Viewer Reactions to Content and Presentational Format of Television News

Abstract

From the theoretical perspective of activation theory and using an on-line, real-time, computerized response system, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the pattern af viewer reactions to local television newscasts. Of specific concern was the overall interest pattern for the entire newscast, as well as compamtive interest levels for the various component segments and the chamcteristics of high interest segments. The results suggest that significanf audience adaptation does not occur during a 30-minute newscast. No relationship was found between segment placement and level of viewer interest. Explained from an activation theory perspective, these findings suggest that the audience rebound phenomenon overcomes the audience adaptation phenomenon during a standard length and format television news progrum. In general, news stories received the highest ratings, followed by sports, with weather and commercials competing for lust place. Negative stories of occidents, violence and dmmatic action, as well as commercials with strong visual and musical support, received the highest interest ratings. Implications of the findings and suggestions for fufiher research are provided.Since the time of t h e classic radio research studies1 when innovative efforts to measure the quality of the audience experience first appeared in the literature, considerable progress has been made in the development of approaches to qualitative audience research.2 Recently, a resurgence of interest in real-time audience studies has occurred in the television industry. According to Mark R. Levy, director of the Center for Research in Public Communication at the University of Maryland, qualitative measiirements are now in common use by television networks and major advertisers. Levy3 states: Ralpli R . Behnke is a professor in the Communication in Human Relations Program nt Texas Cliristian University and Pliyllis Miller is an assisfont professor of journnlism nt the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Iournalism Quarterly Vol. 69, No. 3 659-665 Fall 2992 Q2992 AEJMC VlEWOI RMCllONS TO CONTENT AM1 PRESENT.lllCJML FURMAT OF ElfVlSlON N E W S 659

<b>Semiodiscursive analysis of TV newscasts based on data mining and image processing

“…Newscasts are traditionally broken into familiar blocks (e.g., lead stories), whose structures are composed by content formats (Behnke & Miller, 1992), as well as compositional elements, such as an opening vignette and kicker. Figure 1 illustrates a typical newscast edition, composed of a set of n blocks b 1 ,..., b n .…”