OPA study finds TV and the Web joined at the hip among 18-34 users, at the expense of other media.

The rise of the Web at the expense of traditional media is a hot topic, but a new ethnographic study released yesterday by the Online Publishers Association (OPA) says television isn't dead yet. In fact, it's as essential as the Web in the lives of young users.

The study, presented at a luncheon at the Museum of Television and Radio in New York, examined the media usage of 42 people between the ages of 18 to 34 who live in five major American cities. Film clips of the subjects at home in their living rooms showed them watching TV and surfing the Web on their lap tops simultaneously. This image appears to be the key to modern media usage among young people today, in which TV and the Web predominate at the expense of all other media.

The study, conducted for the OPA by John Carey of Greystone Communications, was qualitative not quantitative, so no numbers were presented. Instead, Carey discussed his findings, based on personal interviews with the subjects, in their homes and schools. Then he played film and audio clips of the subjects to reinforce his points.

When the subjects were asked which media they would use if they were only allowed to use two, all of them chose TV and the Internet. The only other medium that received favorable comments was radio, and that was only because it could be listened to in the car. Newspapers are largely unread by the subjects, although many visit newspaper Web sites for the latest news.

The image one gets of young people from this study is that they will only use media that provide instant gratification. Since TV, the Web and radio offer instant content, they are viewed, but print media, which require time to consume, are out. Newspapers and magazines were barely mentioned during the presentation.

When the subjects were asked why they favored those media, they said:

• TV is a source of entertainment and escape.
• The Web is also entertaining and a fast source of information.
• Radio provides companionship and connectedness.

Another interesting finding of the study concerns cross-media usage, or multitasking, Carey says. The proliferation of wireless Internet access has contributed to this phenomenon, allowing young people to surf the Web in the living room as they watch TV. Sports viewing seems to be the most popular activity, with young people surfing ESPN.com and other sports sites as they watch games on TV.

TV and the Web also seem to be the most popular media for breaking news, the study suggests. Subjects turn to the Web or TV first for breaking news, and often get the same news from both media. They downplay newspapers for the news.

In a question and answer session following his presentation, Carey had little to say about advertising. While some survey panelists said they disliked advertising, there was no general consensus about it.

Media usage is a critical subject for advertisers who want to know where to spend their money. Nielsen's recent announcement that TV time for young adults has decreased more than 10 percent sent shock waves through the industry.

The OPA study doesn't really corroborate that, since survey members say they watch a lot of television. But they seem to be spending at least as much time and sometimes more on the Internet, prompting advertisers to increase their online spend to reach this important group. Carey said pop-up ads are especially disliked, so Web advertisers will be challenged to find formats the group will accept and respond to.

Carey said the OPA study could be criticized for its small size -- can 42 people really offer relevant findings about media usage? And the subjects of the study were generally upscale whites, although Carey said not everyone was upscale and five minorities were included.

But it did present an intriguing view of media use today -- watching young people in their living rooms viewing TV as they surf the Web is a wake up call for advertisers and anyone with an interest in social change.