Examines why people choose a particular medium, by testing a causal model of magazine exposure and appraisal with readership surveys of two magazines distributed by the U.S. Information Agency in India. Found that utility had the strongest relationship with both exposure and appraisal, while communication potential had a negative relationship. (PD)

Examines issues of the three Minneapolis, Minnesota newspapers publishing in the period 1900-1905 to determine their role in exposing malfeasance in government. (FL)

Presents summaries of eight research reports. Topics discussed include (1) television use and social stereotypes, (2) a magazine for Arab women, (3) television newswomen in Texas, (4) sensationalism and science issues, (5) datelines and news stories, and (6) the content of paid and free circulation weeklies. (FL)

Investigates how one media outlet, "Time" magazine, has reported American religion over the past 30 years. Observes that coverage patterns can be explained by its rhetorical protocol which demands action, conflict, and personality. "Time" follows this rhetorical formula in all varieties of news, including religious, because the…

Found that suspense was at a maximum when the hero's chances of success/survival were perceived to be about one in 100 and minimal when either success or failure seemed absolutely certain. Further, suspense increased in proportion to how strongly the audience liked the hero. Also noted the effectiveness of audio preambles. (PD)

Analyzes nineteenth-century newspapers to show that reformers and journalists then believed in the political power of information and used political information and agenda-setting as tools for gaining political power. Suggests that political science agenda-setting models are better than those from communication research for understanding past…

Reports the findings of a study that investigated the skills and competencies expected by employers of college graduates planning to enter broadcast journalism. (HOD)

Eight brief research reports concerning, among other topics, the world news coverage of United States and international broadcasters, the image of the adolescent in the English press, the content of Taiwan's English and Chinese press, and newspaper inaccuracies and readers' perception of bias. (FL)

Presents a content analysis of the prosocial and aggressive content of a sample of child-oriented television commercials and compares the results with a similarly conducted study of child-oriented television programs. (JVP)

Outlines the six steps in a simple opinion survey technique for gathering information about those students who usually purchase the school yearbook. (RL)

Discusses the limited value of research based on the uses and gratifications approach, particularly in the area of political communication. The limitations arise from the approach's commitment to the variable analytic method. (JMF)

An Indiana survey of the media use of 108 older adults yielded information about their radio, television, and newspaper preferences. The results suggest that education, income, and sociability exerted as much, or more, influence on how the sample used the media than did their status as senior citizens. (GT)

An examination of "Time" magazine's treatment of four recent presidents indicates that "Time" continues to use the same techniques of biased reporting as were found in a 1965 study and that it continues to favor Republican presidents. (GT)

Reports on a study that explored two dimensions of Canadian attitudes toward the political integration of Quebec into the rest of Canada: (1) the front page and editorial output of the country's newspapers with respect to integration issues, and (2) the feedback on these issues, measured by the content of letters to newspaper editors. (Author/GT)

Shows why newspapers should use live telephone interviewers instead of automatic telephone interviewing devices to collect marketing/readership data. (RL)