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)

This study examined female adolescent characters portrayed in over 200 episodes of 19 prime time television programs aired in the spring of 1988, and analyzed the messages these programs conveyed about education and work. It was found that although adolescent girls outnumbered adolescent boys on prime time television, these female characters were…

Differences in formal aspects of television commercials aimed at boys and those aimed at girls were investigated. Formal attributes were defined as production techniques such as action, pace, visual effects, dialogue and narration, background music and sound effects. Two aspects of content were also examined: aggressive behavior and the gender of…

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)

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)

Eating disorders are more common among women than men, perhaps because of the present cultural emphasis on thinness for women. Television is one potential communicator of this thin standard of attractiveness. To assess how men and women are presented on television, 139 male characters and 82 female characters from 33 popular television shows were…

This investigation of some of the meanings of "woman" that are produced and negotiated in the interaction of television representations, viewer receptions, and the historical/industry context focuses on the "Cagney and Lacey" series--produced in the United States--as a particular instance of the cultural production and…

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)

A study examined the differences in perceived credibility of male and female television news broadcasters. News directors' attitudes concerning what makes a newscaster believable were surveyed by telephone. Their descriptions were converted to semantic differential scales. Next, two videotaped newscasts were produced, one with a male and one with…