The Tanya Byron/Freeview Television "discussion"- a question if you please...

[EachPeachPearMum]

This was the 'advert' or call to mners to contribute:
"Freeview and Dr Tanya Byron are putting together a major report on children and television and want to know what you think. If you have a child aged 2-9 and live in the UK, please complete this survey.

They're also looking for 20 folks to take part in an online focus group on a private section of Talk. Again they want folks with children aged 2-9 and you need to be available to take part in online discussions from Oct 6th - 17th including a one hour online discussion with Dr Tanya Byron on Friday 17th October from 1-2pm. Everyone who is chosen and takes part in this online focus group will receive £25 worth of Amazon vouchers. If you're interested, click here."

My question is this-

Could I ask whether anyone whose children watch no television was included in this?
Obviously Freeview are only interested in their captive audience, but the discussion with Tanya Byron surely should include some parents who actually don't let their children watch television, or whose children choose to watch no television- otherwise how can it be a valid debate?

All the people on the discussion forum have freeview or satellite - this is hardly a balanced sample.

They obviously don't want to know what people think.

The survey also included the options for children watching no (0 hours) television, so you must have been expecting some responses from parents of children who do not watch television.

Anyone in at mn towers?

I'm in! And you do indeed have a point - shall pass it on...

Thanks!

Hi EachPeach

Apologies for not getting back sooner - I've been away until today and I set up the Freeview activity on Mumsnet.

We had almost 2000 people responding to the Freeview survey, and quite a few of those who responded don't allow their children to watch TV so those views will be taken into consideration as part of the broad picture when Tanya writes her report.

The focus group is commissioned by Freeview and is focusing (if you'll pardon the pun) on children's current television viewing habits rather than whether children should or shouldn't watch TV at all. With only 20 spaces they felt they wanted to go for people who had children who watched at least some television.

When we recruited for the focus group we didn't ask if people had Freeview or Sky so the fact that most seem to have one or the other is pure coincidence and seems to reflect the market as it is at the moment.

Hope that helps explain things a bit more and apologies again for the delay in giving you a full explanation.

Thanks! I am just a bit too evangelistic about this topic I think