Representations of Race in Television Commercials: A Content Analysis of Prime-Time Advertising

Given the paucity of contemporary examinations of racial/ethnic minority portrayals in television advertisements, this study analyzed the frequency, context, and quality of 2,3 15 speaking characters in a one-week sample of prime-time television commercials. Results reveal different patterns of portrayals when African American, Asian American, Latino, Native American, and White characters are featured in television advertisements. The implications of these images are examined from the perspective of social cognitive theory to provide insights into their possible impact on audience members' self-perceptions.     

Direct and Indirect Aggression on Prime-Time Network Television

This research uses disproportionate exemplar distributions in an attempt to create a spiral of silence effect for a controversial issue. No support is found for exemplars predictably causing a spiral of silence. There is mild evidence that perceived opinion can silence "public display expression." More importantly, opinion is found to predict speaking out, a phenomenon most likely associated with a cultural bias effect.     

Gender Roles on Prime-Time Network Television: Demographics and Behaviors

This study provides an update of gender demographics and behaviors on network prime-time television. While some inequities were found to persist, continued progress seemed to be the norm. Males were found still more physically aggressive, but females more verbally aggressive, especially in comedies-a condition consistent with recent commentary. Also notable was the discrepancy behind the camera, where males predominate and which was found related to on-camera demographics.     

Television Doctors: An Analysis of Physicians in Fictional and Non-Fictional Television Programs

Although fictional television traditionally has portrayed doctors positively, recent fictional programming appears to portray physicians in a less positive manner. It has also been suggested that these images may conflict with depictions of doctors found on non-fictional television. A content analysis conducted here indicates that television's physician portrayals are less positive than they were in 1992, contemporary genres differ in their physician depictions, and television's doctor portrayals do not differ according to sex or race.     

Race and Ethnicity in local Television News: Framing,Story Assignments,and Source Selections

Because local television has become the primary source for news, this study examined race and ethnicity in news stories, story assignments, and source selections. A content analysis of local newscasts found Latinos, Asian Americans, and Native Americans were virtually invisible as anchors, reporters, and subjects in the news. Although African Americans anchored and reported the news in some markets, overall there was segregation in story assignments. Rarely were Latinos, Asian Americans, or Native Americans interviewed as news sources. African Americans were used as news sources more than other racial and ethnic groups when 2 or more people were interviewed.     

Network Revenues and African American Broadcast Television Programs

This article explores factors explaining program cast racial composition on television broadcast network programs. The roles of program type, cast composition, and viewer income on advertising revenue are examined. The analysis of the data yields several key findings. First, there is no bias against African Americans on the part of viewers or television networks when adjusting for viewer income and age. Second, African Americans have lower incomes and show a strong intensity of preference for programming featuring African American cast members. Therefore, despite the absence of bias, the advertiser-supported broadcast market likely produces less than the socially optimal amount of African American programming. This article provides policy recommendations to increase viewer benefits.     

The Portrayal of Race and Crime on Television Network News

A content analysis of television network news was conducted to assess the portrayal of race and criminal behavior. Findings revealed that Whites were more likely than African Americans to appear as perpetrators, victims, and officers. Both African Americans and Whites were more likely to appear as perpetrators than as victims and officers. African American and White law-breakers were represented in a way consistent with their perpetration rates. However, Whites were overrepresented while African Americans were underrepresented as victims of violent crime. Furthermore, Whites were over represented and African Americans were under-represented as police officers. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Extending the Television Brand: An Examination of Why Consumers Use Broadcast Network Web Sites

Framed by the technology acceptance and customer-based brand equity (CBBE) models, this study investigated how audiences intend to use broadcast television network Web sites. Drawing upon the results of a survey (N = 178), this research found that perceived ease of use and perceived enjoyment significantly influence intent to use broadcast Web sites. Findings also reveal that CBBE plays a significant role as a mediator between motivations and behavioral intention to use broadcast networks' Web sites. It is concluded that as the medium of television evolves, networks' Web sites should be conduits for sustained brand allegiance and broadcasters should make more strategic use of their Web sites.     

Watch Your Mouth! An Analysis of Profanity Uttered by Children on Prime-Time Television

This study examines the frequency and types of offensive language spoken on prime-time television in 2001, particularly on programs rated acceptable for children and teenagers, and the use of profane language by characters under the age of 21. The findings are compared to similar studies conducted in 1990, 1994, and 1997 to determine whether the use of profanity by child and young adult characters has increased over an 11-year period. Age and content warnings inadequately protect children from profanity. TV-PG programs contain as much off-color language as TV-14 programs, and more coarse language could be found in programs not given an L warning. Further, the earliest hour of prime time, when children are more likely to be viewing, contains significantly more instances of profanity than the time period of 10 to 11 p.m. However, characters under the age of 21 rarely utter profane words, and they are just as infrequently spoken to with such language.     

