Examines the effect of violence advisories and MPAA ratings on parent-child television viewing choices and verbal interactions while making those choices. Parents mainly made negative comments about the advisories and restrictive ratings whereas children, especially older children, were more likely to make positive comments. The presence of an…

Examines differences among groups of listeners to political talk radio using data from a survey of adults in San Diego, California, from the perspective of Grunig's situational involvement model. Among more active audience members, limited motivational data suggest that political talk radio served a mix of needs, including seeking political…

This study analyzed four characteristics of political commercials to determine their impact on television viewers' reactions: (1) issue versus image strategies; (2) attack versus support appeals; (3) presence and absence of music; and (4) visual content, either with families or in professional campaign settings. Memory measures and attitudes are…

This study examined personal concern, perceived risk, and sexual behavior of 147 college students a year after Magic Johnson announced he tested positive for HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). It found that identification mediates message effects, suggesting that a spokesperson with whom an audience can identify insures the greatest likelihood of…

Discusses the increase in audience research for public broadcast radio programming and how it influences decisions about programming and fundraising. The evolution of public radio's use of audience research is related to its changing conception of localism. (53 references) (Author/AEF)

Introduces a theoretical perspective on media viewing choices, grounded in social identity theory. Content analysis demonstrates that child, younger adult, and older adult television viewers show a preference for viewing characters of their own age. The experiment demonstrates that young adults' preference for viewing young adult characters exists…

Develops and tests hypotheses concerning the relationship of different media to psychological outcomes; postulates that print media are related to analytic cognition (reason) and electronic media to syncretic cognition (emotion). Two hundred forty magazine and television advertisements are analyzed in terms of attributes and reactions they invoke.…

Describes a study of high school students that examined responses to a music video dealing with teenage pregnancy. Students' motivations for viewing music videos, experiences with sex and pregnancy, and family communication patterns are related to the cognitive activities of thinking about the video content and relating it to their own lives. (20…