New interactive communication technologies, envisaged as the dominant media of tomorrow, is predicted to alter the fabric of human society and our understanding of communication. Against the backdrop of these new technologies, attempts are already being made to redefine communication in horizontal terms. However, the present state of new media research has not yet come to grips with this theoretical shift. This study focuses on a prominent dimension of the new media research that deals with media choice. This study argues that the present research has not accounted for the role of the communication partner in the horizontal process of communication. Based on the distinction between the relational and content dimensions of communication made by relational communication research, the study argues that participants in communication can have different goals which may either be competitive or complementary with those of the communication partner. The study hypothesizes that relational control would be a significant factor in communication situations when the relational dimension of communication goals is competitive and content control would be a significant factor when content dimension is competitive. / The hypotheses were tested with personal interviews conducted among a self-selected sample of 70 persons who regularly communicate with any of the four media of communication--face-to-face, telephone, e-mail and written media. The interview schedule sought to find the reasons for respondents' media choice in different situations. A content analysis of the responses supported the hypotheses that in situations of relational competitiveness, relational control is a significant factor. Content control figured as a significant variable in all the situations that were tested. Among the four modes of communication, face-to-face was most often used for persuasion, while telephone and e-mail were more often used to position oneself relationally vis a vis the other. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-07, Section: A, page: 2371. / Major Professor: C. Edward Wotring. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

This study employs Bormann's symbolic convergence theory to examine gender relationships in five U.S. and five Canadian produced fictional television programs. The Fall 1991 A. C. Nielsens were used to select these programs. The five U.S. produced television programs were Roseanne, Murphy Brown, Cheers, Designing Women, and Full House. The five Canadian produced television programs were Road to Avonlea, Street Legal, Counterstrike, E.N.G, and Neon Rider. The major research questions explored were: (1) How were the relationships between the men, between the women, and between the men and women portrayed for each program? (2) Were there differences or similarities in the U.S. or Canadian portrayal of these male-male, male-female, and female-female relationships? / Each program was videotaped for five months or approximately fifteen episodes. By using Bormann's fantasy theme analysis methodology and interviews from the television industry's professionals, such as American and Canadian producers, story editors, writers, actors, and directors, prevalent fantasy themes and types were found for each program regarding gender relationships. / Based on these numerous fantasy types, a rhetorical vision differentiating Canadian and American televised gender relations emerged. This vision states that for the U.S. programs, power in gender relations is segregated by series. For example, Cheers is a patriarchal society where the males are dominant and females are powerless while Designing Women reverses these roles. In Canadian programs such as Street Legal and E.N.G, the power between males and females is more equally distributed in an episode of a series. Possible explanations for these differences could be due to the more gender conscious broadcasting code of ethics held by the Canadian networks as compared to the codes held by U.S. networks. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-07, Section: A, page: 1731. / Major Professor: Thomas R. King. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

