Retirement Living TV Nationwide Poll Determines Nearly One in Four Seniors Unaware of Digital Transition

Retirement Living TV Nationwide Poll Determines Nearly One in Four Seniors Unaware of Digital Transition

Television determined as single best way to reach seniors

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Retirement Living TV (RLTV), the first network dedicated to people 55+, recently conducted a nationwide poll that determined nearly one in four seniors (23 percent) remain unaware of the February 2009 transition from analog to digital television (DTV). Despite significant progress made in preparing and informing Americans via television, radio, billboards, etc., some groups are disproportionately affected by the DTV transition -- specifically seniors.

"The DTV transition education campaigns are working, but more should be done to target the most vulnerable," remarked Patrick Baldwin, VP of Strategic Development for Retirement Living TV. "Our research suggests that the transition to digital television will affect nearly 70 million Americans which are about 23 percent of TV households."

The poll discovered that seniors with less education are more likely to receive only over-the-air broadcasts. Furthermore, the survey revealed 31 percent of seniors without a college education have not heard about the transition at all.

Additional findings show that seniors are relying heavily on television news for information about the transition. While 42 percent of adults age 65 and over have learned about the DTV changeover through televised news, about two-thirds of adults between the ages of 18 and 64 already know about it. Another 33 percent of seniors learned about the DTV from television ads. No other information sources for seniors made it into double digits.

"Television is the ideal medium to increase awareness among seniors. At Retirement Living TV we tailor the DTV message specifically for an older generation," remarked Baldwin.

There is also a concern that seniors may not be aware of the potential impact of the DTV transition. The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Association (NTIA) estimates that around 23 percent of households will be affected by the transition to digital television, while the RLTV poll revealed 27 percent of adults perceive that they will be impacted.

Respondents for this survey were reached by telephone June 4-10, 2008 and selected randomly. RLTV surveyed 800 adults nationally with an oversample of 450 adults age 65 and older. Margin of error is +/-3.5 percent for all adult respondents.

About Retirement Living TV

Retirement Living TV (RLTV) is the only network dedicated to informing, involving and inspiring people 55+. Launched in September 2006, the network has all-original programming with established celebrities and journalists on topics spanning critical issues including health, lifestyle, finance and politics. RLTV is the expert in the field of aging, guided by an internationally recognized gerontologist and researcher. RLTV is seen across North America on Comcast CN8, Verizon FiOS and other video providers or by logging on at WWW.RL.TV.

Source: Retirement Living TV

CONTACT: Kimberly Simmons, Media & Communications Manager for Retirement
Living TV, +1-443-430-8948 (office) or +1-443-841-5313 (cell), ksimmons@rl.tv

Web site: http://www.rl.tv/

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