The portrayal of reading, writing, and other selected behaviors on prime-time network television was examined in this two-part study. First, an interest inventory was administered to a sample of 301 elementary students (i.e., grades 1-5) in South Carolina, Virginia, and Pennsylvania to determine their favorite television shows, books, and school subjects. "The Cosby Show,""ALF,""Family Ties," and "The A-Team" were the most highly rated, and at least three samples of each of these shows were included in the second part of the study, which focused on the content of prime-time television programs. Mathematics was the favorite subject of 42% of the students, and 29% chose reading as their favorite. The study of prime-time television used a low-inference measure to record nine specific behaviors exhibited by characters on a sample of 27 prime-time television shows: reading, holding reading matter, writing, smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, shooting people, attacking people, killing people, and wrecking vehicles. Results showed significantly more instances of reading than acts of violence per hour, and there were less smoking, drinking, and violence in the shows the children liked best than in the total sample. A discussion of the implications of the findings of this study for parents and teachers concludes the report. Statistical analyses and a list of 19 references are included. (MES)