Overview

Remote control tuning encourages a form of interactive television using a technology already available in 80 percent of American households. Editors Walker and Bellamy have compiled the first book of state-of-the-art research on a topic of growing interest to media researchers, practitioners, and students. Chapter authors combine survey measurements with recorded observations of viewing behavior, an analysis of the program sources accessed during grazing, experimental studies of remote control use, and historical and critical analyses. Specific topics include: the history of the remote control device, gender differences in its use, family communication and parental control of the device, remote controls and selective exposure to media messages, the impact of remote controls on programming and promotion, remote controls and critical perspective on television, and future technologies. This volume is rooted in social scientific research, but theoretically and methodologically broad in scope.

Full Product Details

Author:   Robert V. Bellamy ,  James R. Walker ,  Robert V. Bellamy Jr (Associate Professor of Communication, Duquesne University, USA)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint:   Praeger Publishers Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 15.50cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.576kg
ISBN:  

9780275943967

ISBN 10:   0275943968
Pages:   288
Publication Date:   23 August 1993
Recommended Age:   From 7 to 17 years
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

"Preface Overview and Developmental Perspectives The Remote Control Device: An Overlooked Technology by James R. Walker and Robert V. Bellamy, Jr. At the Touch of a Button: A Brief History of Remote Control Devices by Louise Benjamin From Gadget to Necessity: The Diffusion of Remote Control Technology by Bruce C. Klopfenstein Individual RCD Use Measuring RCD Use: Method Matters by Nancy C. Cornwell, Shu-Ling Everett, Stephen E. Everett, Sandra Moriarty, Joseph A. Russomanno, Michael Tracey, and Roger Trager Surveillance and Cluster Viewing: Foraging through the RCD Experience by Paul J. Traudt Remote Control Devices in Television Program Selection: Experimental Evidence by Jennings Bryant and Steven C. Rockwell Future Zap: Next Generation Smart Remotes by Carrie Heeter, Kak Yoon and James Sampson Antecedents of Remote Control Use: Gratifications and Psychological Dimensions The Gratifications of Grazing: Adult Motivations for Remote Control Use by James R. Walker, Robert V. Bellamy, Jr., and Paul J. Traudt Is the Remote Control Device a Toy or Tool? Exploring the Need for Activation, Desire for Control, and Technological Affinity in the Dynamic of RCD Use by Lawrence A. Wenner and Maryann O'Reilly Dennehy Group Viewing in Remote Control Use: Family and Gender Issues ""OK, Where's the Remote?"" Children, Families and Remote Control Devices by Kathy A. Krendl, Cathyrn Troiano, Robert Dawson, and Ginger Clark Domination of the Remote Control during Family Viewing by Gary Copeland and Karla Schweitzer Gender Differences in Remote Control Use by Elizabeth M. Perse and Douglas A. Ferguson The Impact of Remote Control Devices on Media Industries The RCD's Impact on Television Programming and Promotion by Susan Tyler Eastman and Jeffrey Neal-Lunsford Remote Control Devices and the Political Economy of a Changing Television Industry by Robert V. Bellamy, Jr. Critical Perspectives on the Remote Control Remote Control: Mythic Reflections by David Lavery Technoromancing the Clicker by Bruce E. Gronbeck References Index"

Reviews

?The evolution of this small device as an interface of the technology that produced cable TV and the VCR is well presented, as are the statistics verifying its rapid and complete penetration into American TV households. The final three chapters, whose authors thoughtfully analyze the role of the remote in the larger of the political economics of the TV industry, along with Americans' infatuation with technology, and television's ability to confound fiction and reality, are provocative and indicative of where we should look for effects.?-Choice

The evolution of this small device as an interface of the technology that produced cable TV and the VCR is well presented, as are the statistics verifying its rapid and complete penetration into American TV households. The final three chapters, whose authors thoughtfully analyze the role of the remote in the larger of the political economics of the TV industry, along with Americans' infatuation with technology, and television's ability to confound fiction and reality, are provocative and indicative of where we should look for effects. -Choice . . . . This is a highly useful collection on a topic everyone lives with but few have yet analyzed. -Communications Booknotes ?. . . . This is a highly useful collection on a topic everyone lives with but few have yet analyzed.?-Communications Booknotes ?The evolution of this small device as an interface of the technology that produced cable TV and the VCR is well presented, as are the statistics verifying its rapid and complete penetration into American TV households. The final three chapters, whose authors thoughtfully analyze the role of the remote in the larger of the political economics of the TV industry, along with Americans' infatuation with technology, and television's ability to confound fiction and reality, are provocative and indicative of where we should look for effects.?-Choice

Author Information

JAMES R. WALKER is Associate Professor of Communication at Memphis State University. His research interests include studies of media audiences, and the impact of developing technologies on telecommunications industries. His work has appeared in such publications as Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media and Journalism Quarterly. ROBERT V. BELLAMY, JR. is Associate Professor of Communication at Duquesne University. His research interests include media programming, sports and media, and technological changes in media. He has published articles in the Journal of Communication, Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, and Journalism Quarterly, among others.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Countries Available

All regions