent stations captured the largest share of toy ads. Cable presented the widest range of products advertised, including such new categories as recorded telephone messages targeting children. The study also examined the themes/appeals employed in the commercials, disclosures/disclaimers used, and other content attributes of the advertising.