Gerhard J. Hanneman

The Depiction of Drug Use in Television Programming

Complete evaluation of anti-drug abuse campaigns should examine not only the messages created, but the programming content which makes up the information environment for those receiving these messages. A content analysis of one major information source (prime time TV) indicates that drug-relevant information is being disseminated and should be taken into account in planning information strategies. Commercial appeals promoting chemical agent use and programming which largely neglects abuse potentials suggest cautions for the strategy planner and questions for media programmers.

Telecommuting - An Alternative to Urban Transportation Congestion

An interdisciplinary research program of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, has investigated the potential impact of substituting telecommunications and computer technology for certain forms of urban transportation [1]. Emphasis has been placed upon the use of these technologies to alleviate the massive twice-daily peak commuting loads imposed upon most major American cities. The primary means by which these technologies will be used is to allow information industry workers to perform their jobs at work centers scattered throughout each city, close to their homes, rather than commuting long distances to work. A basic premise is made that this reorientation of urban work patterns will not occur unless the technological substitutes can be shown to be both economical and effective. The results of a study of a major insurance firm located in the Los Angeles central business district are presented. The study evaluated the present transportation patterns, population distribution, and business contact requirements of a major administrative division of this firm. These commuting and communicating patterns were then used as the basis for assessing the feasibility of the use of various levels of telecommunications and computer technology for allowing the substitution for commuting by telecommuting. Alternative telecommuting network designs were formulated and evaluated with respect to their ability to facilitate current work functions. Costs of network installation and operation were compared with the present costs of commuting. It is concluded that present communications and computer technology, in terms of off-the-shelf hardware and services, can offer an economical substitute for commuting.

Relevance and Diffusion of News of Major and Minor Events

Diffusion studies following major and minor papal encyclicals suggest that the relevance and salience of the information is more predictive of diffusion than is “news value.”

Sources of Drug Information among Adults

A telephone survey of 206 adults was conducted to test hypotheses concerning past information seeking, source preference, and media consumption. Subjects who had obtained information from “expert” institutional sources were predicted to have greater drug knowledge and interpersonal communication experience. Higher print consumers were predicted to have greater knowledge, increased favorability toward marijuana decriminalization and exhibit a less punitive orientation toward drug users. Support was found with regard to drug knowledge and interpersonal communication. Partial support was found with regard to other hypotheses.

Media-Related Works

Reed H. Blake and Edwin O. Haroldsens A Taxonomy of Concepts in Communication (New York: Hastings House, 1975—

Communication and behavior

6.95/4.95) Allen H. Centers Public Relations Practices: Case Studies (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1975—

Racial Attitudes and the Impact of TV Blacks.

11.95/7.95) Bjorn Berndtson and Donald J. Bogues Mass Mailing Manual for Family Planning: Manual of Procedures (Community and Family Study Center, University of Chicago, 1411 East 60th St., Chicago, Ill. 60637—

Aging and preferences for interactive cable services

1.50, paper) Louis Savary, Mary Paolini, and George Lanes Intrerpersonal Communications: A Worktext for Self-Understanding and Growth in Personal Relations (Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1975–,

The Treatment of Antisocial and Prosocial Behavior on Television

4.00,

Public Service Advertising and Social Problems: the Case of Drug Abuse Prevention.

3.00 to schools, paper, with teachers guide for