Murray helped Kuhn develop the accompanying Web site so the general public can participate in the discussions, through a Web tool known as a hyperforum. "It is a moderated discussion conducted in non-real time," said Murray. "People have to take time to think about what they are saying and use their real names."
The use of real names and a moderator, said Murray, helps insure that the discourse is not offensive and results in something that people find interesting to read. Visitors to the Web site can also participate in opinion polls and catch up on the latest news in science and technology through a link to SciTech Daily Review.
"We do think the Closer to Truth Web site is an example of the best of what the Web is and can be a mechanism for serious discourse," said Kuhn. Future episodes, which the team hopes to tape later this year, will be even more integrated with the Web site, he added.
Targeting a Thoughtful Audience
Closer to Truth does not aspire to attract the large masses of viewers who regularly tune in to shows on commercial television such as Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Survivor. Instead, the show's producers want to reach what they believe is a growing segment of the population interested in the progression of ideas.
"We recognize that there is a majority of the American population that, when coming across a panel of four distinguished scientists discussing an issue, will not stick around long enough to find out what the issue is," said Mel Rogers, president of KOCE. "But there is a segment of the population out there that will."
Public television stations, unlike commercial television, lack a system like Nielsen ratings to determine how many people tune in to Closer to Truth. But a local ratings survey of the Los Angeles area found that about 50,000 people had tuned in to a recent episode, said Rogers. And about 5,000 people visit the Web site each week.
"We want people to find us and grow with us," said Kuhn. "As the world becomes more knowledge oriented, more and more people are going to have discretionary time to consider important questions."
|
SOURCES AND RELATED WEB SITES
|
