Object of the study: The broad object of this study is the academic field of the book and the book as an area of interdisciplinary teaching. Purpose: to prove that the 21st-century cross-media and hybrid media ecosystem emancipates Book Science from the rest of the sciences in whose objects it can partake only as a constituent using one of its…

A study analyzed circulation practices and pricing of mid-sized daily newspapers, seeking to draw together a comprehensive description of the circulation situation for those papers. Seventy-five circulation directors, randomly selected from newspapers with daily circulation between 25,000 and 100,000, completed mailed questionnaires requesting…

Assesses the status of the movie theater business during the past seven years, which has seen major changes in production, distribution, types of theaters, seating capacity, and the general media landscape. (NKA)

Examines the current state of empirical research on religious television, discusses some of the implicit difficulties in exploring this phenomenon and its viewership, and suggests avenues for future research. (MS)

A study examined the relationship between an individual's community ties to place and the use of media. Data were collected from residents of Austin, Texas, by means of mail and telephone surveys. Among the variables examined were community ties (home ownership and length of time in community), political variables, demographics, and use of…

A survey of 80 city and regional magazines was undertaken to examine articles of media criticism. Of those, 78.5% responded. A total of 420 articles were received and were divided according to subject and geographical distribution. A critical analysis of representative articles determined that they represented significant criticism as defined in…

Documents the nature and extent of electronic bulletin board use. Compares predictions about the success of collaborative media based on two theoretical perspectives: file contribution levels, and system adoption rates. Finds both to be related to a measure of symmetry in user participation. (NH)

Contributes to scholarship on media diversity and the free market. Examines dimensions of media diversity. Argues that market forces have led to unprecedented levels of concentration, resulting in less diversity of access and diversity of choice. Shows that the range of opinions available to consumer-citizens is being limited by current…

A study investigated the effects of chartoons--cartoon-like informational graphics--and three-dimensional graphs on the attractiveness of graphs and on the information gain from graphs. Subjects, 86 students from a mass communication course at the University of Texas, were randomly assigned to two experimental groups, each of which was shown a set…

Data from a 1976 election study were used to compare the effects of different types of television watching (daytime, evening entertainment, news, campaign programing, presidential debates) on voter turnout and to compare these effects with those of other media (radio, magazines, newspapers). After controlling for the effects of the traditional…

Reports on an analysis of prices and amounts of advertising in magazines showing that price per page is not related to amount of advertising. (FL)

Reveals that survey respondents who agree to complete time-use diaries differ significantly in several characteristics from those respondents who are only willing to complete a questionnaire. (FL)

States that understanding media acquisition behavior is becoming increasingly important because the amount of and access to information is growing at a staggering pace. Hypothesizes that both task routineness and source accessibility influence media selection. Tests hypotheses by having subjects select among media. Shows an interaction effect of…

Explores the potential role of mental imagery for media effects in emotional responses to frightening mass media, and in the effects of the media on beliefs in UFOs. Finds that individual differences in vividness of mental imagery may play a crucial role in moderating both types of media impact. (SR)

Uses Kantian logic to analyze the statement of Libertarian press theory "Truth beats falsehood in a free marketplace of ideas" as a definition, an observation, and a universal truth. Notes three corresponding moral universes, with differing ethical obligations. Discusses strengths and weaknesses of each. Cautions media ethics analysts…