Television and Its Viewers
Television and Its Viewers

Author: James Shanahan

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1999-09-09

Total Pages: 286

ISBN-13: 9780521587556

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Television and its Viewers reviews 'cultivation' research, which investigates the relationship between exposure to television and beliefs about the world. James Shanahan and Michael Morgan, both distinguished researchers in this field, scrutinize cultivation through detailed theoretical and historical explication, critical assessments of methodology, and a comprehensive 'meta-analysis' of twenty years of empirical results. They present a sweeping historical view of television as a technology and as an institution. Shanahan and Morgan's study looks forward as well as back, to the development of cultivation research in a new media environment. They argue that cultivation theory offers a unique and valuable perspective on the role of television in twentieth-century social life. Television and its Viewers, the first book-length study of its type, will be of interest to students and scholars in communication, sociology, political science and psychology and contains an introduction by the seminal figure in this field, George Gerbner.

Why Viewers Watch
Why Viewers Watch

Author: Jib Fowles

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 1992-01-14

Total Pages: 299

ISBN-13: 0803940777

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Television corrupts our children, induces us to spend needlessly, and stimulates hostility and violence. Or does it? Jib Fowles sees television as a "grandly therapeutic force," that television is indeed good for you. He examines why nearly every American regularly watches television and why viewing is beneficial. Updated and jargon-free, Why Viewers Watch describes the overall effect of programming on the population. What do viewers get from television? What does it do for them? Why do academics negatively judge television? Using recent research reports, overlooked past studies, and fresh survey data to substantiate this positive role, Fowles first reviews the history of television and programming. After discussing what people expect from television, he explores how different types of programs satisfy different needs. Fowles also debunks many of the myths propagated by media scholars and "television prigs." With an easy-to-read style that is both entertaining and informative, Why Viewers Watch suits both the scholar and the student, the specialist and nonspecialist alike. As such, it is the perfect companion volume for courses in communication, journalism, sociology, and psychology. "The author does present another side to the complex effects debate--a side of which we should all be aware."--Et cetera from the First Edition: "An interesting--and challenging--book about television. So good it is surprising it has not received more attention. ... There aren't many really good books about television, and [this] is one of the best."--Peter Farrell, The Sunday Oregonian "I would recommend this book to interested television viewers, media scholars, and professionals. Fowles' arguments are thought-provoking and sometimes compelling. The book is very readable and easily accessible to lower-division students. For those of us who spent our childhoods glued to the screen and believe we still turned out all right, this book will help alleviate our nagging guilt when we watch television. The book should help scholars reexamine our views on the impact of television's content and our suggested changes. Media professionals should find the book a testament to the positive aspects of their medium." --The Southern Speech Communication Journal.

Tuning In to Young Viewers
Tuning In to Young Viewers

Author: Tannis M. MacBeth

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Published: 1996-05-07

Total Pages: 291

ISBN-13: 1452248427

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Both provocative and controversial, Tuning In to Young Viewers focuses on a key area of media studies. Today, issues such as violence on television and children′s dependence on television are continually debated. This volume provides a much-needed overview of the crucial topics concerning the uses and effects of television. Designed both in style and organization as an upper-level text for courses in communication and psychology, it is written by scholars well-known to both fields and particularly recognized for their work related to media influences. Topics include diversity on television, television dependence and its diagnosis and prevention, television and the socialization of young children, children′s fear, and other indirect effects of television. For researchers and professionals interested in the effects of television, this book delves into the important topics related to television viewing. The extensive analysis provided makes this text a necessity for courses in media, communication, developmental psychology, sociology, and popular culture.

Television and Its Audience
Television and Its Audience

Author: Patrick Barwise

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 1988-11-24

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 1849207208

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This book by two leading experts takes a fresh look at the nature of television, starting from an audience perspective. It draws on over twenty years of research about the audience in the United States and Britain and about the many ways in which television is funded and organized around the world. The overall picture which emerges is of: a medium which is watched for several hours a day but usually at only a low level of involvement; an audience which views mainly for relaxation but which actively chooses favourite programmes; a flowering of new channels but with no fundamental change in what or how people watch; programmes costing millions to produce but only a few pennies to view; a wide range of programme types apparently similar to the range of print media but with nothing like the same degree of audience 'segmentation'; a global communication medium of dazzling scale, speed, and impact but which is slow at conveying complex information and perhaps less powerful than generally assumed. The book is packed with information and insights yet is highly readable. It is unique in relating so many of the issues raised by television to how we watch it. There is also a highly regarded appendix on advertising, as well as technical notes, a glossary, and references for further reading.

The Psychology of Television
The Psychology of Television

Author: John Condry

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-10-03

Total Pages: 318

ISBN-13: 1351226762

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This volume addresses the content of television -- both programs and advertisements -- and the psychological effects of the content on the audience. The author not only reports new research, but explains its practical applications without jargon. Issues are discussed and described in terms of psychological mechanisms and causal routes of influence. While primarily referring to the American television industry and American governmental regulations, the psychological principles discussed are applicable to television viewers world wide.

Viewers Like You
Viewers Like You

Author: Laurie Oullette

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2012-07-24

Total Pages: 299

ISBN-13: 0231529317

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How "public" is public television if only a small percentage of the American people tune in on a regular basis? When public television addresses "viewers like you," just who are you? Despite the current of frustration with commercial television that runs through American life, most TV viewers bypass the redemptive "oasis of the wasteland" represented by PBS and turn to the sitcoms, soap operas, music videos, game shows, weekly dramas, and popular news programs produced by the culture industries. Viewers Like You? traces the history of public broadcasting in the United States, questions its priorities, and argues that public TV's tendency to reject popular culture has undermined its capacity to serve the people it claims to represent. Drawing from archival research and cultural theory, the book shows that public television's perception of what the public needs is constrained by unquestioned cultural assumptions rooted in the politics of class, gender, and race.