Critical Theorizing on Broadcast History.

This article focused on the problem of causal explanations embedded in historical accounts. Using three major theoretical positions - instrumentalism, institutionalism, and structuralism - the analysis produced three different accounts of the same event, CBS's 1970 change in programming policy. Because each position took a different level of analysis with a different degree of abstraction, each historical account implies different root causes for the policy change. The layering of the accounts provides the most accurate historical description and suggests that theoretical and methodological work be undertaken to build an integrated approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]