Neither of two types of television ownership--television station multiple ownership or crossownership with a local daily newspaper--was found to have an adverse effect on the quality of local television news (defined as the level of expenditures for such programing). Increased local cable television use was associated with a slight decline in news…

Among the findings from a survey of 435 third-through seventh-grade children is that substantial numbers of children watch television news in formats designed for both adults and children, that children believe news is produced to serve a number of different functions, and that they receive different patterns of gratifications from viewing. (GT)

Among the results of an examination of television programing listings during people's time (4:00 to 8:00 p.m.) on three commercial network-affiliated stations were that six of 21 identified program types accounted for 70.2 percent of the programing and that there was no significant difference between the three stations' program offerings. (GT)

Examines the statistical evidence presented by George Gerbner and his colleagues to support the assertion that television viewing cultivates distorted perceptions of the world. Points out discrepancies in the items, samples, and coding categories employed and concludes that the cultivation hypothesis lacks empirical support. (JMF)

Studies television viewing as a leisure-time activity competing with obligatory activities and other free time activities. Compares data with an earlier study to indicate that away-from-home activities compete most successfully with television for the use of leisure time. (JMF)

Details a study of advertising appearing on United States and Canadian television. Findings suggest that the traditional economic defense of advertising as a source of information for the consumer is a weak one. (FL)

Analyzes "ABC Evening News" coverage of the 1972 presidential campaign with a rhetorical analytic technique and a computerized text analysis technique. Compares results and considers three possibilities: (1) the role of technique in research results; (2) different aspects of a phenomenon; and (3) the degree of confidence of results. (JMF)

Examines the television networks' new bargaining strategy of network bidding for feature films before their theatrical release. Contrasts the markets for regularly scheduled programing and theatrical movies to show that the change in strategy is a logical extension of the networks' tightly controlled market for regular series programing. (JMF)

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)

A content analysis of newscasts of ten Pennsylvania television stations revealed that their emphasis was on local politics, not on sensational and human interest stories. (GT)

Examines the portrayal of family relationships in domestic comedy television programs. Selects eight popular programs for view by subjects who then evaluate each television family with scales drawn from family theory. Reveals a model in which children construct a relatively hostile relational environment and parents exert a compensatory effect,…

Provides an overall view of the present state of educational broadcasting in Greece, discusses the main reasons that hinder its development, and proposes solutions for improvement. Government control and the direct imitation of foreign broadcasting programming are cited as two main problems that need to be overcome. (Author/LRW)

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 whether errors in memory (specifically source confusions) contribute to the link between television viewing and social reality judgments. Finds that a manipulation of the visual similarity of the news and fictional programming affected subjects' tendency to make source confusions. (RS)

Examined the cultural basis and relevance of "Zhima Jie," a Chinese adaptation of "Sesame Street." Found that most of 3- to 6-year-olds in the sample desired books and learning materials, with disadvantaged children more likely than more advantaged children to desire books and learning materials. Older children showed a greater…