Series:

Routledge Communication

2 total works

Cover of Reaching a Critical Mass

Reaching a Critical Mass

by Robert Abelman

Published 1 November 1997

This book reminds readers that the simple act of watching television is not simple at all, but is a highly calculated and controlled interaction between the companies that produce television and the people who watch it. It looks at the television industry and examines how it operates to help us understand the role that television plays as well as the influence that it has on the lives of its viewers.

Complete with a history and evolution of the industry and its most popular genres, this volume demonstrates television's substantial influence on society and culture. Analysing what viewers watch and why, the chapters also explore how television programs are made and the strategies used to attract and maintain audiences.

This critical guide enables readers to appreciate the strategies of programming and to become more aware of television as a cultural force, as important now as when it was originally published in 1998.

Cover of Television and the Exceptional Child
The question of what types of children are most influenced by -- or can best benefit from -- television is a recurrent theme in the scientific literature as well as a frequently raised issue for pediatric associations, educators, and parent/citizen groups concerned about the welfare and advancement of young children. To effectively address this question, this book focuses on a wide variety of children with highly divergent cognitive abilities, social skills, and educational capacities -- that is, those labeled as emotionally disturbed, learning disabled, mentally retarded, and intellectually gifted. These children not only possess characteristics that place them at the greatest risk with regard to television's negative impact, but also in a position to most benefit from the purposeful use of the medium at home and in the classroom.

Combining literature from the fields of mass communication, developmental psychology, and special education, the authors present a comprehensive analysis of television and its "forgotten audience." Practical implications and applications in the home and school are also extracted from research findings making this volume a valuable resource for students, educators, and researchers in the fields of communication and special education, and for the parents and teachers of exceptional children.