This study applies theories of texts and technologies to examine ways in which fan culture and mainstream entertainment media can shape and be shaped by each other through digital interactions and negotiations. Further, it considers ways in which these interactions have potential to foster community building and advocacy efforts beyond the limitations of the screen. The analysis focuses, in particular, on the subject of asexuality as it is represented in BBC's 2010 television series, Sherlock, tracing the multiple ways in which the traditional boundaries between fans and entertainment professionals have been breached as each group works to engage the other while pursuing their separate objectives, including social change, personal and professional acceptance and/or acclaim, and commercial profit. The dissertation traces four distinct but interconnected types/sites of interface among fans, advocates, mainstream media, showrunners, and celebrities, including 1) mainstream media articles related to Sherlock and those officially associated with it; 2) social media; 3) single-owner or small group-operated fan websites; and 4) fan fiction and associated comments. This interdisciplinary project draws on the work of fandom/digital culture scholarship (e.g., Henry Jenkins, Matthew Hills, Paul Boothe) within a broader framework informed by scholars of digital culture and queer and feminist ideologies (e.g., Donna Haraway, Lee Edelmen, Lauren Berlant), as well as emerging scholarship on asexuality, which is informed by queer and feminist perspectives (e.g., Brenda Chu, Julia Decker, Jacinthe Flore).

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Utah State University began to present radio programs on a regular basis over KSL Radio in Salt Lake City in 1931. In 1952, its first television program was televised over KSL-TV. Today the University is broadcasting programs over the majority of Utah's radio and television stations. This thesis covers the development of broadcasting from USU in three major areas: (1) radio and television programs presented over Utah broadcasting outlets, (2) the construction of radio and television stations on the campus, and (3) instruction in broadcasting. There has been no attempt made to evaluate the University's use of these media. It is pointed out that off-campus broadcasting did not expand in an organized manner; that the later attempt to coordinate it has not achieved complete success, and that broadcast training at Utah State University paralleled the development of the television industry in Utah. Also pointed out is the role that students played in establishing the Institution's first broadcasting facility.

The study at hand intends to document patterns related to gender roles and depictions, dating, and sex which are unveiled in a sample of reality television programs.

The economic viability of the three original U. S . television networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC, is threatened by emerging competition, excessive regulation, and the proliferation of new broadcasting and telecommunications technologies. This is a significant problem because United States viewers have depended upon free, diverse, broadcast television programming for more than forty years. This programming has traditionally been provided to viewers at no charge, unlike costly pay-per-view, direct broadcast satellite systems, cable television, backyard or rooftop television satellite receiving dishes, video programming via the Regional Bell Operating Companies (video Dialtone), wide and local area computer networks, or the Internet. Each network's survival depends upon its strategies in the areas of new technologies and political action with regard to regulation. Moreover, the three original networks are healthier than they may appear because the financial takeovers that occurred in 1985-1986 provided each with financial strength and strong corporate leadership.

Radio’s first fifteen years were filled with experiment and innovation, as well as conflicting visions of what broadcasting’s role in society ought to be. But while there was an ongoing debate about radio’s mission (should it be mainly educational or mainly entertaining?), radio’s impact on daily life was undeniable. To cite a few examples, radio was the first mass medium to provide access to current events as they were happening. It allowed people of all races and social classes to hear great orators, newsmakers, and entertainers. Radio not only brought hit songs and famous singers directly into the listener’s home; it also created a new form of intimacy based on imagination -- although the listeners generally had never met the men and women they heard on the air, they felt close to these people and imagined what they must really be like. Radio was a medium that enhanced the importance of the human voice-- vii politicians, preachers, and performers were now judged by their ability to communicate with the “invisible audience.” My dissertation employs a media ecology perspective to examine how the arrival and growth of radio altered a media environment that, until 1920, was dominated by the printed word. Neil Postman, a seminal figure in Media Ecology, wrote that this field of inquiry “looks into the matter of how media of communication affect human perception, understanding, feeling, and value.” Radio certainly exemplified that description: it not only affected popular culture and public opinion; it affected the other media with which it competed. My research utilizes one of those competing media-- print journalism. Using content and discourse analysis of articles in thirty-three newspapers and sixteen magazines of the 1920s and early 1930s, I examine how print and radio interacted and affected each other. My dissertation also analyzes the differing perceptions about radio as expressed in print by fans, reporters, and such interest groups as clergy or educators. And finally, my research explores some of the critiques of the programs, and compares the reactions of the critics at the mainstream press with those who worked for the ethnic press.

Book Summary: From television, film, and music to sports, comics, and everyday life, this book provides a comprehensive view of working-class culture in America.

Samples of several populations, made up of both traditional and non-traditional students attending the University of Tennessee at Martin were shown different "newscasts," each newscast depicting a different style of news presentation. One style was the "Formal" newscast, and the other was the "Informal" style. The Formal style is characterized by direct eye-camera contact by the newscaster, a direct style of presentation, and no interaction between newscasters. The Informal style is characterized by interaction between newscasters, a more Informal presentation of the facts, and a relaxed atmosphere as the newscast progresses. The study attempted to find whether either style increased short-term retention of the news facts via a questionnaire administered following a video tape of a newscast. One group was shown an Informal newscast, while another separate group was shown a Formal newscast made up of the same stories. The questionnaire was administered following the completion of the tape. An analysis of the results shows there is no significant difference in retention of facts between the styles of newscasts. The only difference was an observed increase in interest with the Informal newscast, but this observance was not quantitatively analyzed and awaits further study.

This study examines the infotainment versus social responsibility debate as it applies to local television newscasts in the United States. An overview of the concerns surrounding infotainment as news follows, including a look at a newsroom's traditional responsibilities to its viewers, as well as its current role in adding to parent company profit. Socially responsible hard news and infotainment characteristics are defined as they apply to television news broadcasts, both within the context of news story content and in presentation style. A descriptive content analysis examines these characteristics within the late night local newscasts airing in Portland, Oregon. Portland is a large broadcast news market with over one million potential local news viewers. It is also a community with an exceptionally high rate of civic engagement (Abbott, 2001; Putnam & Feldstein, 2003). Its media coverage of the city, however, has been the subject of criticism by local columnists and national journalism scholars. A socially responsible news product would provide the city's residents with the information needed to continue the trend of participation, community betterment, and overall citizenship knowledge.

The controversy over the effects of television viewing on human behavior has drawn a great deal of attention over the last decade. This study sought to investigate this area by looking at cortical response to television viewing. The subjects in the study consisted of 24 men and 24 women (m=l9 .6 years) who were monitored for bilateral EEG alpha (8-13 Hz) brain wave production while viewing a television commercial (verbal and nonverbal/ spatial) and were then tested for recall at the end of the session. The analysis of variance for a split-plot factorial design (S.P.F. 222.43; Kirk, 1968) revealed that while there were no differences between cerebral hemispheres, there were significant increases in the amount of alpha brain .wave production (p <. 01) during the trials. The results of this study support the first hypothesis that "EEG alpha levels will increase with repeated exposure to televised commercials." The significance of this finding is that it contrasts sharply with earlier research and indicates that repeated viewing of the same commercial results in an erosion of the viewer's interest.