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In 1966, Joan Ganz Cooney was a documentary producer at Channel 13 when Lloyd Morrisett, then Vice President at the Carnegie Corporation of New York, offered her an opportunity that would change the landscape of children's media forever. The Carnegie Corporation provided funding for a three-month study during which Joan traveled the country to interview early learning experts and children's television producers and filmmakers. Her report, "The Potential Uses of Television for Preschool Education," became the blueprint for "Sesame Street" and Children's Television Workshop, and today it drives our efforts at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, a research and innovation lab she founded in 2007. We are grateful to Joan and Lloyd for their vision and leadership. We are pleased to share Joan Ganz Cooney's original, unedited report and hope you will find both food for thought and inspiration within these pages. [For the original report, see ED122803.]

In 2003, the National Literacy Trust commissioned Dr. Robin Close to conduct a literature review of published research in order to understand more fully the relationship between television viewing in the early years and language and literacy development. A priority of the National Literacy Trust is to understand the relationship between language development in children from birth to age three and later literacy development. As television is a central feature of modern western culture, the Trust wished to understand the effects of television viewing on children's language development and wider literacy. The literature review was intended to provide informational support for the Trust's Talk To Your Baby campaign. The review, however, was to be based on an objective assessment of available research evidence and not on any prior agenda of the organisation. The review is written in the format of a report rather than an academic review to provide useful information for professionals concerned with understanding issues surrounding television use by infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers in a critical period of their language development. This literature review investigates the relationship between television and language development in children from birth to age five. The aim of the review is to summarise international research pertaining to television and early language and identify the effects of high exposure (quantity of viewing) to television. It also considers caregiver roles in realising potential benefits or mitigating negative effects of television viewing.

This report focuses on key questions concerning the relationship of television to learning, and provides examples drawn from current television research to demonstrate television's positive effect on student achievement. A set of practical recommendations are also provided so that broadcasters and educators can maximize the effectiveness of video in the classroom. This document is organized in the following sections: (1) Executive Summary; (2) Report Rationale; (3) A Brief Overview of the History of TV Research; (4) Watching Television; (5) Learning from TV; (6) Classroom Uses of Video and Television; (7) Using Classroom Television to Support Specific Academic Disciplines; (8) Teaching with Television; (9) Helping Teachers Teach with Television; and (9) Looking Ahead.

The Federal Communications Commission is currently considering modifying or eliminating existing media ownership rules. Children's advocates are concerned that any changes to these rules could negatively affect the already limited amount and types of programming available for children. Children Now conducted the first study to examine the availability and diversity of children programming in an increasingly consolidated media marketplace. Los Angeles was selected as a case study for this research because it is the second largest media market in the country, and two duopolies now exist among its television stations. The study compared the children's programming schedules from 1998, when the market's seven major commercial broadcast television stations were owned by seven different companies, to 2003, after consolidation reduced the number to five. The findings suggest that changes to the current ownership policies will have a serious impact on the availability and diversity of children's programming. Overall, the research shows there are fewer children's series, fewer broadcast hours, and an increase in repurposed (aired on more than one channel) programs in Los Angeles today compared to 5 years ago. (Author)

This paper is an initial examination of prime time television's response to the events of September 11, 2001. Based on a review of the 2001-2002 television season's prime time programs, the study identifies 15 programs (out of 65 that ran the entire season) that incorporated September 11th elements. Themes of these programs are discussed as are the strategies for inclusion of episodes adopted by show producers and writers of dramatic shows for educational purposes. The paper notes that the study's findings recorded a clear and significant response by the entertainment television community. (Contains 2 tables and 37 references.) (Author/BT)

