To examine the rhetorical vision of nuclear war presented in the television show "The Day After," it is necessary to consider (1) the motives of those involved in producing the film, (2) the debate over the film that preceded its presentation, (3) the effect of the film's message, and (4) how the film's rhetorical structure contributed…

Residents in a southern California city were surveyed by telephone about their attitudes toward the telecast of the motion picture "Academy Awards" presentations. Of the 141 respondents, 71 had not watched the telecast, 42 had watched some of the broadcast, and 28 had watched all of it. Less than one third of the survey questions were specifically…

Focusing on issues in mass communication, the six articles in this journal issue cover many facets and approaches to the topics. The first article offers a review of recent developments in the field and some comments about its future. The second article reviews feminism in comedies from the 1930s and in a current film, and the third analyzes the…

The result of an exhaustive review of literature on the subject of film audiences, this bibliography is intended to provide film scholars with a reference tool, to act as an impetus for renewed research interest in the often neglected areas of film audience uses and gratifications, and to provide an update to UNESCO's 1961 bibliography concerning…

Approximately 300 annotated references to research on the impact of television and other visual media on the behavior and development of children are presented in three sections of this bibliography. The first section consists of reports about the type of fare offered to the public and the values and picture of life it presents. Literature in the…

This paper argues that the effectivity of television lies in the complex effects it generates by operating in specific ways on the line of in-difference, i.e., a particular structure of self relationship enacted in the relation between identity and difference. Using a theoretical and critical framework, the paper presents an analysis of three…

Describes steps taken by the American Broadcasting Corporation to assess the public's reaction to "The Day After." Pre-broadcast activities included a literature review, consultation with child development specialists, viewer's guide development, focus group research, and recommendations regarding children's viewing. Post-broadcast…

To unravel some of the contradictions in opinions about the effect of mass media on viewers, an integration of mass media research and sound sociological theory is necessary. This paper reports the results of an attempt to apply sociological theories of socialization to a sample of Australian children and their reactions to film and television…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 47 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) television and attitudes about crime, (2) attitude measurement in marketing communications, (3) soap operas and liberal education values, (4) the existence of…

Research literature relating to the power of dramatic television or movie entertainment for value, attitude, and behavior change is reviewed. Section 1 of this paper covers the research literature bearing on the effects of mass entertainment on adults, adolescents, and children. Section 2 briefly describes the research needs to be addressed by the…

An anthology of readings in the media correlates chapter-by-chapter to the authors' textbook, "The Media Works." Fifteen chapters cover the study of newspapers, magazines, comics, popular music, television, movies, and advertising. The authors included represent varied perspectives on the media. The selections were chosen with the help of a…

This paper argues that new technologies, which play significant roles in the process of communication, may solve some problems, but they also tend to create new ones. A discussion of the various problems encountered in Nigeria, where an appreciable penetration of portable video cameras and recorders has given the public more access to, and choice…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 35 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) television and scholastic achievement; (2) press freedom and the new world information order; (3) content analysis of Saturday morning children's television…