How To Get a Program Captioned

Here's How:

1. Collect all the facts you can regarding the potential audience for the program if it were captioned. Number of deaf/HOH people nationally and locally. Include data on hearing people who benefit from captions, such as people learning English as a Second Language and children learning to read.
2. Write the program's producers and ask them to caption now. Remind them of the Federal Communication Commission's captioning requirements. The FCC requirements only apply to broadcast television, however.
3. If cost is cited as an excuse, provide them data on the numbers of captioning service providers, and if possible point them towards providers in your own state. Data is available from the Described and Captioned Media Program.
4. Public humiliation works wonders. If the broadcaster has a web site with discussion forums, post messages about the lack of captions. Post messages to discussion lists about the program. Contact webmasters of fan sites and solicit their support.
5. Local news programs in smaller markets may be using a form of captioning called electronic newsroom captioning that only captions taped segments. Gather as many facts as you can about the benefit and cost of realtime (live) captioning and the inadequacy of electronic newsroom captioning. This page from the WGBH Media Access Group has some information.
6. Join the Captioning public discussion list on captioning to brainstorm strategies with others, both consumers and people in the industry.
7. Write or send e-mail to advertisers and make them aware that you are unable to watch the program that they advertise on.
8. To further combat cost concerns, contact a sample of captioning service providers for approximate estimates on the cost, and tell them to compare that cost to the total cost of producing their program - chances are it is a drop in the bucket, relatively speaking.

Tips:

1. Be persistent!
2. Be firm and not dissuaded by producer/broadcaster resistance.