Describes methodology and results of a study which elicited local news directors' comments to determine whether respondents thought technology has helped or hurt local news. Results indicate news gathering technology may have a negative effect on local television news content and on the autonomy of news directors. (Author/MBR)

Reports results of study using mass observation and survey data to determine who is responsible for selection of television programs at home, how program selection processes occur, and how roles of family position and family communication patterns influence these activities. Research methodology and dominant selectors of television programs are…

The last in a series of four, this report describes part of a national study commissioned by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to investigate audience awareness of public radio, reaction to on-air fund raising and programing on public radio, and audience reactions to on-air fund raising by public television stations. Discussion centers on…

Using a new telephone-observation methodology which permitted low-cost observation of home television viewing behaviors, this study examined how families use home television, parental involvement in their children's television viewing, and families' educational use of home television. Following initial calls to 2,922 household phones, a total of…

Eight established methodologies were evaluated and compared in this preliminary study, which was conducted to resolve methodological questions and problems and develop an adequate approach for the collection of valid, generalizable data for an extensive study of family use of television. The study focused on four variables: which family members…

Discusses methodology, results, and implications of a study testing three hypotheses and investigating perceptions of social, political, and economic conflicts (organized according to complexity, intensity, and solvability) as they occur in society and as portrayed by television news. Findings indicate viewers are able to differentiate between…

Describes study of students in grades 8 through 12 that was conducted to determine the degree to which television messages influence a person's construction of reality (the cultivation hypothesis). Research methodology that tests the effects of television exposure is examined with emphasis on the importance of demographic control variables. (38…