Examines approaches to discourse and television, working from the specific example of the television situation comedy "Designing Women" to the general functioning of discourse in television narrative. Positions "Designing Women" within the sitcom genre. Suggests that "Designing Women" activates television's…

Examines the integration of advertising messages within early single-sponsor television programs from the 1950s. (MM)

Examines foreign news by analyzing the use of visual images in the television reporting of the Nahalin incident--one of the early major incidents of the "Intifada," the Palestinian popular uprising in Israeli-occupied territories. Uses British, American, and French major news service reports to compare and deconstruct images of political…

Looks at the ways in which the relationship between women and work was characterized during the late 1940s in "Woman Speaks," a combination newsreel/television show in Chicago. Expands upon the work of other historians and critics who have examined the representations of gender in early television marketing ploys and variety/situation…

Opines that the study of video production is important in better understanding the aural/visual aspects of television, especially since television production is undergoing a digital revolution. Assesses the impact of new technologies by examining a "cutting-edge" program, "American Gothic." Finds that digital technology offers…

Compares a 1950s Ford television commercial with a 1990s Volvo commercial. Discusses three major aspects of cubist television exemplified in the Volvo commercial: the destruction of Aristotelian viewer-to-stage distance using close-ups, the flattening of Renaissance deep-background perspective using telephoto zooms, and the implementation of an…

Conducts interviews with nine groups of South African women, examining their responses to episodes of "Suburban Bliss," a South African television sitcom that attempted to use humor as a catalyst to transcend the aftermath of apartheid. Evaluates whether "cultural reconciliation" is possible through harnessing the varying…

Considers television viewing practices during special events. Examines how audiences organize around such programing and whether this organization changes the understanding of audience connectiveness. Considers connectiveness and privatization in conjunction with conceptions of the public sphere, reviews literature on media events, and applies…

Examines the economic and cultural contexts of the popular television show "Twin Peaks," reading it as reactionary postmodernism. Argues that the show's clever innovations in production, avant-garde techniques, and postmodern sensibilities obscure in-depth or ongoing discussions about its reactionary politics, regressive and misogynistic…