The purpose of this study was to investigate various textual characteristics of popular children television shows. More specifically, researchers examined both the quantity and quality of question asked (i.e., question training). Furthermore, several readability components among the different shows (e.g., narrativity, syntactic simplicity,…

Generally, the speaking aspect is not properly debated when discussing the positive and negative effects of television (TV), especially on children. So, to highlight this point, this study was first initialized by asking the question: "What are the effects of TV on speech?" and secondly, to transform the effects that TV has on speech in…

Empowering children for a critical and judicious use and consumption of media is a main objective of media literacy. This paper aims to examine the range of television programs available for children in Portugal through a comparative analysis of the programming for children broadcast by the four Portuguese terrestrial channels (RTP1, RTP2, SIC and…

This study examined children's media use (i.e., amount of television and Internet usage) and relationships to children's perceptions of societal threat and personal vulnerability. The sample consisted of 90 community youth aged 7 to 13 years (M = 10.8; 52.2% male) from diverse economic backgrounds. Analyses found children's television use to be…

For nearly four decades, Sesame Workshop has brought the joy of learning to the world's youngest citizens through the introduction of locally-produced coproductions of the preschool television series, "Sesame Street". Many of these television shows have been specifically designed to forward important prosocial messages directly linked to…

Expands Foucault's genealogy of the modern subject and morals, particularly as found in "The History of Sexuality." Focuses on the contemporary sex therapist Dr. Ruth, locating the phenomenon of Dr. Ruth within the matrix of power/knowledge and the political technology of the body. (SR)

This chapter explains how the show "The Avengers," a popular British television program with an unusual female lead role, captured the imagination of women viewers in England from 1962 to 1964. After describing the show and then the research project investigating viewers' responses to it, this chapter explores the experience of watching…

The mass media contribution to education politics is explored through the application of a pluralistic theoretical framework to evidence connected with the making of an episode of a U.K. current affairs television program. The episode addressed a politically contentious educational issue but proved controversial in itself. Several sources…

Argues that television effects in cross-cultural contexts are bidirectional and cannot be limited to effects on individuals without also studying the way individuals in that culture affect television as it is experienced. (SA)

Reports that bad news dominates early evening newscasts on the three major television networks in the United States. (FL)

Studied the effects of the February 20, 1980, debate involving seven Republican candidates. Results strongly suggest that watching a televised debate early in the presidential primary season can increase respondents' interest in, and knowledge about, the campaign. (PD)

Uses a quasi-experimental design to test the effects of exposure to the miniseries "Amerika" on attitudes about communism and United States/Soviet relations. Finds that viewers of the miniseries believe that Americans should guard against a very real communist threat by supporting a strong military defense, including the development of…

Uses three strategies (dividing cultivation into component subprocesses, testing for an intervening variable, and contingent relationships) for elaborating the cultivation hypothesis. Finds evidence that cultivation effects do exist but that dividing the socialization process does not increase the predictive power of the cultivation hypothesis.…

Examines the effects on students of watching "Channel One." Finds a direct effect in that those who watch a television news show in the classroom learn more news and want to buy more of the products they see advertised than those who are not exposed to the program. (RS)

Develops an analytic scheme for identifying and discussing major forms of the long-lived game show genre. Finds that recent generic refinements have been instituted to take advantage of the economic and regulatory conditions governing fringe television. (NKA)