This report, one of two investigations into the use of public television and radio requested by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and prepared by their Office of Communication Research, provides an analysis and comparison of five selected public affairs programs. These programs include "The MacNeil/Lehrer Report,""USA: People…

A total of 536 phone interviews were obtained using the Austin telephone directory on the day following the final telecast of "Roots." Eighty percent of the sample population identified itself as white, 12 percent black, and 8 percent as Latin American. The impact of "Roots" was determined to be generally positive. (JEG)

Recounts a speech delivered by William S. Rubens, Vice President of National Broadcasting Company, in which he covers some of the current issues focusing on television sex and violence and network policy. Available from: Vital Speeches of the Day, City News Publishing Company, Box 606, Southold, New York 11971. (MH)

A description of the current status of television and radio exposure among five to nineteen year-old British children. (Author)

Data analysis from television-viewing surveys suggests that people are not "glued to the box." Rather, the level of repeat-viewing of television--about 60 percent--suggests that television fills the gap between other activities and that the reason people watch television is that they have "so much time to kill." (PD)

Charts the number and nature of nonfiction children's series broadcast over ABC, CBS, and NBC from 1948 through 1979 to assess whether educational and informational programs were appreciably different from those that existed when the 1974 Federal Communication Commission report was issued. Little significant change is apparent. (Author/MER)

Explores differences among Black adults in their attitudes and behavior toward television and the social processes accounting for these differences. Indicates that variation in attitudes and behaviors toward television is systematically related to differences among Black adults in their exposure to the medium, subjective orientation, and…

Questionnaires were given to second, third, and fourth graders examining relationships between television viewing habits and prosocial behavior. Results indicated the fewer programs watched and the more prosocial their content, the more likely a child was to exhibit prosocial behavior. Each variable accounted for about one percent of the variance.…

Explores the psychological origins of media gratification by examining how pertinent psychological variables help explain television viewing motivation. Finds that parasocial interaction, anxiety, creativity, sensation seeking's disinhibition dimension, and television affinity and exposure, helped to predict viewing motivation. (PRA)

In the midst of a growing national debate about the role of television as a de facto "sex educator" for young people today, this survey asked parents nationwide in the fall of 1996 about their views on kids and television. A random sample of 853 parents and children ages 6 to 15 were surveyed by telephone (the data reported here focus on…

Members of the local community should be aware of public access channels on cable television systems, yet large segments of the public are unaware that they exist. To determine how the medium was perceived in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area, a study surveyed 226 individuals by telephone, asking if they were aware of public or community access on…

In light of the cable television and VCR revolution of the past few years which provides viewers with a greater variety of programs, a study examined the role that reruns play in network programming strategies and the profile of the audience that appreciates such programs. Subjects, 293 households (out of an original 730) in a medium-sized…

Adults in l,500 households in San Francisco's Western Addition were interviewed to gather information about black's use of and attitudes toward television. Findings indicate: (1) few persons expressed favoritism about existing shows that feature blacks; (2) the average reported viewing time per day was four hours; (3) viewing of news programs was…

A 10-ITEM, MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONNAIRE WAS DESIGNED TO SURVEY THE USE OF AND TEACHER REACTION TO EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION (ETV) IN EIGHT COUNTIES PARTICIPATING IN THE REGIONAL ETV AREA OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. THE 3,860 TEACHER RESPONSES WERE PROCESSED THROUGH DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT, AND WERE CONVERTED INTO PERCENTAGE OF RESPONSE FOR EACH ITEM…