Discusses how--from the Yellow Pages to videotex--publishing for the mass market is enticing if uncertain in the electronic age. Claims that divestiture has added to the variety of new players eager to enter the field, prominent among whom are the newly divested telephone companies themselves. (JD)

Discusses how, despite recent Federal Communications Commission claims and some limited successes in state-sponsored programs aiding the needy, evidence suggests that one result of higher local phone charges has been to undermine the often-stated but ill-defined goal of universal telephone service. (JD)

Examines trends in consumer spending on mass media products from 1968 to 1977, including comparisons of spending on print and audiovisual media. (JMF)

Argues that the major studies supporting the Principle of Relative Constancy in consumption of mass communication products were statistically defective. Presents updated tests of data suggesting that the principle is actually of doubtful predictive value. (MS)

Examines a study of how human models affect the impression conveyed by an advertisement, particularly the effect of a Black model's physical characteristics on product evaluations among Black and White females.Results show that the physical appearance of the model influenced impressions of product quality and suitability for personal use. (JMF)

Presents results of a study of 300 magazine advertisements assessing the level at which the ads are objective and informative. Discusses how these ads are communications designed to influence consumer behavior to the extent that they correspond to the facts, are relevant, comprehensive, adequately supported, intelligible, and logical. (JMF)

Reports on a research program, conducted by New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, on teletext usage in homes and public sites. Provides information about the public's uses of, expectations for, and fears of electronic text services. (PD)

Analyzes the development of the telephone, newspapers, and videotex in terms of purchasing patterns and styles of usage. Concludes that parallels in the early histories of telephones and newspapers suggest that videotex will likely become a service for business and an elite group of customers, not a mass audience. (PD)

Discusses how new video media affect patterns of exposure to television and explores how these changing patterns of consumption may be related to larger issues of the medium's social impact. (JD)

Suggests that an emphasis on erotic images in women's magazines and on images of adventure, risk, and recreation in youth magazines tailored cigarette ads to the implicit and explicit desires of consumers, allaying their fears about the health effects of smoking. (MM)

Results suggest that family communication structures affect adolescents' perception of the communication process. Adolescents from pluralistic families are more likely to have greater knowledge about consumer matters, are more likely to perform socially desirable consumer behaviors, and are less likely to hold materialistic attitudes. (PD)

Reviews the current research on the effects of television advertising on children and the interaction between parent and child regarding the child's consumer behavior. Suggests areas for future research. (JMF)