The Flesch readability formula was used to analyze 192 100-word samples from selected matching issues of "Time" and "Newsweek." It was hypothesized that "immediate-reward" types of news, such as sports, social, and human interest events, would be significantly more readable (fewer syllables per 100 words and fewer…

A study was undertaken to design and implement an experimental instrument for testing the influence of the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) film rating system on movie attendance. Sixty-five high school students were given synopses of four different fictional films, each of which had been assigned an MPAA rating of G (approved for…

A statistical summary of the newspaper industry for 1984 and previous years is presented in this brochure. Focusing primarily on the United States newspaper industry, the brochure also contains some information on Canadian newspapers. The brochure presents statistics in the following categories: (1) number of daily newspapers, (2) daily newspaper…

In a series of national polls conducted in 1975-1976 that had people record their activities over a 24-hour time period, researchers found that on a typical day more people read a newspaper than watched television news programs. Older adults were more likely to use both news media, while young adults were more likely to use no news medium. Over…

A study was conducted to determine the effect on perceived meaning of the way a photograph is reproduced and to discover whether there would be an interaction between the complexity of photographic subject matter and the complexity of reproduction method. Each of 160 college students in a sophomore-level American history course was given a packet…

The relation between revenues from motion pictures and the picture ratings (G, PG, R, X) by the Motion Picture Association of America was examined. Successful films were those listed by "Variety" magazine as the top revenue producers for the given year. Data were collected for the years 1969-1979. The analysis showed that years in which…

As part of a program of statistical reports on public broadcasting, a survey requested 147 public broadcasting stations to supply information about their operations during one week in 1974. Data were collected about instructional television services, "Sesame Street,""The Electric Company," general and news programing, any…

This book addresses possible negative effects of children's viewing of inappropriate media content and how parents can respond. The discussion of children's responses to frightening mass media is based on the findings of controlled research but also includes real-life examples, many presented in a child's or parent's own words. Following an…

This report summarizes results of a 1984 study of the lifestyles, values, buying behavior, and media habits of the Hispanic American market. First, a number of shifts in U.S. political, social, and economic life (since 1981, when the first study of this type was conducted) which are changing the orientation of Hispanics are discussed. These shifts…

This report describes a study conducted by the Audio-Visual Media Research Group of the Open University to investigate student attitudes, over time, to the value of radio as a course component. Results of a January 1979 survey using a questionnaire are reported with tables and analyzed according to (1) whether a student had access to a VHF radio…

Intended to provide a single reference source for the most significant statistics describing communication industry trends in the United States since 1900, this book is a collection and assessment of the currently available quantitative descriptive information on mass media industries. The core of the book is its more than 300 tables of data on…

This paper outlines Japanese children's preconceptions to communication media. In a study, the function of media was divided into two categories--one is an "informational receiving" function and the other is an "informational sending" function. Preconception (consciousness about degree of liking and level of difficulty) of…

Interactive classroom television (ICTS) systems were installed in two special education classrooms to evaluate their impact on the learning experiences of severely visually impaired students. During a 3-year experimental period, data were collected from approximately 14 elementary students measuring achievement, visual-motor integration, visual…

Several alternative methods of presenting written material within a graphic were evaluated to provide empirical data on how technical writers and artists might improve the comprehensibility of graphics. The number, location, and sequence of "callouts"--the pictorial part references using arrows--were systematically varied in a series of…

To identify some of the factors underlying varying readership patterns among small town residents, 706 residents from four small towns were interviewed regarding their media preferences. Participants were questioned about their preferences for and access to newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. Additional questions focused on the…