Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In 2007, former ABC World News anchor Bob Woodruff returned to the airwaves one year after surviving a life-threatening attack in Iraq. However, his first appearance was not on the nightly newscast World News, but rather on ABC’s morning news program Good Morning America. This example illustrates a new pattern in network newswork which changes how frequently talent appears on-air. As Kurtz argues, the traditional prominence of the evening newscasts has declined. This shift occurred as the networks transitioned to a multi-media platform, and are challenged by the 24-hour news cycle, cable news, declining audiences, and expectations to turn profits. To confront the challenges facing the news divisions, they often use the Internet and morning and primetime programs to showcase or break news. The existence of multiple news sites within each network requires talent to appear across platforms and programs. In this paper, we argue that network news talent is used more frequently in programming hours than in the past by comparing a content analysis of network news programming, conducted in 1987, with a similar analysis of news programming in 2007. The 1987 study found content was not repeated, and talent did not report on more than one newscast per day. By 2007, this pattern had changed; the same content and talent were being used in multiple news programs per day. This comparison demonstrates this 20-year shift, providing a framework to interrogate this pattern and its implications for the future of network news.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: My study focuses on the sociological and economic reasons for night work in the United States and its subsequent effects. Night work is commonly defined as an occupation in which more than half the hours worked are performed between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. I use a two-tiered methodology for my project. The first is to look at the dynamics of capitalism as they relate to people’s perceptions of time and explain why economic activity is engaged at all hours of the day. I point to the growth of the service industry and consumer culture as two socioeconomic explanations for night work. I also propose that the United States, in many respects, practices what I call temporally incessant capitalism, an idea that profit can be generated at all hours, irrespective of time. The second method I use is an interview format, in which I speak with people who perform service-oriented jobs during the night, in order to learn how workers themselves perceive the value of their own work as performed after hours. Through these two methods, I argue that night work today exists not because of technological innovation, but due to capitalism and consumer culture.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The extraordinary growth of the audience for Fox News Channel, together with its marked conservative bias, patriotism, and unabashed support for the Iraq War led us to examine whether those who indicated they were primarily dependent upon Fox News for news of the Iraq War would show more support for Bush, for the war itself, interest in the war, and optimism about its final outcome. We looked at these attitudes comparing Fox News dependents to those who used the other 24/7 cable channels. Even after controlling for demographics, including party affiliation, Fox News dependents matched Fox News content significantly more than those who watched other cable channels. The research is framed within cognitive consistency theory modified to consider the link between news medium and viewer.

Publication Type: Invited Paper

Publication Type: Invited Paper