Promoting prime‐time programs in megasporting events

Analysis of 677 promos for prime‐time series carried within 1993 and 1994 sporting events on the major broadcast networks showed that most on‐air promotion had a modest impact on program shares and ratings: about one‐third of shares went up, over one‐half stayed flat, and less than 10% went down. A six‐part model incorporating lead‐in shares/rating, three structural factors, and two presentational factors collectively accounted for about one‐third of the variance in promoted prime‐time series’ shares and ratings.     

The impact of structural salience within on‐air promotion

To determine what maximizes the effectiveness of on‐air promotions, as measured by ratings/share changes, this study tested a seven‐part model focusing on the structural salience of network prime‐time promos carried within other prime‐time programs. The results of analysis of more than 5,000 promos carried within 656 videotaped prime‐time hours provided consistent support for the salience model. Results showed significant changes in industry promotional practices over time and significant differences by network, genre, and the familiarity of the program to audiences. Although lead‐in ratings remained the dominant force impacting ratings for series programs (but not sporting events, movies, or specials), promotional salience variables contributed significantly to improved ratings, especially for mid‐rated continuing programs.     

How Promotional Content Changes Ratings: The Impact of Appeals, Humor, and Presentation

This study assessed the impact of content--as opposed to structural--factors on television program ratings, seeking to locate clusters of components that would identify effective on-air promotion and allocate content a better-defined place within theoretic models of media priming. Stepwise multiple regression analyses of 1,547 on-air promos for 155 prime-time programs demonstrated that 5-9% of ratings variance was accounted for by content appeals, humor, and presentation in promos for comedy programs. The influence of content variables was greater for familiar than unfamiliar comedies, and humor and presentation in promos contributed to variance in ratings for mid-rated but not high- or low-rated comedies.     

How Promotional Content Changes Ratings: The Impact of Appeals,Humor, and Presentation

This study assessed the impact of content--as opposed to structural--factors on television program ratings, seeking to locate clusters of components that would identify effective on-air promotion and allocate content a better-defined place within theoretic models of media priming. Stepwise multiple regression analyses of 1,547 on-air promos for 155 prime-time programs demonstrated that 5-9% of ratings variance was accounted for by content appeals, humor, and presentation in promos for comedy programs. The influence of content variables was greater for familiar than unfamiliar comedies, and humor and presentation in promos contributed to variance in ratings for mid-rated but not high- or low-rated comedies.     

Promoting Movies on Television

Although many factors affecting a movie's success lie outside a television network's control, on-air promotion is produced by the network and can be utilized to varying degrees of effectiveness. This study measured the impact of 10 promotional variables on broadcast movie ratings by analyzing 813 prime-time promos for 137 televised movies. Results showed how the effectiveness of promotion differed according to a movie's familiarity, popularity, and compatibility. The ratings for made-for-television movies were most affected by the promotion's audience reach, frequency of exposure, and close distance in time to movie airdates; in contrast, theatrical movies aired on television were more affected by promotional reach and the construction of the promotional spot. The findings supported the general salience model of on-air program promotion but also demonstrated that the factors affecting television movie promotion differ markedly from those affecting dramatic and comedy series promotion.     

Media Life

This analysis of 4,469 promotions carried in on-air promos during prime-time and weekend sports television programs established the impact on prime-time ratings of frequency of promotion, distance, construction, and length. The analysis also examines the impact of these promotion variables for programs of different genres, targeted to different genders and ages, and with different degrees of familiarity. Whether the promotion aired in weekend sports or inside prime-time made little difference to the overall results, but notable differences emerged for programs of different genres, familiarity, and audience demographics. The findings apply to industry practices and contribute to refining salience theory.     

The influence of clothing on perceptions of infant sex roles

This paper reports an evaluation of presentation skills training for participants from manufacturing, service, production, and research organizations using a repeated‐measures quasi‐experimental comparison‐group design. In addition to posttest assessments of participants’ reactions and learning, participants’ self reports of sixteen behavioral skills were assessed across three time periods. Similar analyses were employed to test for co‐workers’ ratings of program participants’ long‐term improvement. Statistical analyses of participants’ responses (controlling for the number of comparisons) revealed positive reactions to the training, improvement in learning, as well as short‐term behavioral change in eight of the sixteen skills taught. Long‐term change was found in seven of the dependent measures. On‐the‐job change was found in three skills. Taken together, improvement was found in all but two of the skills areas in the training. Analyses of co‐workers’ ratings of participants’ skills also revealed that trainees had improved on twelve of the sixteen presentation skills after the program.     

