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NCAA Releases Television Report Snows Fans Prefer PreferTo PreferV V To Stay in Parlors ParlorsControlled Controlled Viewing Appears Almost Certain to Be Used Again During 1952 Season SeasonBy By EARL WRIGHT WRIGHTUnited United Press Sports Writer WriterNEW NEW YORK N Y May 8 The Na ¬ tional Collegiate Athletic Association smoothing the path for its 1952 football television plan today released a 30page report showing that TV has been luring fans from the nations stadiums to its par ¬ lors and beer gardens for the past two seasons seasonsThe The yearlong study made for the NCAA by the National Opinion Research Center of the University of Chicago at a cost of 50000 concludes that 1 Television does definite damage to college football attendance 2 Attendance losses are much greater in TVsaturated areas than elsewhere 3 The experimental controlled tele ¬ vision program of the NCAA in 1951 less ¬ ened such damage and checked attendance decreases decreasesThese These are the main findings of the re ¬ port which will form the basis for the 1952 football television plan which the NCAA TV committee will announce and submit to the member schools within the next few weeks weeksThe The report by the NORC one of the nations leading research groups indicates that TV owners who hope to watch their favorite teams every weekend next fall will be disappointed disappointedThe The much criticized 1951 plan under which the NCAA televised certain games to certain areas each weekend while black ¬ ing out other parts of the country appears almost certain to be used again in one form or another anotherIn In a summary of the history of the im ¬ pact of television on football attendance the report says saysIn In 1948 Imperceptible because ther were fewer than 1000000 sets in the country In 1949 Perceptible but small still only 3000000 sets j jIn In 1950 9000000 sets Substantial attendance declines in TV areas in the face j of attendance gains elsewhere 14 Million Sets in 1951 1951In In 1951 close to 14000000 sets Fall ¬ ing attendance everyhere but a relatively smaller loss in TV areas with the end of unrestricted telecasting of college games gamesThe The NORC divided its exhaustive re ¬ search into seven major departments Col ¬ lege attendance trends effects of TV blackouts high school attendance trends profiles of football fans and TV owners the effects of TV ownership the factors underlying attendance decisions and the Dublic attitudes toward the NCAAs 1951 TV planAs plan As in 1950 the report says of 1951 colleges located outside of television areas continued to hold or surpass their pre television 194748 attendance while those colleges that were exposed to TV competi ¬ tion found their attendance down approxi ¬ mately l500000r or 15 per cent from their expected pretelevision levels Attendance is particularly off in those heavilysatu ¬ rated TV areas where 40 per cent or more of the families are set owners ownersThe The report added that although the NCAA television control program suc ¬ ceeded in reducing televisions harmful ef ¬ fects on attendance the overall 1951 attendance both in TV and nonTV areas declined an average of six per cent from 1950 because of declining student enroll ¬ ment and the pinch of inflation inflationThe The survey found that all types of col ¬ leges are feeling the effects of TV TVAdverse Adverse TV effects were found in at ¬ tendance trends of all types of colleges and for all types of games Large medium and small colleges all reported much lower at ¬ tendance figures when they were exposed to TV competition than when TV was absent absentThe The report found small college at ¬ tendance markedly higher on blackout Saturdays when no televised game was available in the area but it also criticized the NCAA for failing to make the public fully aware of its experimental blackout program last fall fallThe The report concludes by admitting that we still know very little about the long run effects of television ownership since only onefourth of all TV owners have had their sets three years only slightly more than half have been able to watch tele ¬ vised football for even two seasons and the amount and type of college football available on television was not the same in 1951 as it was in 1950 and the pattern for 1952 has not yet been established