Television is an integral part of American culture, and has the ability to play a major role in shaping belief systems, particularly for the youngest and most impressionable viewers. This study is the third annual study of diversity of characters in prime time television programming. The study examined the first two episodes of each prime time entertainment series airing on the six broadcast networks. The findings indicate that despite ongoing emphasis, encouragement, and pressure on the part of media advocates, civil rights groups, government officials, and even some entertainment industry leaders, the networks have yet to produce a prime time season that is representative of the diversity that young people experience and will undoubtedly continue to experience as maturing adults. Among the major findings are the following: (1) family structures are more obvious for white youth than for youth of color; (2) a majority of white youth were shown interacting with their parents but only a fourth of Latino youth were shown doing the same; (3) African American families served exclusively as the focus of situation comedies; (4) marital and parental status was more easily identifiable for women than men; (5) gay and lesbian characters are increasingly visible, with white males playing the majority roles; (6) disabled characters are increasingly visible, also with white males playing the majority of roles; (7) positions such as service workers, unskilled laborers, and criminals were played only by persons of color; and (8) whites and Asian/Pacific Islanders were portrayed more often as professionals; African American and Latino characters were more often portrayed as law enforcement; and Native Americans were typecast as spiritual advisors. (HTH)

Children Now is an independent children's advocacy group that promotes solutions to problems facing American children, with particular attention to the needs of those who are poor or at risk. The group provides policy expertise and up-to-date information on the status of children. Children Now's Children and the Media Program works to improve the quality of news and entertainment media both for children and about children's issues, paying particular attention to media images of race, class, and gender. The Media Program commissioned this report, recognizing the local news media's vital influence on social and political progress regarding children. The report analyzes how local news broadcasts across the country cover children and children's issues. A month of locally produced evening news programs on the three major networks in six cities--Atlanta, Boston, Des Moines, Los Angeles, New York and Seattle--constitutes the data. Data are analyzed in three sections concerning children in the news: frequency and story style; content; and convergence of race and ethnicity. Findings indicate that children receive scant attention in local news stories, accounting for only 10 percent of all news stories. When children are covered, crime receives the most coverage--almost half of the total, followed by health, lifestyle issues, education, and politics and economics. Few stories focus on public policy issues. Children in these news stories are most likely to be depicted as victims. Youth of color account for slightly more than one third of news stories about children; most of these involve African American children. Latino and African American children are somewhat more likely to be placed in the context of explicit violence. The report recommends greater breadth and balance in news media's coverage of children and children's issues in order to improve children's self images and assist policymakers, community members, and the public making informed decisions for children's well-being. (JPB)

This paper provides an overview of the impact of television on young children, with a special emphasis on the relationship among TV, childhood, and violence, and on developmentally appropriate television. Further, the paper provides strategies for parents and early childhood educators to use in taking control of the television. The paper is premised on the following ideas: (1) parents are the real experts on their own children; (2) all children and all families are different; (3) families have different ways of using television; (4) television is not wholly bad--there are both good and bad aspects to television; (5) television influences children--the more they watch, the bigger the influence; (6) talking and thinking about television helps reduce its impact; and (7) early childhood educators can play an important role in helping children think and talk about television. The paper discusses how early childhood educators, in assessing the impact of television on young children's behavior, should consider TV programs in the context of developmental appropriateness. (EV)

Although numerous research studies have shown that viewing educational television results in significant gains in preschool and school-age children's academic knowledge or skills, there is less consistent evidence regarding transfer of learning, the application of knowledge or skills learned in one context to a new problem or situation. This paper is a first attempt to provide a theoretical basis for transfer from educational television and to describe factors that can be built into educational television programs to maximize the possibility of transfer. The paper takes several factors that are common across many existing theories of transfer and applies them to the context of educational television. In addition, the paper draws upon the literature on children's learning from educational television and on the capacity model, which describes some of the processing underlying comprehension of educational content on television. Three factors viewed as critical to transfer of learning are examined: (1) the viewer's initial learning or comprehension; (2) the nature of the viewer's mental representation of the content; and (3) the transfer situation, the novel problem to which the content is subsequently applied. The paper concludes by asserting that the likelihood with which transfer will occur is a function of the characteristics of the viewer (such as developmental differences in metacognition and ability to draw inferences), the program (such as the distance between the narrative and educational content), and the transfer situation (including the relationship between the narrative and the underlying educational context). It is noted that although many unanswered questions remain, this paper provides a starting point for discussion and research. (Contains 55 references.) (KB)