Integrating Assessment into Recurring Information Literacy Instruction

SUMMARY

Information literacy instruction is integrated into the distance education program in library and information science (LEEP) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). This article describes the LEEP program and the library services provided to its students. Published research on LEEP and related topics in librarianship is reviewed. Student evaluations of library instructional sessions have been gathered since 2002, shared with teaching faculty and administrators, and used to improve and promote information literacy instruction within LEEP. In the fall of 2005, the instructional model for LEEP was adapted to the on-campus environment. Preliminary analysis of the on-campus student evaluations suggests that modifications are needed to deliver an equivalent learning experience to all LIS students at UIUC, whether on-campus or off.     

图书馆“微媒体阅读推广”实践与探索——以沈阳师范大学图书馆为例

[目的/意义] 微媒体时代,高校图书馆的阅读推广工作面临新的机遇和挑战。如何将微媒体平台与阅读推广有效融合,打造阅读推广微空间,成为高校图书馆共同面对的新命题。[方法/过程] 基于对微媒体阅读推广相关概念、特征、构成要素及发展现状的梳理,结合沈阳师范大学图书馆以及其他高校图书馆的微媒体阅读推广实践,探讨高校图书馆微媒体阅读推广的可持续发展策略。[结果/结论] 高校图书馆的微媒体阅读推广要突破藩篱,聚焦微平台、微内容、微互动和微服务,坚持分众化推广策略,开展互动式阅读推广,提出从空间、内容、用户、功能四大维度构建微媒体阅读推广矩阵,构筑和健全校园阅读生态圈。     

美国社区图书馆的婴幼儿童(0-5岁)阅读服务设计研究--以“1000 books before kindergarten”为例

美国的社区图书馆在本地居民的日常生活中扮演着不可或缺的角色,在儿童早期阅读服务方面的研究与实践也一直走在国际前列。本文基于作者在美期间的访学见闻,探讨了美国社区图书馆的角色定位和儿童服务特色,并从服务设计的角度出发,以全美社区图书馆推行的"1000 books before kindergarten"计划为例研究这项婴幼儿童阅读推广计划的产生背景、服务流程、服务蓝图及经验启示,为我国社区图书馆的儿童早期阅读服务建设提供一定的借鉴和参考。     

Promotion: An Intractable Management Problem for Academic and Public Libraries

Abstract

The lack of opportunities for promotion within libraries may be an important reason for job dissatisfaction and lowered morale. This column examines reasons why librarians wish to be promoted, the two paths for promotion, a short history of promotion since 1945, how promotions occur, why promotion is a challenge for management, and some suggestions to alleviate the problem. The corporate promotion model requires moving into a position with increased responsibilities and is often the only model in public libraries. The academic promotion model also offers the possibility of promotion for increased performance of the same duties, usually according to more formal rules. A blocked path for promotion can lead to leaving the library for opportunities elsewhere or create morale problems. Library managers can take some steps to increase promotion opportunities and sustain morale. The concluding section briefly argues the opposing viewpoint that the current state of promotion may benefit the profession as a whole if not some individual librarians.     

Determinants of repeat viewing to prime‐time public television programming

This study explores the relationship between several structural level variables and repeat viewing of prime‐time public television programming. A strong positive correlation was found between audience ratings and repeat viewing. Analyses of variance were performed on repeat viewing using program scheduling, presence/absence of continuing dramatic story line, and household cable status, and significant effects for repeat viewing occurred for all. A regression model utilizing these variables accounted for a moderate degree of variance in repeat viewing.     

Textual (im)possibilities in the U.S. post‐network era: negotiating production and promotion processes on lifetime's any day now

This essay explores the struggles experienced in the creation, production, and promotion of a U.S. television series that deliberately sought to encourage cultural reflection about ethnic diversity and defied industrial norms as an original narrative program produced for a cable network. Any Day Now (1998–2002) was the first successful original series produced for the Lifetime Television network and was one of the first successful original cable series. Through an analysis of the production process, interviews with the creators and writers of the series, and examination of the series' promotion, this essay explores how the transition to a post‐network era of industrial organization and competitive practice affected the production and promotion of the series and its narratives. These findings are informative both in terms of the specific case and as they might be extrapolated as characteristic of the development of the post‐network era.     

