Cites figures that indicate that the basic global flow of television programing is among eight rich countries and contends that these statistics also reflect those countries which have the most receivers and the largest audience population. (MH)

Defines the violence profile as a set of indicators tracing aspects of the television world and of conceptions of social reality they tend to cultivate in the viewer's minds. Suggests using cultural indicators as a framework for a progress report on a long-range study of trends in television content and effects. (MH)

Examines all network prime-time television aired from 1963 through 1985 to determine the effect of available program options on inheritance effects. Indicates that a strong lead-in increases audience share, especially when the program is new, of the same type as the preceding program, or one of few viewing alternatives. (JD)

Examined the type of local television programing offered during the prime-time access period (7:30-8:00 P.M.), the reasons behind the choices, and the special alternative offered by "PM Magazine." Discusses what these findings suggest about the limits of local programing in the current television marketplace. (PD)

Examines whether role assignments to television sets (assignments of particular content to particular screens) influence what viewers think about what they watch. Finds that designating TV sets for specialized functions or uses results in more positive evaluations of the content, even when the TV sets and programming are identical. (SR)

Finds that soap operas analyzed in 1994 contain more frequent sexual incidence on an hourly average, both within the same soaps analyzed a decade earlier and even more so on two additional very popular soaps. Shows that the more frequent sex centers on physical intercourse, primarily among partners not married to anyone; and sexual activity is…

Examines images of World War II invoked in two live, international music concerts (one rock, one classical) celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall. Argues that Western television's choice of imagery represented the Wall's demise as a marker of the end of the Cold War rather than a vanishing monument of Germany's conflicted struggle with Holocaust…

States that contrary to previous reports of "grazing," most viewers only used their remote control devices (RCDs) once or twice every half hour. Claims that the dominant RCD operation was direct channel punching, as opposed to dial turning. Concludes that most RCD activity did not take place during a program, thus voiding industry…

Contributes to research on schema theory and media effects by examining how violence is portrayed in comedy programs. Finds a high rate of violence (especially verbal forms) on comedy programs; and the combination of humor, minor acts of violence, and program context tend to trivialize its presence. Suggests that viewers' schema for comedy uses…

Investigated local television programs that devote regular time to "soft news"--features on ordinary people, lifestyles, and the arts. Observed that these programs portray the arts and ordinary people as upbeat and interesting but, at the same time, as fragmented and having little relationship to political or economic issues. (PD)

Examines the soap opera world by analyzing the conversation and relationship to real-life conversation. Reveals that soap operas provide a subtle blending of the real and the not-real, but that part of the reality lies within the conversation: the relationships of conversants, their topics, and conversational styles. (PD)

Compares American middle-class children, as representatives of heavy television viewers, and Israeli middle-class children, as representatives of lighter television viewers, to determine the extent to which accumulated television viewing enhances the development of particular mental skills. (PD)

Analyzes the National Association of Broadcasters' Code Authority and changes in the Television Code since 1952 and suggests that the enforcement of these codes, and the penalties for violating these codes are such that there is no real self-regulation of broadcasting by the NAB. (MH)