The impact of the Children's Television Act, which requires broadcasters to provide educational and informational programs for children, was examined by having 141 second through sixth graders watch 16 popular and unpopular television programs and then assess the motivational appeal of, and children's learning from, these programs. Popular and unpopular prosocial and academic programs broadcast by the four major commercial networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox) were compared to comparable programs broadcast by PBS and Nickelodeon. Younger children and girls liked educational and informational programs more than older children and boys did. Popular programs were liked better than unpopular ones. Older children understood program content better than did younger children, particularly those programs that focused on academic content. Popular programs, prosocial programs, and network programs also tended to be better understood. Findings suggest beneficial effects of commercial educational and informational television programs for children, thereby affirming the beneficial effects of governmental policies that are designed to improve the quality of children's television programs for the nation's youth. (Contains 2 tables and 26 references.) (NKA)

Children understand that media grant recognition and respect to racial groups that are positively portrayed. Approximately half of the programs in the 1999-2000 broadcast prime time entertainment programming exhibited some diversity in their opening credits casts. This study examined the nature of the portrayals of diversity. The study examined 10 "mixed" programs (character set included a mix of racial and ethnic characters) and 10 "only one" programs (all characters but one in program character set belong to the same racial group). Two additional programs with predominantly African American casts were selected for comparison. The first three episodes were recorded for each program and coded. Among the major findings are the following: (1) African American characters overall were more likely to be integral to primary storylines in situation comedies than in dramas; (2) Asian Pacific American characters were seen the least frequently; (3) the few Latino characters were more often integral to secondary dramatic storylines than to primary ones; (4) characters of different races frequently interacted professionally, sometimes socially, rarely romantically; (5) many shows adopted a colorblind approach to interracial interactions, with the exception to colorblind portrayals being racial humor and stereotyping by characters of one race toward characters of another; (6) much of the racial humor and stereotyping targeted Asian Pacific Americans and Latinos; (7) characters of color tended to be shown at work/school or home, whereas white characters were shown in both environments; (8) nonwhite characters, particularly African Americans, were likely to be portrayed as successful, good, and competent, whereas white characters were more likely than nonwhite to be shown as unsuccessful, bad, or incompetent; and (9) programs featured many African American characters that could be positive role models for viewers. (KB)

This study involved a content analysis of 25 episodes of "Barney and Friends," a popular children's television series by the Public Broadcasting System (PBS). The study examined the literacy elements of "Barney and Friends" through the perspectives of emergent literacy theories. The purposes of the study were: (1) to find out what opportunities for literacy learning are offered by "Barney and Friends"; and (2) to evaluate how literacy messages conveyed by the show reflect current understanding of the process of becoming literate. Four dimensions of the show were examined as part of the content analysis: physical setting, reading activities, writing activities, and listening and speaking activities. Findings showed that, in general, "Barney and Friends" provided children with rich literacy learning experiences. In particular, the show provided children many listening and speaking opportunities, such as storytelling, dramatization, and singing along to nursery rhymes. The study suggests that the show would benefit from more reading aloud, writing activities, and attention to environmental prints displayed during an episode. (Contains 13 references.) (EV)