Structural determinants of the television news audience

This study examined the impact that program scheduling and market characteristics had on people's exposure to the early evening local news. Three factors combined to explain 81% of the variation in local news ratings across the U.S.: a station's network news rating, the lead‐in rating for the local news, and the size of the available television audience. We discussed how such structural factors might be better integrated into research and theory that emphasize individual characteristics as determinants of exposure to television programming.     

"一城一书"阅读推广活动的考察分析

"一城一书"是一类阅读推广活动的统称,起源于美国,倡导在一个城市中的每个人都阅读和讨论同一本书,后被众多国家的城市和地区成功复制。对"一城一书"活动进行全面考察和剖析,有助于探讨具体阅读推广活动的开展过程,从而为探索新的阅读推广模式提供借鉴。     

Does Synergy Work? An Examination of Cross-Promotion Effects

This experimental study was designed to examine the effectiveness of cross-media program promotion. The results showed that the employment of coordinated television and print program promotions led to higher attention from audiences, improved message recall, higher perceived message credibility, more positive attitudes toward the promotion, more positive attitudes toward the program, and greater viewing intent compared to using repetitive single-source promotions. By incorporating cognitive variables such as attention, memory, and attitudes, this study bridges a gap in the existing literature on broadcast promotion and has the potential to aid networks, media practitioners, and academic researchers to a better understanding of cross-media promotion effects.     

Media Literacy Messages and Hostile Media Perceptions: Processing of Nonpartisan Versus Partisan Political Information

Partisans are poor judges of news content, rating neutral content as biased against their views (the hostile media perception) and forgiving biased content when it favors their side. This study tests whether a short news media literacy public service announcement (PSA) appearing before political programming can influence credibility and hostility ratings of the program and program host. Our findings suggest that a media literacy PSA can be effective, but its impact depends on the position of the news program and on the political ideology of the viewers. In this case, the media literacy PSA only influenced conservatives’ evaluations of the political program, improving perceptions of a neutral or congruent (conservative) host while further depressing ratings of an incongruent (liberal) host. Liberals’ evaluations of the program were unaffected by the PSA. Implications for media literacy messaging and information processing are discussed.     

The status and future of audience duplication research: An assessment of ratings‐based theories of audience behavior

Audience duplication is recognized as a major component of program choice models and a fundamental aspect in understanding television viewing patterns. This study evaluates the utility of a specific set of ratings‐based audience theories developed over the past 25 years, and critiques their future relevance in an increasingly dynamic, complex media environment. An integrated model of audience duplication is presented as a way to assess the ability of current structural theories to explain audience behavior in the future. Recommendations are given for the direction of this research.     

Teacher behavior, student interest and affective learning: putting theory to practice

Students of Project Adapt (PA), an instructional program for at-risk middle school students in Brooklyn NY, have displayed startling improvement on cognitive outcome measures. Teacher given grades and standardized tests illuminate the progress students have made since entering the program. The current investigation attempts to analyze PA on students' affective responses in a pre/post-test experimental design. Upon entering PA, students completed measures of interest, affect, and their previous teachers' behavior (pre). These ratings were then compared to end of year ratings on the same instruments (post). Results indicate students' perceive PA teachers utilizing different behaviors than their previous teachers. Additionally, student affect and interest increased significantly. Results of this study have implications for both instructional researchers and educational practitioners.     

Daytime television talk shows: Guests,content and interactions

Strident controversy over the often‐bizarre subject matter of daytime television talk shows motivated this content analysis of 11 shows with the highest Nielsen ratings in 1994–95. A sample of 10 episodes of each of the shows was videotaped and subjected to a systematic analysis of the shows’ guests, topics of discussion and interactions. Results indicate that this genre of program indulges in overrepresentation of female, youthful and African American guests. The most prevalent major topic of discussion was parenting on nearly half the episodes. In general, these talk shows center around family issues, sexual activity and dating.