Two studies were conducted, the first to determine reader response to newspaper front pages with modular format and color, and the second to examine source perception and reporter response to errors in news stories. Results of the first study revealed that respondents in three cities preferred modular front pages to other modern format pages and…

This report details a series of Unesco sponsored surveys, on the developing newspapers in rural Africa, that explored (1) the conditions conducive to the establishment and continuity of rural newspapers; (2) sources for training rural journalists; (3) the use of research; and (4) ways and means of using to advantage the varied resources already…

Studies of newspaper reading in three communities in North Carolina were undertaken in light of the fact that newspaper reading has declined relative to population growth since World War II. In each instance, the respondents had available a relatively small local afternoon daily and a larger morning metropolitan daily. Results of the study showed…

The Flesch readability formula was used to analyze 192 100-word samples from selected matching issues of "Time" and "Newsweek." It was hypothesized that "immediate-reward" types of news, such as sports, social, and human interest events, would be significantly more readable (fewer syllables per 100 words and fewer…

A study was undertaken to design and implement an experimental instrument for testing the influence of the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) film rating system on movie attendance. Sixty-five high school students were given synopses of four different fictional films, each of which had been assigned an MPAA rating of G (approved for…

A COMPREHENSIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY IS PRESENTED COVERING PUBLISHED REPORTS AND PAPERS FROM 1945 TO 1961 ON THE DEVELOPMENT, APPLICATION, AND EVALUATION OF NEW EDUCATIONAL MEDIA IN EUROPE. THE BIBLIOGRAPHY IS BROADLY BASED AND INCLUDES ACADEMIC RESEARCH, EXPLORATORY WORK, EXPERIMENTS WITH NEW METHODS, AND SURVEYS. ENTRIES ARE CLASSIFIED UNDER 10…

Data from a 1976 election study were used to compare the effects of different types of television watching (daytime, evening entertainment, news, campaign programing, presidential debates) on voter turnout and to compare these effects with those of other media (radio, magazines, newspapers). After controlling for the effects of the traditional…

Based on case studies of 15 all-news radio stations, this report isolates major factors contributing to the all-news format's frequent failure and assesses its potential for success. The history of the News and Information Service (NIS), which the NBC radio network operated between 1975 and 1977, serves as a backdrop for the information presented…

A content analysis was performed on six mass-audience women's magazines to determine frequency of coverage of specific mental disorders and to see how fair and complete mental illness coverage was in the magazines. The six magazines analyzed were "Family Circle,""McCalls,""Good…

A study was conducted in which half-hour segments of prime-time network dramatic programing were tabulated for such violence-related items as: the seriousness and significance of violence, the number of violent actions in the program, and the duration of violence. Other factors considered were: audience size, share of audience, program duration,…

In a study of the effect of crossownerships of newspapers and television stations on citizen access to mass media for the discussion of public issues, information was analyzed about television circulation, advertising costs, and market sizes for 208 crossownership market areas. Results were as follows: crossownerships are all located in the larger…

The designer of instructional materials makes many decisions that are probably based on evidence that is unreliable. More reliable evidence, based on perceptual and media research, has not been available to him in his own language. In this project a search of perceptual literature since 1960, and a search of media studies at the ERIC Clearinghouse…

This investigation demonstrates the applicability of Stephenson's Q-Methodology, a psychological instrument, for gathering qualitative data concerning television news audiences. A questionnaire consisting of statements describing a possible news format was distributed to the viewers of three commercial television stations in Baton Rouge,…