A study examined the treatment and portrayal of political parties on Soviet and American television. The content of six newscasts of "World News Tonight" and "Vremya" during June of 1984 were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The overall results suggest that 15 stories (24% of the total allotted time) pertaining…

Three typical television news reports broadcast on the "CBS Evening News with Dan Rather" in early 1987 were analyzed (1) to test the validity of the assumption that news reports of this type are persuasive and therefore can be classified as rhetoric and (2) to gain insights into the message structure of the reports. The three reports…

Intended for use as a guide for presenters in video productions, this booklet describes important aspects of the production of effective television presentations. It is suggested that a visit to the Texas Education Agency Tape Lab for a short orientation to their production facilities and a preproduction meeting with its staff would help ensure an…

In light of the Kerner Commission's (1968) recommendations that Blacks be included more frequently on television and in a diversity of roles, a study examined how the portrayal of Blacks on television has changed since 1968 and how Blacks are currently portrayed in commercial television series. Samples of all national network commercial television…

This report of a study investigating the advertising strategies of various senatorial candidates and their results presents a trend analysis of GOP Senatorial advertisements aired on television throughout the United States during the 1984 national election campaign. One hundred and one campaign spots from all geographic regions were examined in…

This paper critiques the methodology used for television audience research by David Morley for his study, "The Nationwide Audience," in which he attempts to systematically determine relationships between the various ways in which different audience groups make sense of television programs and the social relations that define their material…

This paper discusses some of the ways in which the commitment of the television series Cagney and Lacey to the examination of often controversial social issues from liberal or progressive standpoints--especially issues associated with the women's movement--is worked through in narrative practice. The origins and development of the series are…

This essay discusses useful techniques for the presentation of college courses on television, based on the author's year-long programming of television courses in American history. Suggestions include comments on program organization, effective use of visual aids, pacing the lecture, methods of on-camera relaxation, and working with the program…

Noting that one of the greatest criticisms of television is the lack of television criticism itself, this paper proposes a multidimensional approach to the subject, based on current forms of criticism and theory. The 10 forms of criticism or theory discussed in the paper are (1) rhetorical criticism, (2) dramatic criticism, (3) literary criticism,…

A study examined the differences in perceived credibility of male and female television news broadcasters. News directors' attitudes concerning what makes a newscaster believable were surveyed by telephone. Their descriptions were converted to semantic differential scales. Next, two videotaped newscasts were produced, one with a male and one with…

On December 22, 1983, the Federal Communications Commission formally ended its consideration of rule making for children's television programing. Opponents of government regulation view the FCC's decision as a victory for the First Amendment freedoms of speech and the press; proponents of mandatory children's programing guidelines feel that the…

Electronic media have undergone substantial growth and change in the past two decades, and the structure of the programming industry has also changed, with the competition for programming becoming more intense. At the same time, government has moved toward deregulation in this area, with the result being increasing concentration,…

The global flow of telefilms has been one of the most debated issues in international communication in recent years. In an attempt to explain the process of global program flow, several theoretical frameworks have been developed, and the "media imperialism" thesis became the most prominent among them. The "media imperialism"…

Drawing on a social cognitive understanding of the relationship between television and viewers which suggests that adolescents will seek media content consistent with their already developed notions about the sexes, a study surveyed 1,613 adolescents (aged 12 to 17). Respondents were drawn from 10 standard metropolitan statistical areas that are…

In a study to identify types of mass media consumers, a Q-type factor analysis was run on respondent exposure to 90 categories of content within seven mass media (television, radio, recordings, motion pictures, newspapers, magazines, and books). The respondents were 116 seventh graders in Waterloo, Iowa, who were asked to keep daily diaries of…