会诊中国电视--关于中国电视现状及问题的对话

20 0 3年中国电视经历了若干新的探索 ,业界和学界都以“创新”的追求不断推出许多新概念、新名词、新思路、新办法……在这些近乎“轰炸”般的新说法、新做法背后 ,却实实在在地、不可忽略地遮掩着不少新问题、老问题。之所以想推“新” ,除了时代与传媒发展不可阻挡的大势所趋 ,也的确因为这些诸多“问题”困惑着电视人 ,我们认为 ,只有好好对这些问题作一“会诊” ,才可能找到这些问题的“症结” ,才可能进一步对症下药 ,找到解决的路径。为此 ,本刊副主编胡智锋教授与凤凰卫视中文台副台长刘春先生专就中国电视现状及问题作了一番对话 ,希望能引起大家进一步的讨论和探求     

The Bishop and the Gargoyle: A Study of Network-Produced Prime-Time Church-Set Dramatic Old-Time Radio Programs

This research examines dramatic old-time radio programs produced by the networks to identify prime-time shows that focused regularly and principally on ecclesiastics- people in service to the institutional church. Although many such programs appeared on prime-time broad- cast television, this study reveals that only one such program aired in the history of prime-time radio. The article draws a profile of this program, The Bishop and the Gargoyle, looking at how it represents ecclesiastics. The aim is to contribute to an understanding of how popular culture represents the institutional church and its leaders, here adding a review of radio to the existing literature that looks at the church's representation in television and movies. The study also considers why church-set network-produced prime-time programs were so scarce in old-time radio.     

网络社交现状及对现实人际交往的影响研究

通过问卷调查法研究网络社交对现实人际交往的影响。首先,对网络社交现状进行描述性统计,从交往范围、交往方式、交往动机等角度进行分析;其次,利用量表详细分析网络社交动机,并根据被访者人口统计变量分析其影响因素;再次,在此基础上总结网络社交的特征;最后,根据实验数据分析网络社交对现实生活人际交往的影响。     

Media Portrayals of Romantic Relationship Maintenance: A Content Analysis of Relational Maintenance Behaviors on Prime-Time Television

Maintenance behaviors play an important role in sustaining relational states, especially within committed romantic relationships. Limited research, however, has considered media portrayals of these behaviors. From the framework of social cognitive theory, this content analysis examined relational maintenance behaviors portrayed by committed romantic couples (heterosexual, gay, and lesbian) on prime-time network television. The frequency of maintenance behaviors (positivity, understanding, self-disclosure, assurances, relationships talks, tasks, and networks) varied by type, valence, program genre, and couple type (married/civil union or cohabitating). Results indicated that comedies featured more frequent relationship maintenance behaviors than dramas. In addition, comedies exhibited more frequent negative maintenance behaviors than dramas. Differences also existed between couple regarding the types of maintenance behavior exhibited. No sex differences in maintenance behaviors were observed between male and female characters.     

Agenda-Setting Through the Television Programming Schedule: An Examination of Major League Baseball on Fox

The core concept of the agenda-setting theoretical model is the transfer of topic salience from the media agenda to the public agenda. Sports leagues need to have their games properly positioned in the television programming schedule to assist their transfer of salience effort and help maximize their national popularity. A sports television programming schedule can be improved with an understanding of the fundamental structural and individual factors that influence audience media exposure. This article contends that the Major League Baseball on Fox programming schedule can be improved through three suggestions: (1) increasing exposure by having more games on the Fox over-the-air broadcast channel that is available in approximately 32 million more households than the Fox Sports One cable channel; (2) having games at a consistent placement in the programming schedule to increase viewers’ awareness and enhance that program and channel being a part of their repertoire to capitalize on their initial ritualized viewing; and (3) allowing all Major League Baseball teams to appear more often on Fox and Fox Sports One, eliminating regionalized broadcasts, and implementing a flexible schedule to provide more meaningful game matchups to capitalize on the audience’s advanced degree of instrumental viewing.     

Television and Social Identity: Race Representation as "White" Accommodation

The influence of race representation on White viewers' feelings, perceptions, and opinions is evaluated. Participants indicate more liking for Black as opposed to White commentators. Participants perceive the least similarity between a Black and a White commentator who disagree with each other, but great Similarity between a Black and a White commentator who agree with each other. Results are discussed with respect to aversive or enlightened racism and the accommodation of White identity.     

An Exploratory Study of Factors Influencing Audience's Attitudes Toward Imported Television Programs in Taiwan

The diffusion of international television programs has been an important area of international communication research. In this article, we use theoretical constructs from country-of-origin and cultural proximity literatures and develop a model to explain audience's attitudes toward and willingness to watch imported television programs from China. Our study used a questionnaire survey method to collect data from 553 respondents in Taiwan. We examined television programs imported from China, a country that has tried to invade Taiwan to destroy its democracy in the past decades. Regression analyses found that, whereas cultural proximity was an important predictor, animosity turned out to be a more powerful predictor of Taiwanese audience's attitudes toward television programs from China. The results also demonstrated that if the Taiwanese audience perceived China as holding less animosity and more cultural proximity, they had more positive attitudes and were more willing to watch television programs imported from China.     

Race and Gender: An Analysis of the Sources and Reporters in Local Television Coverage of the 2002 Michigan Gubernatorial Campaign

This study examined how race and gender of reporters and community diversity influenced use of women and minority sources in local television coverage of the 2002 governor's race in Michigan. Content analysis of campaign stories broadcasted by four local television stations revealed that women reporters were more likely than their male colleagues to use women and nonpartisan sources such as experts and ordinary citizens. But minority journalists were only slightly more likely to use minority sources and were less likely than nonminorities to use nonpartisan sources.     

娱乐节目与快乐哲学——韩国电视娱乐节目分析

本文通过对韩国电视娱乐节目的分析,探讨娱乐节目在韩国公共文化生活中的意义。韩国娱乐节目以快乐主义为价值取向,以娱乐为本位,显示了后现代文化的某些美学旨趣。作为在传播中生产的文本形式,娱乐节目的价值应置于传播情景中理解。