In order to determine whether Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) had the capacity to produce a TV series of sufficient quality, two pilot tapes were produced by AEL and then submitted for rating to nine broadcasting specialists from several commercial TV stations. Based on the responses of these nine individuals to a questionnaire dealing…

An historical record is presented of the processes by which the children's television program, Sesame Street, was created, developed, and implemented. Particular attention is focused on the concept of using a team of educational advisors, professional researchers, and television production specialists to blend the technology of television and the…

Designed to aid the classroom teacher in the improvement of instruction through television, this manual consists of two parts: program utilization guide and equipment utilization guide. The first part introduces the jargon and history of this system of mass communication, and discusses the appropriate ways to incorporate TV into the classroom.…

This is an initial examination of findings from laboratory and field studies done in Israel on the cognition-cultivating functions of media. The studies reasoned that highly explicit presentations of film-mediated operations can be imitated by observers, and that once imitated, they are internalized and can serve as modified mental skills. Two…

Good programing in public television requires adequate funding; adequate funding requires an understanding of the total public television station picture. This study provides information concerning projected operating characteristics and the resultant costs of these operations for public broadcasting stations. After a discussion of the procedures…

This study defined "preference types" (types of people who use various media) and looked at constructs people used in deciding their preferences. Preferences in one medium were compared with preferences in another medium for the same group of people. The six media studied were television, radio, movies, magazines, brand commercials, and political…

Past studies of media credibility have yielded contradictory results. In some research, television has the most credibility, while in others, radio or newspapers have the most. A probable reason for this is the way survey questions are phrased. In asking for a "major source of news," some questions focus on the "most likely medium" for news in…

In an effort to evaluate the effects of "Sesame Street", 943 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds, including disadvantaged children from the inner city, advantaged suburban children, children from rural areas, and disadvantaged Spanish-speaking children, were tested by adults from the children's own neighborhoods. Results indicate that: (1) the…

Various aspects of utilizing instructional television (ITV) are summarized and evaluated, and basic guidelines are developed for future utilization of television as an instructional medium. The role of technology in education is discussed, and the capabilities and limitations of television as an instructional media system are outlined. A brief…

An innovative, entertaining television series, "The Electric Company" (TEC), was designed by Children's Television Workshop to help teach basic reading skills to seven-to-ten year olds either at home or in school. This report discusses two in-school audience surveys of TEC utilization--a Fall 1971 survey of elementary school principals…

Designed and intended for persons with very little capital and minimal technical background who are just beginning to use television expressively or expand existing facilities, this paper discusses in detail the basic technical considerations that must be met before setting up a small television studio. It includes some operating and design…

Examines the effects of humorous distortions on children's learning from educational television. Measured information acquisition and funniness after exposure, and concludes that humor in educational messages that distorts information will give children faulty impressions of novel phenomena. (MM)

Discusses problems posed by television violence; how behavioral and social scientists became interested in television violence and its effects on children; how psychologists study relationships between television violence and behavior; how television violence can be counteracted by television industry, parents, and educators; and results from the…

Reactions of preschool children from urban and rural Quebec to several animated and other representational television characters were obtained. Visual elements consistently appealing are identified, and responses are reviewed for sex, cultural, and location differences. Application of results in the production of a televised antismoking promotion…

Noting drastic changes in both television and the family since the 1990 edition, this revised volume provides an extensive consideration of television's role in the American family, from the uses families make of television and how extensions such as remote controls and VCRs affect usage, to the meanings families have for television, families'…