Post structural reader theories--i.e., theories that focus on the reader/viewer rather than the text as the creator of meaning--are considered in this paper in terms of their application to educational media research. Some key concepts of reader theories are defined as follows: (1) reading is the process of creating meaning while viewing an educational media presentation; (2) the text is the educational media presentation; (3) communities of viewers are those readers who share membership in a social, economic, professional, or other natural group and whose interpretations agree because of their membership in that group; and (4) intertextuality suggests either that certain meanings of one text are created only by the existence of related texts or that communication about shared practices or conventions may also be considered text. A preference for reception theory, one of several reader theories, is indicated because the author or producer's role is well explored in this approach. Reception theory is described as the belief that, although any text is open to interpretation, at specific points in time readings of the text become concretized by readers whose expectations have been determined by their culture. A discussion of how children learn from "Sesame Street" is presented in the context of this theory, and 13 references are listed. (MES)