Sports programming plays a significant role in the media messages that American boys receive today. To explore the messages that sports programming presents to its audience, this report relates the findings of a study that analyzed a representative selection of sports programs and their accompanying commercials; also presented are findings from a national poll of 1,200 children ages 10-17 and 2 focus groups of boys. Part 1 of the report, "Analyzing Sports Programming," discusses aggression, violence, and injuries as well as sports, race, and gender. Key findings include: (1) aggression and violence among men is depicted as exciting and rewarding behavior; (2) athletes who play with pain are often portrayed as heroes; (3) games are often promoted by creating or inflating conflict between two star athletes; (4) white males dominate the world of sports commentary; (5) while there were few overtly racist images or comments, sports programs occasionally reinforce racial stereotypes; and (6) women are largely absent from the sports programs that boys watch, and when they do appear, they are portrayed in stereotypical ways. Part 2 of the report, "Analyzing Commercials in Sports Programming," discusses products and commercial sponsorships and tie-ins. Key findings include: (1) the primary products advertised are automobiles, shows on the same network, and snacks or fast food; (2) while male athletes of color play prominent roles in sports programming, people of color in general are underrepresented in the commercials; (3) women often appear in stereotypical or background roles in commercials; and (4) traditionally masculine images of speed, danger, and aggression are often used in the sports programming commercials. (LPP)

Boys are especially active users of media, and researchers have suggested that the cumulative impact of media, such as television, movies, and music videos, may make them some of the most influential forces in boys' lives. This report presents the findings of a national poll of 1,200 young people (ages 10 to 17) and focus groups in which boys offered their own insights into the media. Sections include: (1) "Media That Boys Consume"; (2) "Sex and Violence"; (3) "Attributes of Male Characters"; (4) "Emotions, Sensitivity, and Vulnerability"; (5) "Problems and Solutions"; and (7) "Real Life Men vs. TV Portrayals." The report lists key findings from the poll, including the following: (1) children see men on television as leaders and problem solvers, funny, successful, confident, athletic, and focused on the opposite sex; (2) male characters in the media rarely cry; (3) one in five male characters employs some form of physical aggression to solve problems; (4) over one-third of children say that they never see television males performing domestic chores such as cooking and cleaning; (5) male characters of color are more likely to focus on solving problems involving family, personal, romantic, or friendship issues, while white male characters are consistently motivated by succeeding in work, preventing and managing disaster, and pleasing nonromantic others; and (6) across race and gender, the majority of children believe that the boys and men they see on television are different from themselves, boys that they know, their fathers, and other adult male relatives. (LPP)

Since 1996, the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) has tracked and reported the availability and the quality of programming specifically designed for children. This report evaluates the availability and quality of children's programming in the 1998-99 season and examines factors that may have influenced the quality and quantity of programming. The first part reviews a decade of significant changes in children's television and the influence of those changes on the current state of programming, including the regulatory environment, economic environment, industry structure, and internal constraints. An analysis of the current state of children's programming in the Philadelphia market is presented in the second part. Factors examined include venue, time, audience, educational content, character diversity, violence, language, sexual innuendo/provocative dress, and quality. The third part summarizes the findings and discusses the implications of this research for children's television in the next millennium. Appendices include a table of APPC high quality programs, intercoder reliability coefficients, programming venues, and an outline of programming features for children of different ages. (Contains 38 references and 38 endnotes.) (AEF)

News media hold significant power and responsibility in focusing public attention on child-related issues. This document summarizes a study of news coverage of children in national media in 1994 and reports on the follow-up conducted in 1998. The follow-up study was based on a sample of national news coverage collected throughout November 1998 from five major newspapers and three broadcast networks. Part 1 of the followup study replicated and updated the 1994 study. Part 2 added an additional month over-sample to determine whether the coverage contained a primary focus on minority children. The findings of the 1994 study led to the conclusion that although news coverage of children was substantial, it was not balanced. Among the key findings of the follow-up study were the following: (1) child-related newspaper stories increased 37 percent over 5 years while television coverage remained unchanged; (2) the proportion of child-related news stories involving crime/violence dropped considerably, the proportion involving cultural/health issues increased considerably, and family/economic issues continued to account for the smallest number of stories; (3) children's voices were twice as common on television news as in newspapers; (4) both media provided very little practical information for parents in child-related news stories; (6) about 20 percent of stories addressed public policy concerns, down slightly from 1993; (7) children of color received little coverage, with African-Americans receiving more coverage than all others combined; and (8) stories about children of color focused on education more than crime/violence. (KB)

