Groundwater Protection TV Campaign

Extension educators need to try innovative ways to reach audiences that don't attend traditional Extension educational programs. To do this, in the area of groundwater education, a campaign consisting of three 30-second television messages about groundwater protection was run over a three-month period. A telephone survey was then conducted to examine not only whether the messages were seen, but whether they changed viewers' knowledge level or practices. Results indicated television messages can be a cost-effective way not only of communicating, but also of facilitating change.

The first message was intended as a general groundwater appreciation and awareness message, stating that "most of Wisconsin's drinking water comes from the ground" and that activities on the land's surface could affect groundwater quality. One of the visuals was a shot of a garage shelf full of cleaning products and pesticides. The second message focused on a number of agricultural best management practices for groundwater protection. The third encouraged annual water testing for private wells, since "your water could look fine and taste fine, but not be pure." Scripts were developed by a committee of Extension staff and other county, state, and federal agency staff collaborating on groundwater issues. Funding was provided by the Golden Sands Resource Conservation and Development Area and the Soil Conservation Service.

A Wausau, Wisconsin television station (Channel 9) aired the messages. The 10 p.m. news was chosen to reach the adult audience being targeted. The station agreed to produce the messages from the prepared scripts for $600, and $5,900 was spent to purchase air time. The remaining $500 of the $7,000 budget was used to do the telephone survey evaluation of the project. Each message was shown 12-15 times during the month it was featured.

Two months after the campaign ended, a telephone survey of 565 people was conducted. Ninety-two percent of the interviewees reported watching Channel 9 at some time, and 78% reported watching Channel 9's 10 p.m. news at some time during the campaign. Thirty-eight percent of the interviewees(n=213) reported they'd actually seen the messages. Asked to briefly describe their content, 93 people (44%) were able to give an accurate description of one or more of the messages, and were labeled "viewers."

Seventy-five percent of viewers (12% of all interviewees) reported that the messages had increased their knowledge, mainly in the areas of water testing, groundwater appreciation, and awareness of pollution problems. An additional 13 people indicated the messages reinforced existing knowledge. Sixty percent of the viewers (10% of all interviewees) indicated they'd changed some practices as a result of the campaign. These were mainly in the area of water testing and proper disposal of hazardous products and household waste. Five other people indicated they're already doing what they can.

Interviewees were asked to respond to a number of questions testing their general knowledge of groundwater sources and groundwater protection practices. Although the questions had been pre-tested, they were later determined to be too basic. However, viewers of the messages had slightly higher percentages of correct responses for four of the five knowledge questions than did nonviewers.

About 50,000 adults watch the 10 p.m. news on Channel 9, according to station estimates and Nielsen ratings. If our sample is an accurate indicator:

• 19,000 adults in the viewing area may recall seeing the messages.
• 8,500 may be able to accurately describe their content.
• 6,200 may have increased their knowledge about groundwater.
• 5,000 may have changed one or more practices.

With a total budget of $7,000, it cost about $0.14 per person to deliver this form of groundwater education for 50,000 adults, and $1.40 per person to cause a change in practices.

Brief television messages probably can't capture the essence of all Extension activities in groundwater education and many other subject areas. But this study demonstrates that television messages can be an effective supplement to more traditional programming.