The literature of film and literature of television are, to a large extent, two separate entities. The major film theorists have not had much to say about television, and television has inspired few theorists of its own--few, that is, whose major concern, like the film theorists', is aesthetics. One of the earliest forms of commentary on…

A study examined the family communication of two television families: the Huxtables, on "The Cosby Show," and the Simpsons. Content analysis was used to analyze communication behaviors in 9 episodes of "The Cosby Show" and 12 episodes of "The Simpsons," and behaviors were coded as to type of communication. Results…

The public receives a large percentage of its information about mental health issues from media sources. Research has shown that the portrayal of occupational roles is often distorted and unrealistic. Cultivation theory predicts that television's version of reality helps influence or "cultivate" viewers' beliefs about the world. This cultivation…

Reviews research on television and human behavior. Evidence indicates that television affects both the beliefs and behaviors of young people. (MH)

Provides support for the hypothesis that a causal relationship exists between exposure to television violence and aggressive behavior in children. (MH)

Provides no support for the hypothesis that television is the crucial communication channel in inducing split ticket voting. (RB)

A study examined the influence of viewers' backgrounds on their interpretation of "associational montage" in television advertising (editing which seeks to imply an analogy between the product and a juxtaposed image possessing desirable qualities). Subjects, 32 television professionals from two urban television stations and 95 customers…

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…

To inform Swedish program policy discussions, this study traced patterns in fictional television programing for children and young adults in Sweden. Three sets of questions were central to the inquiry. First, what does "the TV world" look like? Who lives there? Who are the dominant figures? What settings are depicted? How are socially…

This paper argues that the proliferation of videocassette recorders in the United Kingdom, especially England, has altered the terms of all electronic--and possibly cinematic--viewing in that country, with the exception of areas where communal viewing is the dominant practice, where broadcast is the dominant distribution mode, and where cinema is…

The role of instructional television (ITV) in elementary and secondary education is assessed, beginning with an overview of the history of the medium from the first experimental educational broadcasts in 1933 to the present. Research in the area is reviewed, and three primary methods of evaluation are identified: (1) basic research, which measures…

A study examined the television network visibility of representatives and senators during the two-year period of the 97th Congress (1981-82). Among other questions, the study sought to determine whether high visibility on network news was limited to an elite group of leaders and activists, and whether the Senate-to-House network coverage ratio was…

A mail survey of commercial television stations nationwide was conducted to determine if stations as a whole are accepting program length commercials (whose airing was deregulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1984). Sales managers at 482 of 769 commercial television stations responded to the questionnaire. Results indicated…

The academic community in the United States for the most part has failed over the past decade to focus its attention on the preservation and improvement of the American public broadcasting system, either through institutionally cooperative, sponsored research or independently generated work. That public broadcasting research has been neglected…

Organized in nine sections, this paper traces the development of Israeli television since 1968, the year when television was first presented to a night-time viewing public, and examines the programs preferred by the Israeli public. The paper focuses on the growth of interest in TV; television viewing and the ongoing surveys; an internal analysis…