Public television in 1976: A projection of station operation and costs

Periodically, technology develops what is touted as a new medium which makes all others obsolete. Television was going to erase radio, tape was going to do away with disc recordings, and quadrasonic sound will do away with stereo which in turn replaced monaural recording methods. Getting the most attention on these lines now is cable television and the competing methods of home video recording—cartridges, cassettes, videodiscs etc. In the following article, Mr. Christians, a Ph.D. candidate in communications at the University of Illinois, suggests that the so‐called home video “revolution” is really nothing of the kind—but rather more of the same content and controlling interests merely wrapped in different garb.     

Research on children and television: A critique

This systematic content analysis compares local coverage of Hispanic‐American news across newspapers, radio and television in Southwest cities with substantial Hispanic populations. Story prominence, Hispanic representation and content are examined.     

Censor and sensibility: A content analysis of the television censor's comments

The position of network censor, whatever the title appended to the job, is one of particular sensitivity. To the industry as a whole, he acts to forstall the program material that could cause criticism of the network, station, sponsor or program. A writer who feels that his work has been needlessly mutilated has a different conception of the role of the network censor. The public is largely unaware of his existence.

The pamphlet by the author of the present article, Taste and the Censor in Television (published by the Fund for the Republic, 1959, as an Occasional Paper on the role of the mass media in the free society), was the first major attempt to define the place of the censor. Another article of interest was George Gerbner's “Mental Illness on Television: A Study of Censorship” (Journal of Broadcasting, Vol. III, No. 4, Fall, 1959.)

The article that follows is intended to convey the flavor of the censor's work, and provide an adequate introduction to this important phase of broadcasting self‐regulation and management. It is possibly the only study of the broadcasting executive as a decision‐maker. As such, it should be of extreme interest to anyone in the creative and the business ends of broadcasting.     

Deregulation and public perceptions of television: A longitudinal study

The deregulation of television and resulting implications for programming and the public interest have been the focus of considerable debate. This study investigated perceptions of issues related to current policy, perceptions of the effectiveness of television in meeting informational needs, and whether perceptions have changed since deregulation. Significant differences were found between pre‐ and post‐deregulation attitudes toward policy‐related issues and the quantity of commercials on television. Perceptions of the amount of news broadcast, coverage of local issues, and the extent to which programming meets local needs revealed no significant change since deregulation. The results revealed strong public support for the requirement that broadcasters cover more than one side of controversial issues.     

Human information behavior during the Covid-19 health crisis. A literature review

The research carried out on human information behavior (HIB) during the Covid-19 health crisis was reviewed, with the premise that HIB and information practices allow humans to adapt to the changing circumstances of existence. A literature search was run on the LISTA and Google Scholar databases from middle March 2020 up to the end of March 2021. After filtering retrieved results, 52 studies were selected. Results are summarized into seven main themes, including the use of traditional and social media, infoveillance of search engines and social media activity, misinformation, disinformation and infodemics, and uncertainty and emotions. Results point to the need to carry out additional research in specific contexts and addressing vulnerable and marginalized groups. Further areas of inquiry include the interplay of emotions, knowledge and behaviors during the information seeking process, a better understanding of local knowledge and experiential knowledge, and the need to comprehend the limitations of ICT.     

A content analysis of local television newscasts: Answering the critics

Local television newscasts have been criticized for being too frivolous, but an analysis of San Diego stations indicates more newscast time is devoted to significant issues of the day than to anything else.     

The quiz program: A network television staple

The quiz program has received considerable comment in recent weeks, so this article by Patrick E. Welch is particularly appropriate at this time. The article is based upon a chapter in Mr. Welch's PhD. dissertation, “The Development of Audience Participation Programs on Radio and Television Networks Through the Season of 1956–57.”;     

The television news interview: A field study

The participant observation technique and interviews provide the methodology for observing the television news interview process. The author provides a critical analysis.     

Mental illness on television: A study of censorship

This study was part of a larger project directed by C. E. Osgood and J. C. Nunally of the University of Illinois, conducted under a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. It is especially interesting, not only because of the current controversy over television program control, but for the light it throws on the operation of the network departments charged with the censorship function.     

