Survey results revealed a curious paradox: people who saw both the debates between local candidates and the presidential debates were more influenced by the local debates and perceived the local debates as more informative; however, they also saw the presidential debates as more interesting and influential. (PD)

Examines the soap opera world by analyzing the conversation and relationship to real-life conversation. Reveals that soap operas provide a subtle blending of the real and the not-real, but that part of the reality lies within the conversation: the relationships of conversants, their topics, and conversational styles. (PD)

Indicates that while television programing from the United States is still popular in Australia, Australian television is beginning to show signs of developing its own media identity. (FL)

Examines the rise and fall of the autonomous public broadcasting corporation in Turkey and discusses the relevance of the Turkish experience for other countries. (FL)

Reports that prime time network television programing has more than three drinking incidents per hour, with hard liquor the drink of choice. (FL)

Provides some support for the charge of sex discrimination in television humor in that males disparaged females significantly more than females disparaged males. Also found that sexual and hostile humor was as common during the Family Viewing Hour as during adult viewing hours. (PD)

An analysis of audience perceptions of videotaped versus filmed actualities on television newscasts suggested that videotaped actualities were perceived as more immediate than filmed actualities, and that audience evaluation of newscasts using videotaped actualities was higher than audience evaluation of newscasts using filmed actualities. (GT)

Summarizes television research findings and theories, discusses research problems, categorizes instructional television variables, defines and describes "task relatedness," and presents the results of a survey of instructional media professionals concerning their opinions on instructional television use and their reactions to the concept of task…

Continues the criticism of the Gerbner et al. Study of the cultivation effects of television on viewers. Argues that it makes unwarranted claims and contains methodological errors. (JMF)

Discusses several documents in the ERIC system that deal with the problems teachers face when trying to respond to the issue of television's impact on education and with ways that they can use television to students' educational advantage. (HTH)

Reports that television news coverage of a gubernatorial campaign was relatively light in part because television newspersons were skeptical of the news value of many campaign events. (FL)

Describes research undertaken to determine third- and fifth-grade children's television viewing preferences in a choice of adult or children's television shows. Two studies were carried out: (1) distribution of a forced choice questionnaire, and (2) showing of an edited videotape introduction to shows listed in the questionnaire. (SW)

Compares American middle-class children, as representatives of heavy television viewers, and Israeli middle-class children, as representatives of lighter television viewers, to determine the extent to which accumulated television viewing enhances the development of particular mental skills. (PD)

Survey responses from 348 commercial television stations throughout the United States revealed that the broadcasting of television editorials was common practice for 214 stations (61 percent), that local topics were preferred by those that editorialized, and that most stations included station opinion in their editorials. (GT)

Reports that law enforcement news coverage on television network evening news programs is a network preoccupation, that the coverage overemphasizes events in four major cities, that law enforcement agents and institutions are portrayed unfavorably, and that the coverage reflects a desire to entertain rather than a sense of social responsibility.…