This pamphlet presents the results of a series of focus groups comprised of Native American children and adolescents regarding their perceptions of race and class in the media. The results indicated that although some youth were concerned most about the absence of their group in the media, others were primarily concerned about stereotyped portrayals. Many Native youth spoke first about problems apart form race, such as sex, violence, values, and the portrayal of youth in general. However, common themes relating to the minority experience appeared consistently in all the focus groups. First, on the rare occasions when Native youth saw their culture and race in the media, the portrayal was often an unflattering picture. Many youth stated that they do not necessarily look to the news for role models or reinforcement of their identity. Second, youth suggested more differences in news media treatment based on socioeconomic class rather than race as a definite divider. Third, Native youth often stated a preference for programming that would appeal to everyone, have a diverse racial cast, and reflect the realities of their lives. The report concludes that Native youth are concerned about media portrayals of race and class, note the absence of groups other than whites and African Americans, and believe that media can influence opinions and relationships. However, Native youth provided a unique perspective, and their critique covered issues such as fairness, violence, and opportunity as often as race or class. (KB)

Several current television series for preschool children convey stories, not through meaningful dialogue, but through visual information and intonational cues embedded within nonsensical dialogue. This study examined young children's ability to construct meaning from such materials. Participating were 135 preschoolers, 3 to 5 years old. Subjects viewed two 5-minute television segments about a family of chickens; approximately one-half of the sample viewed the segments with all dialogue spoken in nonsensical "chicken-talk," and one-half viewed it with key English words and phrases inserted among the "chicken-talk" dialogue. In addition, one segment was expected to be easier to understand because the central educational message (concerning cooperation) was primarily visual, while the other (telling the truth) was primarily verbal. After viewing each segment, the children were interviewed to assess their comprehension of the overall storyline, as well as the central messages embedded within the segment. The findings indicated that comprehension was significantly stronger among the older children and (across the age range) for the more visual story about cooperation. However, contrary to expectations from past literature, comprehension was not significantly enhanced by the inclusion of English words and phrases. Thus, it appears that preschool children can use visual information and intonational cues to construct meaning from televised narratives. (Contains 15 references.) (Author/KB)

This report discusses research commissioned by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in order to evaluate prototypes of digital public television programming. There were two phases of research, the first using exclusively linear demonstrations of interactive public television, and the second demonstrating computer simulations of three digital programs. The primary goal of the research was to formulate models for successful interactive public television using available linear and computer-based prototypes. Since these prototypes are designed to demonstrate potential interactive techniques and not to be aired as they are, this report concentrates more on the general findings from reactions to the clips rather than diagnosing weaknesses. Following an outline of key findings, detailed findings are discussed in terms of expectations for the future of television, attitudes toward public television as an interactive leader, general reactions to interactivity, and interface issues. Suggestions for developing models for interactive programming are offered. (AEF)

This report is a summary of a variety of educational services offered by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) supported television stations as reported in CPB's annual Station Activities Survey (1998). Highlights from the data include: 141 stations (80% of all CPB supported stations) provide educational services to elementary or secondary schools; the number of stations offering the "Ready to Learn" service on PBS increased by 77% from last year--this service now reaches over 52,000 schools; and half of all stations offer General Equivalency Degree (GED) programs, and 10% offer the program in Spanish, which impacts over 51,000 students. Five charts provide statistics, according to license type and budget size, on: grantees offering instructional programming to schools; number of school districts, buildings and teachers utilizing programming; grantees providing services to schools; and grantees offering GED programs. (Author/AEF)

Following a content analysis, 85 children's programs were assigned a pacing index derived from the following criteria: (1) frequency of camera cuts; (2) frequency of related scene changes; (3) frequency of unrelated scene changes; (4) frequency of auditory changes; (5) percentage of active motion; (6) percentage of active talking; and (7) percentage of active music. Results indicated significant differences in networks' pacing overall and in the individual criteria: the commercial networks present the bulk of the very rapidly paced programming (much of it in the form of cartoons), and those networks devoted primarily to educational programming--PBS and The Learning Channel--present very slow-paced programs. (Contains 26 references, and 12 tables and a figure of data.) (RS)

