| Television has provided information, excitement and | | | | number of viewers that need the feature in order to |
| entertainment to American families for over thirty | | | | enjoy the programs. The cost of providing closed |
| years, but for many people, the sounds of the | | | | captioning to a one hour program can run from |
| television simply could not be heard. In 1985 | | | | $1,500 to $2,200. This number varies because each |
| approximately 9% of the American population was | | | | captioning job is uniquely based on how long they |
| hearing impaired, according to the National Center for | | | | have to produce the captions as well as how hard |
| Health Statistics. Because of closed captioning, those | | | | the script is. |
| who have hearing loss are now able to enjoy a | | | | Other decisions must be made as well, such as when |
| majority of popular prime time TV shows, as well as | | | | a caption should appear on the screen and what |
| the presidential debates. | | | | length of time will be needed for viewers to read it. |
| One organization is responsible for providing 90 | | | | Films which include long action sequences are easier |
| percent of the closed captioning for the shows we | | | | to caption, generally. Creating subtitles for "Miami |
| see on TV, and it is a non-profit organization that has | | | | Vice" will take less time than creating subtitles for |
| been around since 1979. Even captioning for | | | | "The Lion in Winter". |
| thousands of movies which are available on videotape | | | | There are several means of funding for closed |
| has been provided by the organization. One way to | | | | captioning, including the public broadcasting service, |
| explain it is like this; out of six stations that show 18 | | | | the Department of Education, and other foundations. |
| hours worth of programs a day, only 12 or 13 | | | | Most of the time the funds are split into three parts, |
| percent of them offer closed captioning. Shows for | | | | with each organization paying their part to caption |
| children make up one third of all those subtitled | | | | the program. One reason the audience is so small is |
| programs. | | | | because the decoder can be a costly item. It cost |
| A major part of this organization's work is convincing | | | | $280 when it first came out, in 1980. The cost of a |
| programmers, producers, and the network | | | | decoder is now less than $250, usually around $200. |
| executives to make sure their programs are | | | | Grants from foundations or corporations can help |
| captioned. Sadly, that's not such an easy job to do. | | | | provide decoders for low income deaf or hearing |
| Though closed captioning has been available for thirty | | | | impaired Americans who might not otherwise be able |
| years, many producers are only now starting to | | | | to pay. There are programs in some major cities that |
| understand the huge market that is available through | | | | allow decoders to be provided to lower income |
| closed captioning. Most are simply unfamiliar with the | | | | families for as little as $35, it is a hope that at some |
| deaf and hearing impaired and what might be done to | | | | point in the future decoders will be inbuilt to TV's, this |
| make their life easier. | | | | will happen when the technology becomes cheap |
| The audience for closed captions is estimated to be | | | | enough. |
| at almost one million, a fact that makes some | | | | Hearing loss is a disability that is not noticed by many |
| executives reluctant to provide subtitles for their | | | | individuals in the U.S.. The reason for this is because |
| programs. Those numbers have been based on the | | | | they are isolated by people in our country, so they |
| information from the decoder, which makes it | | | | tend to withdraw and stay out of the way of |
| possible for people in 150,000 homes to see the | | | | society, and that isn't fair. One of the real high points |
| captioning. However, they expect that number to rise | | | | of having closed captioning is the fact it creates an |
| by some 30,000 by the end of the year. | | | | opportunity for a family to come together as well as |
| The programs that are captioned are based on the | | | | serving the hearing impaired and deaf individuals. |