Reports that two of the three major television network newscasts had the same lead story more than 90 percent of the time and that all three had the same lead more than 40 percent of the time. (FL)

This study investigated whether heavy television viewing habits influenced children's perception of the ease (certainty, speed and predictable nature) with which everyday problems are solved. Results showed heavy television viewers tended to view problems in a manner consistent with the way television depicts them. (JDH)

Investigates the relationship between the moment-to-moment occurrence of selected visual and auditory formal features of a prosocial cartoon and two aspects of information processing (visual attention and comprehension). Subjects, 128 White kindergarten and third- to fourth-grade children, were equally distributed by sex and age and viewed the…

Suggests that those who hold the greatest affinity with the television news program, "60 Minutes," watch the program to be entertained while seeking information. (FL)

Reports that 30 percent of those individuals watching a news broadcast were viewing it on nonlocal stations provided by cable television. (FL)

Discusses ERIC documents that deal with the negative influences television viewing exerts on reading achievement. (FL)

Defines documentary-drama or docudrama, which combines elements of drama with the television documentary. Outlines the antecedents of docudrama, traces its revival in recent years, and provides a quantitative description of its evolution. (JMF)

Discusses a study to determine if anticipatory reactions contribute significantly to children's television-viewing behavior. Four form complexity variables (set, shot, verbal interaction, and modal complexity) and two visual/verbal interaction variables (congruence and independence) are studied using groups of children 4 to 5 years old and 7 1/2…

Concludes that a single television counter advertisement concerning a brand of aspirin did not cause viewers to lessen appreciably their attitude favorability toward the brand. (GT)

Thirty-six five- to six-year-old girls viewed one of three television network cartoons, either high or low stereptyped or neutral. They were then tested for sex-role stereotyping on a 24-item measure, each item showing a male and a female and asking a question about them. (JMB)

Regression analysis shows that ratings for television movies can be explained both in terms of variables that accounted for the films' success in the theatrical marketplace and in terms of the pattern of scheduling by the networks. (GT)

An analysis of the prime time television offerings of the three commercial network-affiliated television stations in Rochester, New York, revealed that nonentertainment programing was minimal (5 percent) and that entertainment shows of all types predominated during prime time. (GT)

Proposes a rethinking of historical analysis of U. S. television history, to begin at the local level. Offers a case study of the place of Washington, DC, as a site for network news. Notes that, as a community, Washington presents an important site where forces such as migration and suburbanization shaped the early history of television. (SR)

Discusses media coverage of public relations topics. Describes a census of television news stories about public relations. Finds increased coverage from 1980 through 1995, and that politicians and foreign governments are the most commonly reported on users. States that stories generally have a neutral tone and assume the "press agentry"…

Examines coverage of several infectious diseases and teenage suicide to see whether television news favors covering illness where it clusters or when it occurs near major news centers where it is easier to cover. Finds that television news did go to where the illness broke out but tended to favor reporting urban over rural suicides. (RS)