Although there is a considerable amount of research that has focused on the effects of viewing violent behavior, a substantial number of studies have given attention to the effects of portrayals of prosocial behavior. Researchers suggest that one purpose of prosocial television is to teach socially acceptable attitudes and behaviors, but the messages must be conveyed effectively or prosocial programs fail to achieve their goals. Modeling strategies that are based on social learning theory provide some of the most effective means of portraying valued behaviors. This paper focuses on the characteristics of three modeling strategies and identifies the circumstances under which each is most effective. The strategies include modeling only the prosocial behavior, creating and resolving conflict with prosocial behavior, and presenting conflict without resolution. The prosocial only model is the most effective strategy to convey a prosocial message as is evidenced by laboratory studies and therapeutic situations. The conflict resolution strategy can be effective in presenting prosocial messages if multiple models engage in the prosocial behavior, if the prosocial resolution is given adequate time and attention, and if viewing conditions are sufficient. Unresolved conflict is most effective in classroom settings and therapeutic situations where an adult can provide post-viewing discussion and activity. Contains 34 references. (Author/RS)

Media portrayals involving sexuality can contribute to the sexual socialization of young people. If television is an important source of information and potential influence about sex for young people, then obviously it is important to understand the nature and extent of sexual information that is being conveyed by television. This report contains findings from a study which represents an effort to overcome the limitations of previous content-based projects that have been relatively narrow in scope and modest in size, limiting the generalizability of the findings--this new study provides a complete and comprehensive examination of sexual messages found across the overall television environment. Following an introduction, the report is divided into these sections: Description of Methods; Presence of Sexual Messages; Types of Talk about Sex; Types of Sexual Behaviors; Messages Involving Sexual Risks or Responsibilities; Further Contextual Elements in Scenes with Sexual Intercourse; Comparing Patterns of Sexual Content across Program Genres; Sexual Messages Involving Teenagers; Sexual Messages in Prime-Time Network Programming; Sexual Messages in Children's Programming; and Summary and Conclusions. Contains 29 references. Appendix A contains a composite week sample, and Appendix B contains a broadcast network prime-time over-sample. Contains 29 references and 21 tables of data. A chart pack contains 6 data charts. (NKA)

Television includes a substantial amount of sexual content, and TV's sexual messages are clearly an important part of adolescent sexual socialization. At a time when the nation is facing a sexual health crisis among young people, special attention needs to be paid to those media depictions that could influence how young people develop their attitudes and beliefs about sex. A study examined the amount and nature of sexual messages on television today. Because "how" sex is shown on TV is as important as "how often" sex is shown, the study did not just count the number of sexual situations, but rather looked as well at the context in which sex is presented on television. Television programming of all genres (except sports, newscasts, and children's TV) was sampled during one week using content analysis techniques to measure and assess these messages, a total of 1351 programs across 10 channels were analyzed. Key findings are: of all shows with sexual content, just 9% include any mention of the possible risks or responsibilities of sexual activity, or any reference to contraception, or safer sex; more than half (56%) of all shows contain sexual content; more than two-thirds (67%) of 11 network prime time shows contain either talk about sex or sexual behavior; among all genres of television programming studied, more than half of shows contain sexual content; and of those instances of sexual intercourse either depicted or strongly implied, 73% were among adults over 25, 23% were among young adults ages 19-24, and 3% were among teens. (NKA)

This study investigated the effect of viewing professional wrestling programs on first grade boys' violent and aggressive behavior. Interviews were conducted, in focus groups of 4 children, with 16 students who watched wrestling 4-6 hours a week. The children indicated that they enjoyed watching professional wrestling and that after viewing, they felt like they wanted to wrestle someone. Results show a correlation between television violence and aggressive and violent behaviors in children. (JPB)

