Finds that nature as a theme is completely absent in 80% and the outstanding theme in only 1.7% of television programming; not only less frequent, but separate from the dominant themes in prime-time; and treated as a sociopolitical "issue" (like "politics,""science,""religion," and "education").…

Proposes a rethinking of historical analysis of U. S. television history, to begin at the local level. Offers a case study of the place of Washington, DC, as a site for network news. Notes that, as a community, Washington presents an important site where forces such as migration and suburbanization shaped the early history of television. (SR)

Finds that stations in smaller television markets devoted less time to news than those in larger markets, and imported a greater proportion of their news content; imported news supplants strictly local news in these markets; and smaller-market stations imported a greater proportion of sensational/human interest news than they originated locally.…

Finds that women's preferences for comedy television programs were strongest immediately prior to and during menses when negative affect was also most evident. Finds also that at the midpoint of the menstrual cycle, when positive affect proved the strongest, an elevated interest in suspense drama programs was apparent. (SR)

Concludes that where there are sweeps periods, there may or may not be more sex, depending on which network is analyzed. Notes that ABC cut its number of sexual behaviors per hour by almost half, while Fox more than doubled its rate per hour. (SR)

Studies duplication and differentiation in local television news. Finds that local producers show a preference for sensational studies that feature acts of sex and violence and are easy to explain. Shows that little differentiation in topical areas exist for these stories built of concrete fact, but that local television news tends to…

Reports an exploration of the effectiveness of different types and sizes of samples for content analyses of television network news. Compares simple random, monthly stratified, and quarterly/weekly stratified sampling, using annual "populations" of network newscasts. Finds that the most efficient technique was two random days per month. (SR)

Notes that in 1997, a system of television ratings was instituted to label objectionable television content for parents. Explains that this study gathered ratings use data from parents of preschool and school-age children. Concludes that parents most likely to use the ratings are those who already mediate television viewing. (PM)

Uses survey data from a 1994 United States Senate campaign in Missouri to show that using TV news for political and government information is positively associated with knowledge about candidates and not associated with cynicism toward politicians. Notes that results run counter to the popular notion that television news causes declines in…

Compares tabloid and traditional broadcast news magazine coverage of crime and the content of their crime narratives. Finds that tabloid shows are more likely than traditional shows to feature crime stories. Tabloid shows are more likely to feature criminals of the middle and upper classes, while traditional shows are more likely to feature…

Contributes to the building of journalism and news-reporting theory and scholarship on news reception. Finds a ubiquitous use of examples presented in media coverage confirming the angle from which a story has been presented. Finds that exemplars are often presented along with vague generalizations, which leave the viewer little chance of judging…

Suggests that Japanese international and White students' positive or negative evaluations of television portrayals, rather than the number of television programs seen, significantly affected their stereotypes of African Americans. Demonstrates that the media can affect one's impression of other races and suggests that effects of mass media are…

Examines responses to misleading word-picture combinations. Finds that in contexts where race and gender can play a role in audience members' construction of meaning, the conditions may be conducive to the creation of libel. Shows how nothing literally defamatory was communicated, yet many subjects made just such linkages, both immediately and…

Reveals that attention to MTV and late-night programs is either unrelated to or negatively impacts campaign knowledge, while attention to talk shows is positively related to knowledge. Shows that, while respondents perceive themselves as being informed by talk shows, for the less educated, such attention is unrelated to campaign knowledge. (SR)

Investigates stereotyping of Native Americans by white college students, examining effects of vicarious contact via television and affective evaluations of direct and vicarious contact on stereotypes. Finds that evaluations of contact with minority groups determine group evaluation and that stereotyping is predicted by pleasant or unpleasant first…