The results of a comparison of television programming for children in the United States, Canada, Japan, and the democracies of Western Eruope are presented. It was found that: in European countries no advertiser is allowed to sponsor a children's program, almost none of these programs carries commercials, and except in Italy, no host of a…

Identifies and analyzes messages related to food and eating behavior as presented on prime time television programing and commercials. Finds that food references occur an average of 4.8 times per 30 minutes and that over half of all food references were for low nutrient beverages and sweets, which is inconsistent with healthy dietary guidelines.…

Television commercials convey to the audience through symbols, metaphors, and myths the feelings and emotions deeply rooted in our culture. While commercials on one level are concerned with a representation of the product or service, they are on another level a symbol of a larger meaning: love, family, romance, motherhood, or hero worship. A can…

Based on the pattern of "the pitch" (Hi/Trust Me/You Need/Hurry/Buy), this sequence of questions can be used to focus on the "skeleton" underneath the surface variations of radio and television commercials, and newspaper and magazine ads. The five questions, which include evaluation criteria, are as follows: (1) What attention-getting techniques…

A study was conducted to investigate the theory that the more finished a television commercial is when tested, the more soundly it can be evaluated. In an experimental design for a health maintenance organization, four commercials were tested in both storyboard slide show and finished commercial formats in a controlled laboratory environment.…

In Western societies, television has transformed the life, culture, and points of reference of the child. Its particular sphere of influence is the child's play culture. This play culture is not hermetic: it is very oriented toward manipulation; has a symbolic role as a representational medium; evolves along with the child; has a certain amount of…

A great deal of research has examined the effects of the racial composition of advertisements on their acceptance by the black consumer. From this literature two antithetical findings have emerged: (1) television commercials that use black models are more meaningful to black viewers than are those using white models, and (2) black models in…

Three Federal Communications Commissioners (FCC) filed supplementary statements to the FCC Children's Television Report, elaborating on their individual views. Commissioner Benjamin L. Hooks concurred in the proposed limit on commercial minutes in children's programs, but suggested a lower figure. He also suggested that commercials be…

The ideal promotional effort for an educational television (ETV) station is dependent on a professional approach to the problem. This means that each ETV station should employ a public relations manager and should keep him informed about all major station decisions. The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) has a campaign of its own to bring attention…

The characteristics of adult male and female models in randomly selected television commercials were systematically coded and several significant sex differences were discovered. These sex differences are discussed in the context of research which suggests that peoples' sex-role behaviors and attitudes may be influenced by televised models.…

Describes the implications of research designed to focus on within-commercial differences, use a variety of response measures, employ a non-reactive viewing situation, measure behavioral as well as verbal responses, and provide data that creative people can understand. Action and story line were found to be the most important aspects that hold…

Examines the fundamental qualities of the television advertising from the 1984 North Carolina senate race between Jesse Helms and James Hunt, using Burke's method of the "representative anecdote." Argues that thematic continuity is a fundamental ingredient of effective electronic storytelling. (SR)

Relates political candidates' television advertising to voters' emotional reactions and voting behavior. Suggests that television campaign advertising elicits emotion along three continua: pleasure-displeasure, arousal-nonarousal, and dominance-submissiveness. Suggests that emotional response to such advertising is systematically related to voting…

The author provides several tips and suggestions for marketing a proprietary school, involving newspaper advertising, television advertising, direct mail, high school marketing, and timing of promotional mailings. (CT)