Local television news is caught between two major forces that determine its future: doing its journalistic duty to society and maximizing profits by providing content that audience members want to see. Various communication models examine the relationships between content providers, audience, and news makers by looking at organizations, media routines, external social and business pressures and ideologies that affect both media and the public they seek to serve. The dissertation argues that the key to satisfying the dictates of both forces lies with the audience and the ways in which local news content producers react to the audience's influence. The research in this dissertation examines a microcosm of the numerous relationships that impact TV news--the one between the content producers and members of the audience. The research uses behavioral theories as tools to examine how content producers and audience members relate to each other individually and how the institution of journalism is broadly affected by that relationship. It examines the normative model of journalism and how the audience and content producers fit into it. The study investigates the current state of audience research, both from an academic and a professional standpoint. This study utilizes qualitative and quantitative methods including ethnographical observation of a newsroom as well as one on one interviews and Web-based surveys to closely examine the way in which behavioral theories apply to local television news content producers. Results indicate the influence audience members exert over content producers is deeper and broader than previous research suggests. The results also show the content producers are aware the influence exists but do not recognize the pervasiveness of the influence. The conclusions offer a better understanding of the symbiotic relationship between audience and the media. / Mass Media and Communication
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TEMPLE/oai:scholarshare.temple.edu:20.500.12613/4127 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Timmins, Lydia Reeves |
| Contributors | Lombard, Matthew, Mendelson, Andrew L. (Andrew Lawrence), 1967-, Trayes, Edward J. (Edward John), Eveslage, Thomas |
| Publisher | Temple University. Libraries |
| Source Sets | Temple University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation, Text |
| Format | 252 pages |
| Rights | IN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Relation | http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/4109, Theses and Dissertations |
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