The gratifications identified by viewers of the daytime television serial "All My Children" were (in rank order): entertainment, habit, convenience, social utility, relaxation or escape from problems, escape from boredom, and reality exploration or advice. (GT)

THIS RESEARCH STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO ANSWER 3 QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE DIRECTION AND DIRECTORS OF EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION STATIONS--(1) WHAT ELEMENTS OF DIRECTOR BEHAVIOR APPEAR MOST OFTEN IN JUDGMENTS OF DIRECTOR EFFECTIVENESS MADE BY TV STATION MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL, (2) WHAT ARE THE NON-BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS (I.E., AGE, EDUCATION, WORK…

Finds that inertial engagement sustains looks across boundaries between programs and commercials; inertial engagement does not carry over from one look to the next; inertial engagement was associated with greater recognition memory for television content; and look length distributions are approximately lognormal, and hazard functions are…

A great deal of research has examined the effects of the racial composition of advertisements on their acceptance by the black consumer. From this literature two antithetical findings have emerged: (1) television commercials that use black models are more meaningful to black viewers than are those using white models, and (2) black models in…

A total of 155 nonlabeled, normal adults and 28 labeled, schizophrenic adults were interviewed in a study to determine differences in the two groups' perceptions of television utility and reality. Hypotheses were formulated concerning expected differences in the reported importance of television in interpersonal communication, relaxation, and…

Concludes that intelligence scores are consistently lower for adults who are heavy television viewers. (FL)

After critiquing the usual estimates of the importance of television as a source of news, the national audience for television news over a two-week period is identified from the 1974-1975 W.R. Simmons study (which uses a diary technique for gathering data). Analysis showed that, in the two-week period, 49% of the adult population did not watch a…

Concludes that the amount of time children and adults spend viewing television has little to do with their perceptions of violence. (FL)

Designed to indicate the reasons behind viewer program preferences, this 32nd report of an annual opinion poll presents the results of a survey which asked 914 participants to evaluate 3,584 television programs they liked, did not like, and/or to evaluate new programs. Tables summarize the reasons why programs were selected by viewers, their…

A study was conducted to explore the hypothesis that heavy television viewing, particularly the viewing of a great deal of violence, cultivates certain misconceptions about social reality. Four counties in Florida were selected for the study on the basis of geographical location and amount of violent crime. Survey questionnaires were administered…

Interviews with 900 people provided data about the impact of cable television on public television viewing. The subjects came from three matched samples, each containing 300 homes drawn from the same geographic area of Salt Lake City, Utah, differing primarily in their subscription/access to cable television (homes with cable television, homes…

Determining what aspects of television entertainment program content influence a viewer in his decision about the real/pretend nature of that content was the purpose of this study, in which interviews were conducted with children, adolescents, and adults. Interview responses were coded in categories of content cues, with the coding of content…

Reports that viewing sitcoms and game shows can be beneficial to mental health, but viewing soap operas can be harmful. (FL)

Analyzes usage of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs during two recent television seasons. Alcohol predominated, accounting for more than two-thirds of all coded substance acts. More than two acts of alcohol use were found per hour in each season. The middle class and comic characters did the heavier drinking. (Author/BEF)

A study involving 111 adults with blindness examined the impact of watching television science programs with and without audio description. Results indicate respondents gained and retained more information from watching programs with description. They reported that the description makes the program more enjoyable, interesting, and informative.…