Satellite television communication system for audience polling and processing answers

A network of local area audience response stations is coupled together with a central audience response data processing center by means of a satellite communication system for real time single or bi-directional audience response analysis, locally, nationally or internationally. Each local area station and each response unit may be identified and verified by allocation of specific time slots for response, preferable synchronously related to a TV picture program transmission carrying the audience questions to be answered. Wireless transmission of the question and answer signals in digital format of beeps of a single frequency keep transmission channels narrow. The system may be operated in conjunction with TV broadcasting or cable systems in which the transmission time of the beep transmissions are compensated for so that millions of subscribers may be processed in a simple narrow band communication system for processing over a single satellite communication channel