• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, October 3, 2005

The Middletown Media Studies, from Ball State University, catalogues daily interactions with media to show that people spend a staggering amount of time engaged, to one extent or another, with some form of media during the average day. The study concludes that although TV is still the major force, radio remained in second place by incidence, and computer use came in at just over half the average amount of time of TV use.

Key findings of this study, summarized here by the author, show how people spend their media time budget:

• TV wins as the highest-exposure medium every hour of the observed day in terms of minutes of exposure. At no time were less than 30% of the sample exposed to it, and, at some times, as much as 70%
• On average, respondents spent more time with the computer than any other medium with the single exception of the TV (including online activities such as web, email or instant messaging and offline desktop software)
• 56.9% of media exposure took place in the home, but 21.1% took place at work, 8.3% in the car and 13.7% in other locations
• TV use, newspaper reading and use of video are highest per average day on the weekend. Various online activities are highest during the week while radio remains virtually unchanged day to day
• Although not the most significant medium in terms of time spent, the telephone (landline and mobile phone combined) reaches 94.6% of all people in any given day
• Overall, the biggest computer users are 25-64, especially the 25-44 subgroup
• 18-39 and 40+ year old women spent the most time on the web and using email

Whether at home, at work, in the car or elsewhere, media are almost always with us, often in many forms at the same time, concludes the report.

For the original report and more on the study, go here.