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) provided funding for local public television stations to broadcast political debates prior to the 1998 election; CPB commissioned research to determine how the programs aided viewers in the election process. Viewers of the public television station local debate night program found the program to be of value in helping them to become more informed voters, in learning more than they learned in other media, and in increasing their knowledge of the candidates and the issues. Four local areas were chosen for the project; a total of 397 viewers completed interviews. This report discusses responses to pre-viewing questions, viewing the debate, post-viewing comparisons, perceived value of viewing the debates, and change in voting preference. (AEF)

The 1998 Roper Youth Report is based on a nationwide cross-section of 1,189 children aged 6 to 17 years. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in the children's homes during April and May, 1998. Children who watch Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) are more likely to read, be active participants and share in family activities than non-viewers. PBS viewers and non-viewers watch the same amount of television. PBS is most popular among younger children (ages 6 and 7). Comparing the data from 1997 and 1998, Roper Youth Reports show that overall, this year slightly fewer kids and teenagers report reading a magazine (30% vs 34%), or non-school book (27% vs. 33%) in the survey week, while slightly higher proportions report using the Internet/World Wide Web (18% vs. 12%). PBS viewers are more likely to read non-school books than non-PBS viewers. Viewers tend to be more active in sports, to participate more in school activities and are also more likely to belong to groups outside of school. PBS viewers are more likely to spend time with their family than non-PBS viewers. Viewers' parents seem to have a strong influence on their childrens' personal choices and are important decision makers. Children who watch PBS also report more frequently that their families have stricter family rules. Online usage among children 8-17 is on the rise; children who watch PBS are more likely to use computers than non-viewers. They are also more likely to say they look forward to going to school. (AEF)

Currently all non-exempt television shows are given one of six "age-based" ratings, such as TV-14. The industry also agreed to add "content descriptors" to the age-based ratings in certain instances, letting parents know when some programs contain particular types of content such as violence, sex, or adult language. The ratings are designed to work in conjunction with the V-chip. A study, one of the largest analyses of television content ever conducted, explored how effectively the new TV rating system has been applied during its first year of operation. More than 2600 randomly selected television programs were examined across two television seasons. Key findings suggest that: (1) the age-based ratings for general audience shows (i.e., all except children's programs) are applied in a way that reasonably reflects the content of these shows; (2) however, content descriptors are not being used on the vast majority of general audience shows containing sex, violence, or adult language; and (3) children's programs also contain a significant amount of violence, most of which is indicated by an FV ("fantasy violence") content descriptor. Contains 6 figures of data. (NKA)

The V-chip is an electronic filtering device that parents can use to block the reception of sensitive or potentially harmful television programming they do not want their children to see. Given that the revised V-chip rating framework including content descriptors has been in effect for a full year, it becomes essential to examine how the array of rating options is being applied by the television industry. A study sought to evaluate the V-chip system's effectiveness at identifying violent, sexual, or language content that may pose a concern for parents or a risk for children, examining the television industry's program rating judgments since the advent of the V-chip rating system in 1997, with special emphasis on the use of the newer rating system introduced in October 1997. The PBS network is not included in the study. Based on an elaborate sample of programming that includes more than 2600 shows sampled over two years, the extent to which various rating categories have been used was explored. To assess the fit of each program's rating with its actual content, scientific content analysis procedures were performed on the shows sampled in 1998. These content-based findings were then employed to evaluate the precision of the rating system and the consistency of the rating system. Findings provide solid support for the conclusion that, in general, the age-based ratings are being applied in a way that reasonably reflects the content of these shows. Contains 45 references and extensive tables of data. Appendixes contain two composite week samples, two broadcast network prime time over-samples, and TV ratings guidelines. (NKA)

