Describes a social psychology course on the college level which was based on a 17 episode television series, "The Prisoner". Evaluation of the course indicated that student interest was high and that many students used the television series and course content as a means for self-counseling. (Author/DB)

Studies done at Stanford University for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) suggest that well-planned public service announcements on television can effectively teach children about nutrition. (Author/SJL)

The immediate, direct effects of the mass media upon individuals are obscure but the indirect effects are substantial. (Author)

Summarizes an evaluation of the impact of the 1976-77 Florida Drug Abuse television campaign, targeted at middle- and upper-class individuals. The article reports audience viewing frequency of the TV campaign announcements, differences between viewers and nonviewers, plus viewing and reaction differences between target and nontarget audience…

Describes script-reading projects, teachers' guides, and parent participation workshops offered by the broadcast industry to stimulate reading. (DD)

Describes a ten-category evaluation list designed to allow students to make an educated guess on whether a new television program or series will be successful or why a program has become popular. Student predictions are compared with what actually happens at the three television networks. (JMF)

Findings of a survey of the use of television in 398 businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies indicate no direction in its use, and no pattern of realization of objectives or cost benefits through the use of media in these sectors. (RAO)

Examines the amount of coverage given to women's athletics by ESPN SportsCenter and CNN Sports Tonight. Results indicated: both programs devoted only about 5% of their air time to women's sports; story placement and on-camera comments indicated an emphasis on men's athletics; and stories about women involved individual competition, with almost no…

Identifies least desirable situations for children's television viewing. Details guidelines for family viewing, including previewing programs and viewing together. Discusses ways to use the viewing experience to create interests and dialog, such as discussing and evaluating programs. Describes alternatives to television viewing, including…

Compares tabloid and traditional broadcast news magazine coverage of crime and the content of their crime narratives. Finds that tabloid shows are more likely than traditional shows to feature crime stories. Tabloid shows are more likely to feature criminals of the middle and upper classes, while traditional shows are more likely to feature…

Examines children's understanding of temporal order as depicted on television through three techniques: canonical sequencing, reversed sequencing, and time leaps. A study of four-, six-, and eight-year olds is described, and findings suggest that cognitive skills associated with the ability to comprehend liquid conservation contribute to…

The Federal Communications Commission is considering a plan that would allow cable-television to use parts of the broadcast spectrum that has been reserved for educational programing. Cable companies say it is wasteful to reserve limited broadcasting for educational programing if not enough colleges use the frequencies allotted. (MLW)

Examines patterns of television viewing and viewing motivations for the "PTL Club" in light of the recent PTL scandal. Extracts the ritualized user and a modified version (curious consumer) of the instrumental user only. Discusses implications for the future of religious television. (SR)

Explores the effects of live television coverage of the space shuttle Challenger disaster on school children. Finds that children tended to react according to gender stereotypes of impersonal regret versus personal involvement and respond with either a cognitive orientation or a social and emotional orientation. (MS)