身份与路径的双重否定:"公共频道"对公共电视在华发展的影响

当下"公共频道"对于公共电视理念与实践在华发展的影响,体现在"合法性"身份与"技术-效率"路径两个方面:其一,"公共频道"自1998年在中国电视界出现,它的缘起和内涌便与公共电视大相径庭,但因其身份表达的模糊性及衍生出的覆盖性,可能影响到公共电视的"合法性"身份及其理念在中国的推广.其二,作为公共电视实践自节目层面的"虾米模式"向制度层面的"大鱼模式"演进之中间路径的频道层面"小鱼模式",其发展空间与资源在当下中国电视界也被大量追求"最大化原则"、使用同一呼号且变相进行市场化竞争的"公共频道"所占用.     

Intercultural crisis communication: examining the experiences of crisis sojourners

The concept of the sojourner has been studied in a variety of contexts, such as business, education, and international aid. However, there is as yet no communication research on the topic of the crisis sojourner. Consequently, the goal of this study was to explore experiences of crisis sojourners to determine what they perceive as effective and ineffective communication in intercultural settings. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 emergency responders who deploy internationally following events such as the earthquake in Haiti or the Fukushima meltdown. Results showed crisis sojourners from this population were aware of cultural differences and highly alert to the emotional and physical pain of those they were attempting to assist. Furthermore, they were cognizant of cultural norms and had a strong desire to respect local values. These results yield implications for individuals who work as crisis sojourners, and questions about the need for intercultural crisis communication education for those who face such situations routinely.     

Program audience duplication: A study of television inheritance effects

Inheritance effects, especially high levels of audience duplication between adjacent programs, are a widely observed but little understood feature of audience behavior. This study places inheritance effects within a theoretical model of television program choice that attributes the general phenomenon to underlying patterns of audience availability. The absolute level of audience duplication between adjacent programs broadcast on the same network is determined by the rating of each program, the structure of available program options, and similarities in program type.     

Reconceptualizing the role of habit: A new model of television audience activity

This paper explores the role played by habit in shaping audience behavior through an analysis of Nielsen audience data. Through the use of a structural equation model, comparisons, are made between individuals’ weekday and weekend viewing patterns to determine if similarities persist despite the structural and programmatic differences in those time periods. Results indicate that habit plays a significant role in viewing behavior.     

A discriminant analysis of television viewers and nonviewers

In 1993, only 0.8 percent of Brazilian households were connected to cable TV, even though 81 percent of all homes had at least one television set. In 1996, the number of cable households had climbed to almost 5 percent, an impressive growth, but still disappointing when compared to the average of 11 percent of cable households in Latin America. This examination of the problem will explore why cable TV's growth has been slow in Brazil.     

Sensemaking and crisis revisited: the failure of sensemaking during the Flint water crisis

ABSTRACT

This study operationalized Weick’s [(1988). Enacted sensemaking in crisis situations. Journal of Management Studies 25(4), 305–317 and (1993). The collapse of sensemaking in organizations: The Mann Gulch disaster. Administrative Science Quarterly, 38, 628–652] theory of enacted sensemaking to examine the communication processes associated with the Flint Water Crisis of 2014–2015. A content analysis of 389 emails and attachments from a total population of N?=?37,376 pages of publicly released e-mails and documents pertaining to Flint’s water issues, identified examples of failed sensemaking by government officials. These failures hastened and intensified a growing crisis of lead contamination and an outbreak of Legionnaires disease associated with Flint’s municipal water system. Analysis of email messages suggests that strong commitments by top leaders and limited capacity were important factors as were efforts to create and maintain consensus among officials. The Flint Water Crisis offers an important application of sensemaking theory and its utility for both organizational and risk communication scholars and for practical application. The authors emphasize the importance of questioning previous assumptions and commitments, insuring that communication practitioners are involved in decisions, and avoiding over reliance on image repair as a strategic response.