Broadcast Disclosures and Communication Effectiveness: Required Reading Comprehension Rate

Keith B. Murray, PhD

Professor, Graduate School

Bryant College

Role of reading comprehension in disclosure 

Opportunity for a message recipient to process a disclosure is a necessary (but not sufficient) requirement for effective disclosure.  

Likelihood to process and comprehend is a function of reading comprehension rate demanded.  

Why RCR is important to understand 

Reading comprehension rate is especially noteworthy in a broadcast context.  

In TV broadcast, message exposure, processing and comprehension is “paced” by the medium.  

Calculation of reading comprehension rates

RCR in a broadcast setting is a function of two variables, the
        - Length of the disclosure (measured in number of words)

	and 

2.     Amount of time (as a proportion of a minute) the disclosure is presented.  

It is expressed in terms of words-per-minute. 

Reading comprehension rate(s) in U.S.

In the U.S. population, RCR is a variable factor.  

Upper limits to reported reading comprehension rates are in the range of 300 WPM.

Lower limit thresholds are in the range of 100 WPM.  

A good working estimate of average comprehension rate is approximately 150 WPM.  

Brinks Home SecurityCommercial Video here.

Brinks Home Security

Audio:  For over 135 years Brinks has been protecting people and their valuables around the world without the loss of one single dollar.

Disclosure 1 (3%, 5 sec., 84 WPM) Refers to Brinks Incorporated armored car customers.

Disclosure 2 (2%, 2 sec., 1860 WPM) Brink’s Home Security, Inc. does not warrant against loss to covered premises.  Three year monitoring contract required. $23.95 monthly monitoring fee.  (In California a two year monitoring contract is required.  Total monitoring price $574.80) 1997 Brinks Home Security, Inc., 1828 Valwood Parkway, Carrolton, TX 75005 Florida License #000000 plus 14 more “words”.

Implications of high RCR disclosures

Failure of affirmative disclosure to occur within reasonable RCR limits results in theoretical but not actual disclosure.

Thus, in a broadcast context this sets up the opportunity to communicate unrealistic (i.e., misleading and (or) deceptive) principal selling messages in a manner that is technically “corrected” by disclosure(s) but not practically so.  

ERA Reality Commercial video here.  

ERA Sellers Security Plan commercialSegment 1

VO: (Broker identified as ERA Broker Terri Berkowicz, Chicago, IL):  Selling a house is no vacation, but that's just what the walkers got when they sold their house with our ERA office.  ERA Sellers Security Plan 

Disclosure 1

Conditions apply, including a program participation fee, house must meet specific qualifications, and purchase price will be determined solely by ERA.

Message size:  Upper case lettering, 4% of vertical screen.  

Duration:  1.9 seconds

RCR demanded:  [21 words/2 seconds]*60 = 630 WPM

ERA Sellers Security Plan commercial Segment 2

VO: (ERA Sellers Security Plan) guaranteed that if we didn't sell their house ERA would buy it.  ERA even agreed to take the risk of selling the house at a loss.  

Disclosure 2

Additionally, a second home must be purchased through a broker designated by ERA.  Profit is exclusive of holding and selling expenses.  Call your participating ERA broker for details.

Disclosure specs:

Message size:  Upper case lettering, 4% of vertical screen

Disclosure duration:  2.85 seconds

RCR demanded:  [28 words/[2.85 seconds]*60 = 590 WPM

ERA Sellers Security Plan commercial Segment 3

 VO: When we sold it for more, the Walkers got the profit.  The ERA Sellers Security Plan.  Just the kind of help you'd expect from a friend.  They used the extra money to take a vacation.  They even sent me a postcard!

Disclosure 3

Each office independently owned and operated.

Message size:  Upper case lettering, 4% of vertical screen

Disclosure duration:  2 seconds

RCR demanded:  [6 words/2 seconds]*60 = 180 WPM

Universal StudiosCommercial video here.

Universal StudiosNo Line, No Wait commercial

Disclosure:

Universal Studios

No Line. No Wait.

Ride access

1-8777-Orlando

Anticipated maximum wait 15 minutes. Restrictions apply.

Message RCR demanded: 18 words = 540 WPM

Appendix: How to calculate required reading comprehension rates for a broadcast disclosure

RCR in a broadcast setting is a function of two variables, the
        - Length of the disclosure (measured in number of words) [A], and
        - Amount of time (as a proportion of a minute) the disclosure is presented [B], where B equals the length of the disclosure time (in seconds) divided by 60.  

Thus, reading comprehension rate (RCR) is expressed in the following formula:

RCR = A ÷ B

It is expressed in terms of words-per-minute.