This year, Americans are projected to spend more than 9 ½ hours a day with media, according to a report by the U.S. Census Bureau.

In looking at how Americans can maintain so much time logged on, tuned in, wired or wireless, the report counts hours spent doing two things at once – such as watching TV while using the Internet -- separately. The report is part of the Census Bureau’s annual Statistical Abstract of the United States, a 999-page book of numbers quantifying just about every aspect of American life. The numbers were based on reporting by Veronis Suhler Stevenson.

The typical household now has more TV sets than people and many homes have a TV in every room, the report notes. For teenagers, in particular, being on the Internet and watching TV at the same time are not mutually exclusive.

Americans spend an average of 4 ½ hours a day watching TV, far more time than on any other medium. Next come radio and the Internet. Reading newspapers is fourth, passed this year by Internet use.

As the media landscape becomes more cluttered and crowded, the need for media relations professionals is likely to grow as well, as marketers navigate an ever more uncertain terrain. The ability to apply a long-term view in terms of media strategies and associated marketing executions will determine who gets heard and seen, and who gets lost in the shuffle – as consumers’ insatiable appetite for more websites, TV programs and other content expands.