This study examined some of the most commonly cited factors that are said to mitigate against the development of coherent policies governing developing world media systems, and how these factors influence the nature and direction of television programming policy in Barbados. The subjects for this study were key actors from media, cultural and educational, economic, and government and political sectors involved in the development and implementation of television programming policy in Barbados. They included Ministers responsible for broadcasting, statutory board chairmen and members, advertising executives, media managers and practitioners, and educators and community activists. / The data of the study were collected through participant observations, informant interviewing and document review. Within the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation, a number of programming documents, reports, as well as inter-office memos were consulted. Beyond the Corporation, other agencies and media sources provided insightful documentation in the form of surveys, correspondence and reports. The investigation was carried out on sites in Barbados over a period of five and a half months between February and July 1992. / The results of this study indicate that in spite of the expectation that television should be used to help foster and promote national culture, Barbados has not successfully developed and implemented policies to ensure the achievement of this objective. The findings indicate that television programming decisions are informed more by popularity and cost factors and partisan influences stemming from the structure of CBC than clearly articulated cultural development and programming objectives. The most prohibitive factors to the use of television to better project indigenously-oriented programming stem from the way in which CBC is financed and structured. Other findings indicate that the fragmentation at institutional and decision making levels in the communication sector has weakened endogenous capacity to redress pertinent programming policy issues, and that external influences are reflected in some television programming and policy decisions. / This is one of the first studies to attempt a holistic examination of the policy implications of television programming dependency in Barbados. The study's findings have heuristic value for the discipline of communication in that they contribute to a better understanding of the complexity of the issues emanating from television program dependency conditions in many of the world's countries that are said to be brought about, in part, by inept policy efforts. This study also has practical implications for the formulation of national media policies in Caribbean countries and other countries worldwide facing similar dilemmas of media and cultural dependency. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-03, Section: A, page: 0722. / Major Professor: John K. Mayo. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The purpose of this study is to trace the development of the American television docudrama from its roots in other communication forms, and to perform a content analysis on data collected on approximately 1,400 docudrama programs aired during prime-time on ABC, CBS, NBC, and public television between 1966 and 1982. Docudrama's influences on television as well as its criticism and ethical and legal responsibilities are also noted. A docudrama program is defined as the accurate recreation of events in the lives of actual persons. / Docudrama antecedents are traced through the combination of fact and fiction in literature, journalism, theatre, motion pictures, radio, newsreels, and early television. These provided the means and environment for the development of docudramas into the unique forms that exist today. / In order to perform the content analysis, a ninestep docudrama classification system devised by Thomas W. Hoffer and Richard Alan Nelson was used. This categorized docudramas as: monologues, historical, biographical, contemporary, religious, documentarized-fiction, aberrations, partial docudramas, or fictionalized-documentary. The partial docudramas and aberrations were exempted from the content analysis. / The content analysis revealed that during the census period, the majority of docudrama quarter hours broadcast were in the biographical category, followed in order by documentarized-fiction, historical, fictionalized-documentary, contemporary, religious, and monologues. The rank by network was: public television first, followed by NBC, then CBS, and ABC broadcast the least. The greatest number were telecast from 1975-76 to 1980-81. The study's final season showed a decline in quarter hours. Sunday was the most popular day and Friday the least. The most popular start time was nine o'clock. Approximately one-third of the docudramas were telecast in the series format; another third in mini-series; and the final third in the made-for-television movie/special format. / The major conclusions reached by the study are: the docudrama evolved from a variety of communication forms and techniques; the form's development was influenced by and reflects changes in the broadcast industry; there is a need for a common set of guidelines in the promotion and criticism of docudrama to prevent the form from suffering from negative criticism of individual programs. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-04, Section: A, page: 0980. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.

This study assesses the achievements of Egyptian rural radio broadcasting in light of the promises held for it and explores the forces that contribute to the low popularity of its programs. The factors which have hindered the performance of rural radio include societal infrastructure, media system operations, characteristics of rural communicators, and the content of messages. / Multiple data resources were relied upon in the conduct of the study. To identify how rural radio's performance was assessed in the past, available literature on the topic was reviewed. To evaluate current performance, the researcher visited People's Program Station at Cairo, Middle Delta Radio at Tanta, and Northern Upper Egypt Radio at El-Menia. The 3 general directors and all 33 communicators who worked in rural programs at the three stations were interviewed during the fall of 1983. Finally, programs of a typical day during November, 1984, at Cairo and Tanta stations were analyzed. / The study concludes that Egypt's difficult societal circumstances and constraints imposed by current operation processes have limited the performance of rural radio. Furthermore, dissimilarities between rural communicators' social backgrounds and their audiences, as well as the former's modest qualifications, moderate levels of job satisfaction and somewhat condescending attitudes toward rural people, all appear to have weakened rural programming services. Specific programs designed for rural audiences tend to be highly fragmented and overly urban in terms of content and choice of guest presenters. The relevance of such broadcasts to rural listeners is further undermined by monotonous program formats emphasizing interviews of experts and a reliance on classical rather than colloquial Arabic. / The study offers some recommendations for enhancing rural radio's performance in the future. Suggestions include heightened attention and political commitment to rural radio on the part of Egypt's development planners, the involvement of different social sectors in more unified strategies to meet villagers' needs, and various internal reforms within the radio stations themselves, including the initiation of more opportunities for staff training and promotion, and a thorough revision of current programming patterns to maximize their appeal and service to rural listeners. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-03, Section: A, page: 0700. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.

A study of the relationship between television management personnel and broadcast education programs in Florida. / Specifically, the study was directed toward four hypotheses concerning attitudes toward broadcast education as they varied by market size, education level, and experience level of the managers, and toward the most commonly open positions in Florida television stations. / Data were collected through personal interviews with 78 television management personnel representing every station in Florida excepting one small market station. / The results indicated that small market managers held the most favorable attitudes, that managers with the higher education levels held the most favorable attitudes, that managers with lowest experience levels held the most favorable attitude, and that the most commonly open position among Florida stations was that of Studio Crew/Camera Operator, followed by Sales Account Executive. / The study concluded that a "communication gap" existed between industry professionals and broadcast education, and that much of the response to the study was tempered by this. Managers were willing to participate to a greater degree, but indicated that their assistance should be solicited by broadcast educators. Most of the suggestions made by the managers concerned improvements to the curriculum, although several commented on faculty and graduate ideas. The study also suggested that these two parties, industry professionals and educators, should attempt to work together to begin a program of stressing professionalism in broadcast education. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-06, Section: A, page: 1738. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

