Within the context of debates surrounding the consumption of global media by local audiences in Third World countries, this study explores the reasons behind satellite television subscription, and consumption of international news among a sample of young professional men and women in contemporary Zimbabwe. The study seeks to uncover how the research participants respond to news broadcast on SABC Africa's '60 minutes live in Africa', a programme which they can only access via satellite television in their country. Working within the frame of audience studies which insists on understanding media consumption and reception in context, this study examines how the respondents, situated within the specific Zimbabwe context, characterised as it is by serious social, economic and political challenges, respond to both regional news and news about their country on '60 minutes live in Africa'. Within the frame of qualitative research the study employs a two-stage sampling procedure and data collection strategy to uncover the factors that underpin international media consumption and reception by professional men and women situated in a country undergoing rapid change. The findings of the study point to the various social and individual factors that underlie media consumption choices as well as to the different socially patterned reasons why local audiences are either attracted to, or reject global media. The study found that SABC Africa's '60 minutes live in Africa' is more popular and better received than Western-broadcast programmes on channels such as BBC, CNN, and Sky News among Zimbabwean professionals. I also uncovered some evidence that cultural proximity and relevance are of supreme importance in determining which media audiences chose to consume and what level of engagement they bring to their reception of global media. These and other findings directly confront media models that privilege beliefs in cultural imperialism and the dominance of Western media and their effects on Third World audiences.

See front file / Communication Science / MA (COMMUNICATION)

This dissertation uses a multiperspectival approach that analyzes production, text, and audience consumption to explore representations of gender and ethnicity in The Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO) original program The Sopranos. I first present the social, political, and economic factors that contributed to the continued critical and commercial success of the show. The hybrid genre of the show - an intermingling of the gangster and soap opera genres - proves particularly significant in its representation of gender and ethnicity. Both textual and audience analyses allow me to respond to the question central to this dissertation: Does The Sopranos reinforce or challenge hegemonic notions of masculinity, femininity, and ethnicity? My textual and paratextual analysis identifies the embodiment of hegemonic masculinity in the male characters, including the ways in which that hegemonic behavior leads to male violence, as depicted in the narrative, and reveals the performances of emphasized femininity and pariah femininities, class, and Italian/Americaness at play amongst the female characters in The Sopranos. Audience analysis reveals that The Sopranos broadly appeals to many Italian/Americans and self-proclaimed feminists, yet the vast majority of fans, particularly those who create fan fiction and frequent chat rooms, are drawn to the show for its violence, sexist imagery, and macho male characters. Thus, the multiperspectival approach of this dissertation proved particularly useful in determining that The Sopranos, in its entirety, ultimately repackages, but yet still reinforces hegemonic notions of gender and Italian/Americaness. / by Niki Caputo Wilson. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

by Li Yiu-Ming. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1989. / Bibliography: leaves 82-84.

See front file / Communication Science / MA (COMMUNICATION)

This study examined television viewing habits and preferences of impulsive and reflective third grade and seventh grade children. Amount of television desired and reported as viewed were compared at each grade level. Impulsivity was also compared with preference for and reported exposure to each of five most commonly viewed television program types, which were situation comedy, movie, cartoon, action drama, and game show. The initial sample consisted of 46 seventh graders and 39 third graders from one middle school and two elementary schools in Pima County, Arizona. Impulsivity was measured using the Matching Familiar Figures test. Ten impulsive and ten reflective subjects were identified at each grade level. One subject furnished uninterpretable data and was dropped from the study. Subjects were asked to use copies of TV Guide magazine as viewing diaries during two one-week periods. Subjects were asked to mark in blue all programs they wished to view, and in red all programs viewed. Background data were secured from school records, and subjects completed questionnaire items regarding family size and structure, viewing circumstances, and attitudes toward television. Impulsive and reflective children were compared in overall amount of television programming selected and reportedly viewed. Differences were small, with impulsive children selecting and viewing less than reflective children at the third grade level and more than reflective children at the seventh grade level. Correlation coefficients were calculated between impulsivity and the selection and viewing of each of five popular program types. Most correlations were small. Correlations in the range of 0.35 to 0.60, however, did occur in certain cases. Selection and viewing of game shows by seventh graders showed a positive correlation with impulsivity, while selection and viewing of cartoons by third graders showed a negative correlation. A second set of correlation coefficients was calculated based on the response latency component of impulsivity. This second set reflected essentially the same relationships indicated by the first. Data from school records and questionnaire items did not enhance the interpretation of relationships between impulsivity and television use.

Thesis ( M.A. (Media Studies)) --University of Limpopo, 2015 / The visibility of gays and lesbians has predominantly improved in recent years, and the media have been a fundamental tool when measuring the homosexual communities’ social status. This study investigates whether current mainstream television accurately depicts and represents gays and lesbians, and whether gay and lesbian individuals are impacted by these television portrayals. Through in- depth interviews, focus groups and observations, the research findings reveal that gay and lesbian television depictions are not completely accurate and have varying effects on audiences. However, this evidence is significant to the entertainment industry when creating fair gay and lesbian character portrayals that could be positively receptive by the homosexual community.

Bibliography: leaves 156-165. Electronic publication; full text available in PDF format; abstract in HTML format. Several researchers have indicated that the emphasis placed by young people on body shape and appearance has been greatly shaped by the media. The aim of this research was to investigate this notion specifically with regard to televised media. It was hypothesised that there would be a relationship between media images, eating attitudes and dietary behaviours, particularly for teenagers with body-image self-schemas who were conscious of their appearance. Nine hundred and sixty five senior secondary school students, from 33 country and metropolitan, state and independent, co-educational and single-sex South Australian high schools were surveyed. Electronic reproduction.[Australia] :Australian Digital Theses Program,2001.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Bowling Green State University, 2007. / Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 186 p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.