This chapter explains how the show "The Avengers," a popular British television program with an unusual female lead role, captured the imagination of women viewers in England from 1962 to 1964. After describing the show and then the research project investigating viewers' responses to it, this chapter explores the experience of watching…

Provides some support for the charge of sex discrimination in television humor in that males disparaged females significantly more than females disparaged males. Also found that sexual and hostile humor was as common during the Family Viewing Hour as during adult viewing hours. (PD)

Finds that women's preferences for comedy television programs were strongest immediately prior to and during menses when negative affect was also most evident. Finds also that at the midpoint of the menstrual cycle, when positive affect proved the strongest, an elevated interest in suspense drama programs was apparent. (SR)

Provides in-depth content analysis of six 1985-86 prime-time television shows which featured single professional women sharing the lead with a male partner in a working relationship. Concludes that these programs show a less stereotypical portrayal of working women than in the past and demonstrate a serious attempt to present the problems of…

Compares the content of female candidates' political spot ads with that of ads for a control group of male candidates in similar contests. Concludes that the biggest differences were in images, with females less likely to stress strength and more likely to stress compassion. (FL)

Examines forms of communication used in commercials to convey social stereotypes. (Forms refer to production techniques such as level of action or movement, pacing, camera techniques, and auditory features.) (PD)

Looks at the ways in which the relationship between women and work was characterized during the late 1940s in "Woman Speaks," a combination newsreel/television show in Chicago. Expands upon the work of other historians and critics who have examined the representations of gender in early television marketing ploys and variety/situation…

Examines how females and minorities are represented on children's Saturday morning television commercials, focusing on how often they are present, settings in which they are portrayed, and types of White-minority interactions. Finds that more women and minorities are present in advertisements than earlier studies indicated, but that White males…

Investigates the image of the contemporary American woman as currently presented on television through viewing approximately 34 hours of programing and recording the following characteristics: regularity of character, occupations of characters, general demographics, and themes and topics discussed. (CWM)

Explores communication strategies and styles used in television advertising by female U.S. Senate candidates for the 1986 elections. Finds that they focused on issues and stayed away from negative advertising in their ads, tending to highlight their competency as political officials and their past accomplishments. (SR)

Concludes that gender gap is a better predictor than political attitudes of determining who will view a television program and how they will react to it. (FL)

Demonstrates that the proportional representation of minorities has declined, while that of women represented on television has increased over the past decade. Changes which have occurred relative to role significance are also discussed. Ten references are cited. (Author)

Study compares presentation of black and whites, males and females on "MTV" and "Video Soul." Finds blacks more likely to be shown as helpful and caring, male and female whites more antisocial than prosocial. (MS)

Identified patterns that characterized soap operas, cartoons, and prime-time drama: (1) the predominant form of interaction was dyadic; (2) the most frequent speakers and receivers of messages were males; (3) the most pervasive message was an assertion of dominance; and (4) the concept of power was not sex-linked. (PD)

Examines the amount of coverage given to women's athletics by ESPN SportsCenter and CNN Sports Tonight. Results indicated: both programs devoted only about 5% of their air time to women's sports; story placement and on-camera comments indicated an emphasis on men's athletics; and stories about women involved individual competition, with almost no…