“Just because you watch “CSI” doesn’t mean your six-year-old (no matter how brilliant and mature) should, too. As a parent, you instinctively know stuff like that. Unfortunately, broadcasters don’t get it…So what can you do about it? Here’s where the Smart Television Alliance comes in. We’re a new coalition of leading nonprofit organizations committed to helping you use technology to find and watch quality television programming — on your family’s own schedule.”
Hmn. Parent-friendly. Non-preachy. Nonprofit coalition with TiVo as a corporate sponsor? Now, THIS is an example of a collaborative win-win venture that has the potential to work on a global scale of partnership building…
By ditching the funding fiefdoms and individual agendas for a collective good, the Smart Television Alliance is using their nonprofit social entrepreneur noggins to brainstorm media management, convenience, and the shifting of values back into the hands of families themselves with USER CHOICES for all. (Plus, there’s the ‘KidZone’ for under twelves too; all makes sense to me!)
Nonprofits and commercial interests are finally shifting to a hybrid model for sustainability…learning to align rather than malign…Whew. About time.
It’s soooooo logical…If we’re all selective in our partnership pairings, everybody wins by using the ‘power of media for positive change.’
“Free TiVo” being part of the ‘solution’ makes the product integral and germaine rather than just a gimmick too…Then there’s the extra nudge of an added incentive by offering $25 donated to any of the nonprofit partner orgs involved. Smart. Savvy. Marketing…
I’m a team player so I supported our local crew at Common Sense Media, ordering mine from their site, but ALL of those orgs are noteworthy. (btw, for the ‘what’s a TiVo?’ crew, here’s a comparison chart & 3-min. TiVo demo here)
If you’re one of the few media mavens sans TiVo like me, you can still get in on their freebie deal before 12/31 to receive a “TiVo Series2 digital video recorder (DVR) with the purchase of any service plan.”
Mind you, I don’t need all the fancy-schmansy trade-ups; I just finally acknowledge that despite ‘500 channel media surround sound,’ quality content is harder to come by in my wacky time shifting world of child-shuttling, sports events and workload.
I’ll do a full feature on the Smart Television Alliance soon, but here’s a quick fact sheet. It seems like they’ve pooled content for some consolidation among the partner orgs too, drawing in respective skill sets from ratings and resources to age, ‘top picks of the month,’ research updates and teachable moments tied in with the NEA.
I’ll stay tuned and see where they go with this…looks like a potentially solid spot for content swaps, reader resources and cross-pollination.
Shaping Youth advisory board member, Ashley is already ‘on it’ and IN it…as you can see in her STA newsletter blurb on her great blog at Children’s Media Consultant.
I’m curious though…how many of you TiVo? (yes, it’s become a verb)
How many watch TV clips/feeds from the internet, mobile, or other media device?
I’m sure the market researchers have all this tabulated somewhere…I’m just curious to hear a parent’s perspective.
I spoke this evening at a K-8 school district media management gig and as Anastasia would say, they’re ‘Totally Wired,’ and all but two had TiVo revved in full gear.
So what are your favorite media formats or most used devices? Do any of you “Sling?” (No, it’s not a verb in media lexicon yet…tho I could be mistaken) Meanwhile, here’s the STA positioning blurb and partner orgs to get you enthused.
Something for everyone…Check it out!
From the Smart Television Alliance site:
“Television is one of the most powerful mediums in the world. It can educate, inspire, and entertain us. At the same time, the alarming increase in violence, indecency, and sexual content on TV sends our children a very different message — one that undermines the positive values parents and caregivers are trying to instill in young people today.
In fact, countless studies from established media “watchdogs” have brought national attention to this issue by documenting the connection between kids’ television viewing and serious issues including violence, obesity, smoking, and sleeping difficulties. (See The Problem for more information.) We seek to promote quality, educational, and informational programming.
We are not encouraging children to watch more television. Instead, our goal is to help parents and caregivers easily find television programming that is educational and entertaining for kids, on the parents’ schedules.
We want to build an online community that helps parents make smart choices for their families. We don’t want to replace or duplicate the work of established children’s media “watchdogs” — organizations and individuals who are established experts in this field. Our goal is to highlight valuable resources and to communicate to all who share our concerns.
Join us in taking back television for our children!”
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