"A Nice Place to Visit, But [microform] : " Television's Image of the City / William W. Harris.
Urban planners and policy makers are concerned that the image of cities conveyed to metropolitan viewers over television is predominantly negative. Locational and investment decisions may be influenced by the level of confidence inspired by such images. Television viewers perceive that their chance...
Saved in:
| Online Access: |
Request ERIC Document |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Microfilm Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[Place of publication not identified] :
Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse,
1976.
|
| Subjects: |
| Summary: | Urban planners and policy makers are concerned that the image of cities conveyed to metropolitan viewers over television is predominantly negative. Locational and investment decisions may be influenced by the level of confidence inspired by such images. Television viewers perceive that their chance of experiencing violence in the city is higher than the actual risks. Television journalism may also inspire hostility toward politics and government. Positive city imagery is rare. The limited objectivity of journalism which focuses on the dramatic and unusual serves to select against positive reporting. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) policy requiring licensees to ascertain community "problems" rather than "needs" may also contribute to the negative bias of community reporting. Television could contribute to the solution of the city image problem. The FCC prime time access rule provides the potential for positive public affairs programing. One program, "Jamaica Plain: Options in the City" was designed to communicate the positive aspects of life in a Boston neighborhood. Research is underway to determine the effects of the show. Available information shows positive results and gives indications that public interest programing can provide alternative images of the city for some people. (KB) |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | ERIC Note: Paper presented at the Conference on Telecommunications Policy Research (Airlie, Virginia, April 21-24, 1976). ERIC Document Number: ED130612. |
| Physical Description: | 8 pages |