The public receives a large percentage of its information about mental health issues from media sources. Research has shown that the portrayal of occupational roles is often distorted and unrealistic. Cultivation theory predicts that television's version of reality helps influence or "cultivate" viewers' beliefs about the world. This cultivation might influence a person's expectations or behavior during an encounter with these professionals, or even influence viewers' decisions to consult these professionals when in need of service. Research for this paper employed mixed methods to explore how mental health professionals are portrayed on television. Analysis of characters involved a random sample across all genres of programming. Trained coders (n=9) identified 10 out of 1,844 speaking characters as mental health professionals. Descriptive statistics are reported on the characters. A content analysis by type of programming is presented and discussed. Exploratory analysis examining the portrayal of mental health professionals on prime-time television indicates that portrayals can not be classified by tone in a single category; however tone appears to be consistent within certain programming genres. Future survey research is planned. Contains 15 references. (EMK)

This study analyzes Israeli students' memories of television in the context of family life, and considers culture and systems as well. The study was geared toward broadening the understanding of individuals' perceptions of the role of television in the family, as well as gaining insight into the collective story or stories of life with television in Israel. Forty-three Israeli university students were asked to write about their personal histories and experiences of and with television; similar autobiographies by American students from a study in the late 1980s were used for comparison. The analysis of the autobiographies covered the categories of television use, interaction, play and imitation, cognition, emotions, consumer behavior, and national identity/world knowledge. The analysis showed that most respondents had pleasant memories of watching the children's programs on ITV, remembered the introduction of color television, and grew up in families that did not limit viewing, except perhaps for homework time. Many remembered television as a tool for bringing the family together; the introduction of cable was seen to cause disagreements over what to watch. Many students reported a feeling of nostalgia for earlier days when the family watched together, and many expressed a kind of fear of the new television environment for children. Some wrote about the importance of the medium during times of crisis. Television seemed to become less important to students as they pursued university studies and developed critical attitudes toward it. Respondents from non-majority groups--for example, Israeli Arabs--reported somewhat different experiences with the medium. (Contains 10 references.) (EV)

In 1997, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting commissioned Market Facts to conduct a survey of Americans' views of commercial activities by public television and public radio stations. The general objectives were to get an up-to-date reading of perceptions and attitudes among the general population and among groups of special interest defined by their viewing, listening, or contributing patterns, and to determine what changes have occurred since the 1995 survey. This report presents an overview of results indicating that: viewers and listeners are largely acceptant of the amount of commercial activity engaged in by public broadcasting, and contributors are even more so; the public generally approves of proposals to sell extra broadcast capacity to private-sector telecommunications providers and the sale or lease of unused channels to commercial broadcasters as ways of raising money; and the public is confused about federal funding of public broadcasting and not knowledgeable about recent changes. Enhanced sponsorship announcements, membership drives, and federal funding are discussed. Graphs present data on: awareness of enhanced sponsorship announcements; perceived increase in disruption of public television and public radio programming for membership drives; awareness that public broadcasting receives federal funding; and preferred level of federal funding. (AEF)

This report covers the results of the fiscal year 1996 (October 1, 1995 through September 30, 1996) CPB (Corporation for Public Broadcasting) Public Television Programming Survey. This biennial survey, conducted since 1974, categorizes and analyzes trends in public television programming. Program carriage information was provided by TV Data via PBS Research; a random sample of 14 broadcast days was selected from each station. The following findings are highlighted: stations add to airtime; information and skills and general children's programming dominate airtime; "Sesame Street" retains the most broadcast hours; public television stations are the largest producing group; PBS distributes about two-thirds of programming hours; WGBH and WNET present nearly one-third of PBS programs; pledge programming accounts for over one-tenth of airtime; and local programming continues to have a presence in schedules. Tables and graphs are included which show: subject matter percentages based on airtime; the top 10 programs based on broadcast hours; producer percentages based on airtime; pledge as a percentage of airtime by license type; local programming subject matter percentages based on airtime; licensee characteristics; and public television programming historical trends from 1974-1996. (AEF)