Although the financial and distribution centers of the burgeoning American motion picture industry were quickly headquartered in New York and Chicago, a variety of economic, technological, and political considerations worked to promote the diffusion of production to warm-weather areas such as Florida and California. Even as early as 1898 primitive newsreels were being made in Florida, but it was surging viewer demand for more and better movies which precipitated the need for year-round shooting schedules and ongoing use of Florida locales by pioneer moving picture producers. By 1912, so many movie troupes were attracted to Jacksonville that the city became known as the "World's Winter Film Capital." / In addition to Florida's mild climate and subtropical views, other factors worked to the state's advantage when contrasting it to other filmmaking alternatives in the pre-World War I period. These included relatively inexpensive labor and land costs, convenient rail and shipping connections, and widespread civic boosterism. However, the defeat of Jacksonville Mayor J. E. T. Bowden in a bitter 1917 primary election removed a key proponent of the motion picture business at a time when strong leadership was needed to maintain earlier momentum. This was followed by the failure of the Motion Picture Patents Company (whose member firms played an important role in making Florida a vibrant film center), price gouging by local merchants, a decline in statewide banking support, compromise agreements made in Los Angeles, and other events which in quick succession left the state's movie industry in shambles. While literally hundreds of motion pictures were shot in Florida prior to 1930 (including important landmarks such as the making of the first Technicolor feature), the viability of the area was further undercut by disastrous speculation and outright fraud which ravaged the state. By the late 1920s, changing conditions wrought by the conversion to sound technology ensured that Florida cities such as Jacksonville, Miami and Tampa (all of which had sought to develop as film colonies) would be unable to successfully create a genuine studio alternative to Hollywood. / The study also includes an analysis of the numerous pro-Southern Civil War films, similarly racist South Sea Island and Jungle motion pictures, and later all-Negro "race" movies made in Florida. An epilogue chronicles official attempts since the Depression to re-establish the state as a significant moving picture force, with an overview suggestive of further research into contemporary film and television developments. Appended are comprehensive listings of motion picture production companies active in Florida during the so-called "silent years," and a photographic section with representative illustrations documenting early moviemaking in the state. The work (which is based largely on trade accounts, newspaper reports, archival collections, and interviews) also features a detailed bibliography, glossary of terms, and index. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-03, Section: A, page: 0840. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-09, Section: A, page: 4788. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-10, Section: A, page: 5235. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

The study concerned the differential impact of communication campaigns which has been conceptualized elsewhere as "the communication effects gap." It involved a secondary analysis of data gathered in evaluation of Accion Cultural Popular (ACPO) a multifaceted media system that has been operating since 1947 in Colombia, South America. The study examined relationships between farmers' level of prosperity and their use of campaign media, knowledge gain, changes in attitudes and rate of adoption of innovations. Positive relationships were found between farmers' prosperity and these variables. / Additional analyses were conducted utilizing multiple regression techniques to examine the traditional model of diffusion of innovations which argues that the farmers' media use leads to knowledge gain and changes in attitudes, both of which, bring about the farmers' adoption of new ideas. It was found that media use contributes to farmers' knowledge and farmers' knowledge of innovations influences their attitudes toward innovations regardless of their level of prosperity. But these variables' contributions were not as high as expected meaning there are other sources contributing to farmers' knowledge of new ideas and their attitudes toward adoption of those ideas. In the area of adoption of innovations farmers' level of prosperity was found to be the most effective factor regardless of what they knew and how they felt about campaign issues. / Searching for the effectiveness of the campaign media this study found textbooks and newspapers to be the most influencial. With farmers' level of prosperity controlled these media were still found to be the most potent. Radio and change agent contact, two factors emphasized by ACPO over the years, were found to have no significant role in the campaign. Change agents were found to be helpful only in the case for more advantaged farmers. / Considering the contributions of ACPO media to the knowledge and attitudes of farmers from different prosperity categories the study indicated that the project was minimally successful in reducing the gap through its contributions to the less prosperous farmers' knowledge and attitudes. But the gap continued to widen with regard to the farmers' adoption of new ideas and practices introduced in the campaign. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-07, Section: A, page: 2917. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.