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)

Evidence in recent years has linked a heavy dependence on television news with lower levels of knowledge about various aspects of the political system and negative evaluations of that system (political malaise). Three different sources of data on audience dependence on television news were used (1) to examine more closely the shift toward…

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…

Examines current research on the role of television in children's learning. Assesses evidence that television can play a positive teaching role and suggests a model for evaluating television's impact on viewers. Concludes that current programing limits the positive effects of television on children's learning. (JMF)

This report presents the highlights of research activities conducted in 1980 by the Office of Communication Research (OCR), whose job it is to serve the information needs of five distinct entities: the United States Congress, national public broadcasting agencies, local public radio and television stations across the country, decision-making…

Television's impact on children is the focus of this document, which includes a review of the research on the subject, a master bibliography containing 3,000 items written between 1955 and the present, and 13 specialized bibliographies. Specific topics addressed include violence and its effects, prosocial television, socialization, television…

An overview is presented in this paper of the types of qualitative radio and television evaluations currently being undertaken in six countries: Sweden, the Netherlands, France, Great Britain, Japan, and Canada. An introductory section notes the value of qualitative ratings to broadcast policy makers and to those seeking broadcasting changes, and…

This paper analyzes the ways in which members of different ethnic groups decode the worldwide hit television program Dallas, and suggests answers to the question of how such a quintessentially American cultural product crosses cultural and linguistics frontiers so easily. The program was studied with the intent of observing the mechanisms through…

This paper addresses questions about the processes involved when viewers "make sense" out of the diverse visual and aural signs of a television program and then render that sense in a spoken account. A pilot study was conducted to explore the manner in which modes of viewing, and talk about viewing, include or exclude recognition of…

The Dynasty Project conducted an empirical analysis of the cross-cultural reception of the program for which it was named. Data were collected via two series of videotaped interviews which were carried out following a viewing of Dynasty episode 105 by a group of subjects together with the researchers. The subjects were 25 American viewers in Los…

Since television both reflects and affects society, how blacks are portrayed in television drama is significant for program producers, the audience, and for consideration in debates on multicultural content, minority access, and integrated casting. Previous work in the field of blacks and television has been based on observational sociology,…

This review of the literature on educational radio covers reports on research from many areas of the world. Prepared as an internal report for the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and Educational Radio and Television (ERTV), it was intended to provide a basis for both fruitful discussions and more specific and practical local…