POGO targets child psychologists and educators through new research

Turner International India, which launched kid's channel POGO on New Year's Day, released the findings of a study conducted in January this year, which targeted child psychologists and educators in an attempt to get a qualitative view of the programming needs of children in the age group of three-six years.

Conducted by TNS Mode in the cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, the study targeted 15 experts and aimed at evaluating POGO shows between 8.00 am and 5.00 pm - the day part set aside for pre-schoolers and young children.

"The idea was to get key directional insights into the kind of programming that this target audience would like to watch, and hence, guide us during the acquisition of shows," says Pradeep Hejmadi, director, research, Turner International India.

Meeting with experts completed Turner's circle of knowledge pertaining to children, since the media house has been interacting with parents, especially mothers, apart from observing children, in an attempt to understand their programming needs.

"Children are more often than not initiated into watching TV, as some kind of reward, or, the child is a secondary viewer along with the parent," says Hejmadi. "But naturally, what the child views is not apt for him or her owing to the female or family-centric programming on hand," he adds.

The experts were of the opinion that programming for pre-schoolers and young children should dwell on positive aspects or subjects rather than negative attributes and should be in sync with the child's cognitive development. In other words, the programming should emphasise on colours, shapes, sounds, alphabets, social etiquette and interactional skills. "The shows must be simple and easy to comprehend, with emphasis on repetition," says Hejmadi.

He also states, programming should be less verbal and more visual with limited use of fast-moving images. "Children love bright colours, characters and songs, which the experts pointed out," he states.

The experts seemed to be happy with the fare dished out - which included shows like Barney & Friends, Miffy & Friends, Teletubbies and Franny's Feet. Says Hejmadi, "These shows were selected because they typify different styles. Barney & Friends is a non-animated format show wherein kids are seen interacting with a mentor or guide role-playing Barney, while Miffy & Friends is an animated series dwelling on the central character of Miffy and his interaction with peers."

Teletubbies, on the other hand, talks about the tubbies and their little world called Teletubby Land, while Franny's Feet shows the protagonist Franny on adventures, closing-off with a moral. "POGO was launched with the objective of bringing world-class programming not otherwise available to children; this study will help us in our endeavour," adds Hejmadi. © 2004 agencyfaqs!