WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of the cable industry's comprehensive campaign to educate parents about the tools and technology available to make responsible TV viewing decisions, a Spanish-language version of the ControlYourTV.org web site has been launched, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and Cable in the Classroom (CIC) announced today.

The Spanish language version of ControlYourTV.org – www.Controlesutelevisor.org – is the newest resource in the Cable Puts You in Control initiative launched last spring. Other materials from the initiative that have been created in Spanish include Public Service Announcements (PSAs), media literacy tip sheets and other consumer education materials.

“The launch of the Spanish-language version of the Web site is a significant milestone in the cable industry's efforts to reach more parents with information that can help them make informed choices about today's media,” said Robert Sachs, President & CEO, NCTA. “Hispanic Americans are vital to our industry as viewers, consumers, customers, and thought leaders, so it was important to us to ensure that Hispanic consumers have access to the same educational information we've been offering in English. The information available on this new version of our Cable Puts You in Control Web site provides simple guidelines to Hispanic families for understanding media literacy and making choices about television viewing in their homes.”

The cable industry's commitment to educating parents about the resources, tools and technology available to make responsible viewing decisions is evidenced by the total number of PSAs (in both English and Spanish) that have aired since the campaign began last spring. Based on a survey of NCTA-member companies, NCTA said today that through the end of September, cable operators and networks had aired various versions of Cable Puts You in Control 30-second PSAs a combined total of more than 2.8 million times, a figure that represents hundreds of millions of dollars in commercial airtime.

In conjunction with the airing of PSAs, which were produced by cable programming companies and direct consumers to ControlYourTV.org, the number of visitors to the educational Web site has remained strong. From May 1 through October 31, more than 182,000 unique visitors had come to the site, and more than 444,000 individual Web pages had been viewed.

CIC represents the cable telecommunications industry's commitment to education -- to improve teaching and learning for children in schools, at home, and in their communities. This is the only industry-wide philanthropic initiative of its kind; since 1989, 8,500 cable companies and 39 cable networks have provided free access to commercial-free, educational cable content and new technologies to 81,000 public and private schools, reaching 78 percent of K-12 students. CIC focuses on five essential elements to ensure quality education in the 21st century: visionary and sensible use of technologies, engagement with rich content, community with other learners, excellent teaching, and the support of parents and other adults. NCTA is the principal trade association of the cable television industry in the United States. NCTA represents cable operators serving more than 90 percent of the nation's cable television households and more than 200 cable program networks, as well as equipment suppliers and providers of other services to the cable industry.

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