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…

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…

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…

Studies of newspaper reading in three communities in North Carolina were undertaken in light of the fact that newspaper reading has declined relative to population growth since World War II. In each instance, the respondents had available a relatively small local afternoon daily and a larger morning metropolitan daily. Results of the study showed…

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…

Critiques different historical conceptions of mass communication research. Argues that the different conceptions of the history of mass communication research, and of the hypodermic model (viewing the media as an all-powerful and direct influence on society), influence the theoretical and methodological choices made by mass media scholars. (MM)

After the Food and Drug Administration announced the results of testing of saccharin as a possible carcinogen and ruled that it should be banned, a public outcry brought about a delay in the ban. A study of magazine coverage of the reasons for the ban and information about the testing showed that in eleven mass circulation magazines, the reporting…

The magazine industry has thus far escaped the attention and regulation that both the newspaper and broadcast industries have received. The obvious defense of the magazine industry is the number and diversity of the separate publications of which it is composed. However, recent studies indicate that concentration of magazine ownership is…

Refers to critical issues marking the debate about political violence and the mass media in a democracy and in South Africa. Attempts to situate the political violence and mass media inquiry within recent calls for consensus journalism in South Africa. Suggests that the mass media needs to promote rational discourse in South Africa. (SKC)

This study examines textual analysis methodology as applied to mass communication studies. It focuses particularly on the theoretical basis of textual analysis, the analytical process, and congruent theoretical perspectives. Although the term "textual analysis" is often used generically, this study differentiates textual analysis as…

This paper explores three audience models which have traditionally animated American communications policy: the Effects Model, in which the audience is victim; the Marketplace Model, in which the audience is consumer; and the Commodity Model, in which the audience is a coin of exchange. In separate sections, the models are defined, their varying…

A study investigated the kinds of content total market coverage (TMC) publications carry, the role of the newsroom in publishing them, and how closely identified they are with the parent newspaper. These TMC publications, begun only a few years ago, are designed to cover the total market with selected, preprinted advertisements inserted into…

One consequence of the information explosion is found in the area of media research methodology. The accessibility of the computer has not only broadened the scope of electronic media research but has also helped media scholars to develop new, more accurate, and more reliable media research methodologies. Whereas in the past, electronic media…

A study examined the mass media research literature to determine if there was a dominant paradigm in the field. The mass media research published in eight communication journals from 1965 to 1989 was content analyzed to identify paradigm, orientation (focus and theory), data (type, source, and sample), methodology (type and manipulation), and…