The study of mass media and popular culture in a composition class allows students and teachers together to develop a critical awareness of television and advertising. Jerzy Kosinski's book, "Being There," a novel about the impact of television, is a beginning point for the study of television. Using that book as if it were a collection of events,…

To assist journalism students in making informed decisions regarding newspaper work, a brief course was devised that was based on a total newspaper concept. Defining the newspaper as the interaction of all of its departments in a unique geographic, demographic, and economic setting, this course focused on the traditional approach to a newspaper;…

Four hundred fifty subjects at Texas A&M University provided data, through self-administered questionnaires, to evaluate the influence on readers of qualifying statements regarding technical performance claims in magazine advertisements. Each respondent was exposed to a single treatment by viewing one of 30 versions of mock magazine…

To investigate the factors behind the overall lack of success of televised public service announcements (PSAs), five Marine recruitment PSAs were studied using 138 college undergraduate students (75% male and 90% freshmen and sophomores). Results indicated the following: in general, the PSA messages were perceived as alienating by the students;…

This is one of several papers presented at a Federal Trade Commission Symposium on Media Concentration. It analyzes trends in the development of one-newspaper cities. Some of the trends noted are that face-to-face competition has declined considerably over the last five decades, going from 90% of the circulation in 1923 to 30% of the circulation…

As communication tools change, the field of advertising will be affected. The videotelephone will be available to consumers and corporations and may be used along with fast-scan facsimile devices or with electronic video recording (EVR). While it offers privacy and security and holds wide implications for sales promotional and public relations…

Fifty-two subjects participated in a study of attitudes toward typographic treatment in print advertising. Twenty variations of a basic ad layout, based on nine typographic variables (five for display type and four for body copy), were developed to reflect current trends in fashionable/conservative advertising typography. The subjects sorted the…

Data collected as part of a larger survey that focused on the 1978 gubernatorial race in New York State were used in a study of political advertising and media credibility. Specifically, the study examined the factors that influence an individual's rating of the helpfulness of political advertising and related these factors to voting patterns. A…

This report summarizes the present state of knowledge about the effects of television advertising on children. After a discussion of children's television viewing patterns, the report reviews the existing research relevant to such issues as children's ability to distinguish commercials from program material; the influence of format and audiovisual…

Cable television, which cannot only clarify local signals to weak signal areas but can also bring in distant signals to areas which have been receiving few signals, has the capacity to present special television programs to customers for extra fees. The number of pay cable subscribers is growing and industry projections are that it will reach 20…

A shopper is a local newspaper-format periodical that carries advertising and is circulated free of charge to the general public. This document compares the impact of the free shopper with that of the major daily subscription papers among suburban residents. For the study, a sample region was selected from the Long Beach and Orange County area of…

In this paper, the first in a series of working papers on various significant aspects of advertising, the author examines in depth the writings of four essayists who have looked at advertising from the institutional viewpoint. James Carey sees advertising's basic institutional function as market information and the secondary function as social…

The method of campaigning politically on television has changed markedly between 1952, when speeches by candidates were the prevalent mode of television campaigning, and 1972, when 60-second and 30-second spot announcements had almost replaced broadcast addresses. However, studies show that spots do not constitute an important source of political…

This document contains all of the presentations given at the 1974 National American Academy of Advertising Conference in Newport, Rhode Island. The theme of the conference was "Perspectives on Advertising" and the areas of focus were curricula and instruction, descriptive and experimental research, cooperation between educators and the…

A survey of 900 residents of Gainesville, Florida, conducted in April and May 1974 assessed their opinions on a number of statements regarding advertising and programing on children's television shows. Of the 14 statements used, 6 were worded so that the television advertiser might be regarded as a "good guy" or his "commercial as hero." The other…