A sample of 285 parents of children in kindergarten, second, fourth, and sixth grades was interviewed about their children's television viewing habits. Analyses revealed that interest in classic cartoons, which typically display violence for violence's sake, was predicted by grade, whereas attraction to typically justice-restoring violent fare was…

Examines how postwar women's magazines introduced television to the American housewife. Reveals the way television was imbricated in the gendered division of labor and leisure at home by exploring how the magazines deliberated on the problems television posed for women's domestic chores and the efficient functioning of the household. (KEH)

Argues that courtroom trials observed face-to-face are distinct from televised mediated trials and the different rules result in very different things being communicated to an audience. Cautions that televised trials should be approached as a media event that represents a discrete genre of television programing. (KEH)

Examines how people from diverse cultural backgrounds interpret and use communication technology. Finds that the skill suggested by the concept of "media literacy" may not be strictly a result of experience and familiarity with the medium, and that at least some media-specific codes are analogs of perceptual processes. (MS)

Reports a survey of sixth, eighth, and tenth graders to assess the relationship between exposure to television advertisements containing sports celebrity endorsements of smokeless tobacco products with attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions about the use of smokeless tobacco. Reports that a simple exposure model does not explain the effects of…

Discusses the utility of Cable Television (CATV) in information services and education, noting its high fidelity and versatility. Examines efforts to introduce it into the Nigerian information scenario and the apparent problems. Provides suggestions for strategies the Nigerian government could adopt to encourage the operators of CATV to develop…

Examines the use of television equipment in schools that subscribe to Channel One based on a survey of secondary schools in the Midwest. Highlights include viewing Classroom Channel programming; viewing or taping programs on other cable television channels; use for local school activities, including student productions; and evaluation of Channel…

A content analysis of major German television news shows and 53 weekly surveys on 16 issues were used to compare linear and nonlinear models as ways to describe the relationship between media coverage and the public agenda. Results indicate that nonlinear models are in some cases superior to linear models in terms of explained variance. (34…

Discusses the field of television aesthetics and its contribution to education. Highlights include visual and auditory perception; cognition; composition of television images; and criteria for the analysis and evaluation of educational or instructional television programs, including content, medium, impact on the audience, perceptual factors,…

Reviews research on the portrayal of gender and occupation on prime-time television and describes a study that focused on representation and patterns of activity of male and female characters across the contextual variables of industry, occupational role, hierarchical position, plot function, genre, and dramatic tone. (36 references) (LRW)

Discusses cable television subscribers' perceptions and consumption patterns of television news and describes a survey that compared broadcast and cable television news viewing habits. Media dependency and media consumption are considered, attitudes toward news sources and the perceived monetary value of the Cable News Network (CNN) are studied,…

Describes a 1979 study of fifth-, eighth-, and eleventh-grade students that was conducted to investigate television viewing behaviors. The study focused on overall viewing activity, content decisions (i.e., loyalty to individual series or to a genre), and program stability (i.e., how often viewers change channels during a program). (14 references)…

Discusses issues involved in the design of science television programs for preadolescents. The program goals and format of a series in French under production in Montreal are described; program qualities are examined at the emotional level and the cognitive level; and topics are suggested for further research. (33 references) (LRW)

This study examines the influence of duration and amount of soap opera viewing by sixth and seventh graders on their perceptions of relational fragility and importance of talk in managing relationships. Mediating variables of viewing motives, experience with peer relations, and family structure are also examined. (Author/MBR)

This study examined the association between amount of time spent watching television and perceptions of self concept among 102 Black children ranging in age from 7 to 13. A major finding was that television viewing was related positively to the self concepts of girls and unrelated to boys' self concepts. (Author/MBR)