The ethical dilemma presented by the ratings sweeps is a fundamental operating principle of advertiser-financed television broadcasting: broadcasters generate operating revenue and profit by exchanging audiences for money with advertisers. In order to create or attract audiences to be sold, the broadcaster formulates or acquires and then…

The question of why advertisements for contraceptives are not shown on television in the United States is explored in this paper. The statement is made that although television is permeated with sex, network broadcasters steadfastly ban contraceptive advertising from the airways on the grounds that they do not want to alienate or offend viewers.…

Attempts to assess any significant change in the degree of sex-role stereotyping in television commercials in recent years. (MH)

A study was conducted to determine the political issues of the 1980 presidential campaigns as expressed by televised political spot advertisements during the primaries. Issue information was coded for 140 30- and 60-second political commercials. An advertisement's issue score was defined as the number of terms used that matched terms from a…

Content analysis was used to study the values evident in televised beer and wine commercials. Seventy-seven prime time commercials, 7.6% of a week's total, were analyzed along value dimensions adapted from Gallup's measure of popular social values. The intensity of each value was coded on a five-point scale. None of the commercials in the beer and…

The 1984 campaign between Republican Jesse Helms and Democrat Jim Hunt of North Carolina was one of the most expensive campaigns in history. The Helms campaign spent an estimated $15.6 million and Hunt is believed to have raised $9.8 million. Both sides relied heavily on television advertising. A study was conducted to measure the link between…

Suggests that from 1972-1974 there was little change in the representation of women as authorative voice-overs or as on-screen experts in television commercials without voice-overs. (MH)

Details a study of advertising appearing on United States and Canadian television. Findings suggest that the traditional economic defense of advertising as a source of information for the consumer is a weak one. (FL)

Examines forms of communication used in commercials to convey social stereotypes. (Forms refer to production techniques such as level of action or movement, pacing, camera techniques, and auditory features.) (PD)

During the week of September 16-20, 1990, commercials promoting drugs and alcohol outnumbered the networks' news stories, documentaries, and public service announcements (PSAs) about illegal drugs by a ratio of almost 39 to 1. Considering the commercials alone, promotion of drugs and alcohol outnumbered the antidrug promotions by a ratio of almost…

This paper investigates the potential effectiveness of counter advertising in influencing the buying habits of a convinced audience. One month before the actual study, 109 subjects indicated a brand preference in a consumer questionnaire. The subjects were randomly assigned to groups that viewed one of the following: (1) a pro-Bayer aspirin…

The characteristics of 69 award-winning television commercials from 1948 through 1958 were compared to those of 58 award-winning commercials from 1976 and 1977. The examined characteristics were type of storyline used, selling strategies, use of humor, live action versus animation, production techniques, and the depiction of blacks, women,…

Indicates that (1) both younger (four-five years) and older (seven-eight years) children were significantly less likely to discriminate commercial from program content when the host-selling format was viewed, and (2) older children are more favorably influenced by the same commercial content when it is seen in a host-selling presentation than in a…

Investigates the efficacy of including peer interaction in television advertising directed to children. Results suggest that this variable provides increased liking for commercials, but does not affect product desirability. Nine references are cited. (Author/MER)