Michael L. Hilt

Elderly Americans and the Internet: E-Mail, TV News, Information and Entertainment Websites.

Older Americans, like other groups, vary in their use of the Internet. The participants for this study—elderly computer users from a Midwestern mid-size sample—used e-mail and considered it the most important Internet function. It was common for them to use e-mail with family and friends on a regular, if not daily, basis. When this group of older people did surf the Web, they were more likely to seek information about their special interests rather than visiting mass media sites. They were most likely to use Google.com or Yahoo.com to find sites dealing with weather, health, games, jokes, and entertainment. Additionally, some were interested in online shopping and auctions. The results of this exploratory study suggest the need for radio and television stationss websites to serve as a portal through which elderly users may access information they want and need.

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF GAMBLING AND DEPRESSION IN AN ADULT SAMPLE

As a relationship has been reported between pathological gambling and depression, the objective of this study was to explore whether there was a relationship between gambling and depression in a sample of 400 adults. No relationship was found.

Mass media and the death penalty: Social construction of three Nebraska executions

This research analyzes local TV news coverage of three Nebraska executions in the 1990s, the first in the state since 1959. The three Nebraska executions allow us to see mass media coverage of the death penalty from four perspectives: 1) media organization routines, journalistic beliefs, and how source selection affected the content; 2) justice was portrayed through a consonant set of social symbols; 3) the public support for the death penalty in this country may have led journalists to avoid tough questioning of public officials; 4) the resulting coverage was a social construction of reality that might influence future public opinion. TV news reports emphasized the carnival‐like atmosphere at the state penitentiary during two of the three executions.

Mass Media, An Aging Population, and the Baby Boomers

Contents: E. Palmore, Foreword. Preface. Introduction to Mass Media, Aging Americans, and Baby Boomers. Theory and Research on Communication and Gerontology. Radio-Television News and the Elderly. Print Media and the Elderly. Entertainment Media. Advertising, Public Relations, and Advocacy. Internet and New Media. Health and Sexual Media Content. Political Issues of Media and Gerontology. Aging Americans, Mass Media, and the Future.

Organizing the Baby Boomer Construct: An Exploration of Marketing, Social Systems, and Culture.

Baby boomer trends are applied in the development of a conceptual framework that offers a social systems and cultural model for future studies. While there has been considerable recent attention paid to baby boomers, the studies lack a coherent theoretical base that would allow for more advanced and continuing research. Aging baby boomers heading into retirement present excellent research opportunities for scholars.

First Amendment vs. Business Orientations of Broadcast General Managers and News Directors

A two-state survey found that general managers and news directors prefer their own judgments, and those of audience members, to government regulation. General managers support the First Amendment when it is good for business, while news directors show some support for business freedoms.

Local Television Coverage of a Mall Shooting: Separating Facts From Fiction in Breaking News

Local TV news emphasizes the earliest stage of crimes because “breaking news” is fresh, dramatic and visual. A qualitative analysis was conducted using a comprehensive set of recordings of the first three-and-a-half hours of local television news coverage in Omaha, Nebraska. This study identified a series of ongoing issues that have important implications for newsroom decision-makers. Local television news used charged and dramatic language, such as that shooting victims were “fighting for their lives.” Reporters and news managers find themselves in the middle of a struggle between two options: remaining a distant and objective observer of events, or connecting with the emotion felt by viewers.

DIFFERENCES IN IMMEDIACY BETWEEN TRADITIONAL AND NONTRADITIONAL STUDENTS

Reported differences between 83 traditional and 44 nontraditional college students on immediacy were nonsignificant.

DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF NEWS MAGAZINES' COVERAGE OF JOHN GLENN'S RETURN TO SPACE

This study examined issues of Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report for articles concerning John Glenns return to space and described their content. A review of pertinent literature found that little attention has been paid to how older adults are portrayed in magazine articles. Although comments were made concerning Glenns age and his role as a rookie payload specialist on the space shuttle Discovery, there were few comments considered ageist or demeaning to older adults.

BROADCAST NEWS AND ELDERLY PEOPLE: ATTITUDES OF LOCAL TELEVISION MANAGERS

The Kogan Attitudes Toward Old People Scale was used to measure local television manager attitudes toward elderly people. Census projections have shown that the elderly population will increase dramatically in the next century. The importance of local television news in the Hues of the elderly makes the study of the attitudes of broadcasters about older people relevant. A national survey of two groups of television managers—general managers and news directors—found that younger news directors had a more positive attitude toward older people, while the older general managers had a less positive attitude.