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)

In 1970, the Federal Communications Commission passed the Prime Time Access Rule, which directly affected the participation of the three commercial television networks in the production, transmission, and syndication of prime time programs. The result of this decision, as modified over the years since 1970, has shaped the television industry with…

Even though television scholar Herbert Zettl singlehandedly created the term "television aesthetics" by proclaiming that TV is an art, television studies are still excluded from the respectable divisions and disciplines of knowledge. Television is considered the epitome of mass culture/kitsch, and the very idea of a TV…

This paper defines indicators related to the dramatization of television and formulates a methodology for analyzing the discourse of the television news based on empirical studies. This methodology is used to isolate some indicators of dramatization as it relates to the structure and form of the message. The changes that have affected the text of…

Discusses differences between the primary functions of the cerebral hemispheres, notes differences between conscious and subconscious responses of subjects in several research studies, and stresses the need for a whole series of questions (so far largely unasked) about how unconscious meanings are made from media. (GT)

Summarizes past and present television and aging research, identifies several methodological concerns or problems of this research, and considers future directions for mass communication and aging investigations. Television portrayals of the elderly, television viewing behaviors, and the role of television are among the research areas discussed.…

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…

This paper addresses the question of whether video recorders and cable television, which are both primarily entertainment media, are in functional competition with one another. Some initial answers are provided based on the results of an extensive two-year research project conducted in the Federal Republic of Germany. This study found that: (1)…

This paper argues that a completed study pertaining to the various factors involved in the proper recognition and aesthetic application of moving images (primarily television pictures) should consider: (1) the individual viewer's general self-awareness, knowledge, expertise, confidence, values, beliefs, and motivation; (2) the viewer's…

This discussion of issues that merit investigation in British primary schools focuses on those issues that concern the links between pedagogic positions, the practices these involve, the media education issues that are thus addressed, the consequences for the activities of the learner, and the critical understandings these practices facilitate. It…

Examines research on media effect on children over three epochs: film (1904-1939), radio (1930-1944), and television (1949 through the 1960s). Observes an overwhelming similarity in the research studies, concluding that earlier studies may have set the agenda for research and that the same concerns exist with each new technology. (PD)

Drawing on international studies concerning leisure attitudes, media consumption, and parental impact on the television viewing decisions of 4- to 14-year olds, this paper focuses on the importance of developing a coherent media education policy for pre- and primary-school children, parents, elementary school teachers, and television station…

This paper discusses the cognitive effect of a highly successful 1985 British television program, "Edge of Darkness," which was viewed by millions and received critical plaudits and the accolade of the industry itself. The program is shown to represent a significant television event for formal and cognitive reasons that can usefully be…

An estimated 100,000 to 200,000 hours of television programing per year are exported by the United States and the effects of this programing on other cultures, particularly those in developing nations, have generated concern. The appeal of this programing can be explained by its intended universality: it is produced within a multiethnic culture,…

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,…