Discusses changes that are needed in the perceptual, cognitive, and aesthetic principles governing the medium of television to compensate for the high-quality, filmlike picture produced by high definition television (HDTV), or improved definition television (IDTV). Topics discussed include changes in visual perception, cognitive processes and…

Examines approaches to discourse and television, working from the specific example of the television situation comedy "Designing Women" to the general functioning of discourse in television narrative. Positions "Designing Women" within the sitcom genre. Suggests that "Designing Women" activates television's…

Argues that the current popular negative critique of television, if examined carefully, reveals fundamental confusions concerning how print and television communicate information. Discusses the syntax of motion which distinguishes television from print, based on movement in space--a space that is both visual and acoustic. (SR)

The literature of film and literature of television are, to a large extent, two separate entities. The major film theorists have not had much to say about television, and television has inspired few theorists of its own--few, that is, whose major concern, like the film theorists', is aesthetics. One of the earliest forms of commentary on…

Develops an analytic scheme for identifying and discussing major forms of the long-lived game show genre. Finds that recent generic refinements have been instituted to take advantage of the economic and regulatory conditions governing fringe television. (NKA)

Argues that texts may be especially rhetorically effective when the content, the medium used to convey the content, and the real life experiences that make the content relevant are formally or structurally similar. Suggests that formal linkage creates rhetorical effect, and uses Burke's theory of forms to explain the effect of formal links. (MS)

Argues that the popular view of the superiority of literacy over television is incorrect. Reviews literature contradicting the popular view, analyzes demands television makes on viewer/auditor, emphasizes that children's purposes for viewing influence the amount of mental effort they invest, and discusses implications for school and home use of…

Argues that critics are caught in the dialectical tension between "technology" and "art" in television research. Examines how this dialectic informs and constrains examination of television. Presents "rhetorical aesthetics" to support the claim that critics should draw inferences from practical consideration of…

Suggests that the fact that every country has its own system of cultural values and beliefs that decides the popularity of television programs, which plays a decisive role in influencing the types of shows imported from the United States. (DF)

A ten-year study of television viewing and content found that middle level students watch more television than any other age group. They are exposed to violence, sex, use of drugs, and sex role socialization in many programs. Schools can help students become discriminating consumers of television. (MLF)

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)

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…

Compares different theoretical approaches to the study of international news. Finds many comparative studies of the foreign news output of national broadcasters and few studies analyzing the actual flow of television news between actors at the wholesale level and the flow between wholesale and retail level. Suggests a better framework for the…

Suggests that mass communication studies accept the critical challenges posed by fringe television--the programing that surrounds the prime-time domain of the three major networks. Identifies and maps various fringe sectors appearing on today's broadcast and cable schedules, and surveys critical imperatives involved in future studies of fringe…

Presents a model to ascertain the "critical mass" in ratings points required to facilitate renewal of prime-time network programs aired between 1971 and 1985. Emphasizes a financial model incorporating revenue levels needed to offset program costs--advertising agency commissions, affiliate compensation, network overhead--and program…