The Effects of an Informational Briefing on the Attitudes of Certain High School Seniors in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area Toward the Air Force ROTC Training Program (open access)

The Effects of an Informational Briefing on the Attitudes of Certain High School Seniors in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area Toward the Air Force ROTC Training Program

This study was a simple "before" and "after" attitude measurement experiment using an experimental group and a control group. The attitude measurements were made before and after the subjects in the experimental group were presented an informational briefing about the Air Force ROTC training program. Both the experimental group and the control group were subject to exposure to the Air Force mass communication advertising during the two-month study period. The results indicate that the increased knowledge gained by the experimental group through its exposure to the informational briefing caused a negative change of attitude within the group. However, the control group had no significant change of attitude during the study period even though more than 87 percent of those subjects were exposed to some form of Air Force advertising.
Date: May 1974
Creator: Andrews, Robert Glenn
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Iconoclast: a Readership Survey and a Study of the Historical Evolution of an Underground Newspaper (open access)

The Iconoclast: a Readership Survey and a Study of the Historical Evolution of an Underground Newspaper

The problem of this study was an audience analysis of Dallas' weekly underground newspaper Iconoclast. A readership survey was mailed to 200 randomly selected subscribers to Iconoclast. Data were taken from the ninety useable questionnaires of those returned. The study is organized into four chapters. Chapter I discusses problems, procedures, introductory material and recent and related studies. Chapter II is a history of Iconoclast. Chapter III is an analysis of data. Chapter IV presents summary, conclusions, and recommendations. The data revealed the typical subscriber as having a mean age of 28.7, some college education, and higher than $10,000 yearly income. He obtains both exclusive and supplementary information from Iconoclast, and considers it an important but biased news source.
Date: May 1976
Creator: Wells, Richard H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Analysis and Evaluation of the Role of Public Relations in Leasing Dallas Petroleum Center (open access)

Analysis and Evaluation of the Role of Public Relations in Leasing Dallas Petroleum Center

The problem in this study was to discover if the public relations program of the Dallas Petroleum Center was useful in leasing and if the program played a significant role in a leasing increase. The study was carried out by describing the development of the building project, by analyzing the planning and execution of the public relations program, by testing the program's effectiveness, and by drawing conclusions about the program and by making recommendations for this specific program and for office leasing in general. The effectiveness of the program was tested by questionnaires and interviews. The public relations program proved to be an effective tool in leasing office space; and a similar program was recommended for other buildings.
Date: May 1977
Creator: Ainsworth, Doris Stewart
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Analysis of Community Attitudes Toward the "Bowie News" as a News-Advertising Medium (open access)

An Analysis of Community Attitudes Toward the "Bowie News" as a News-Advertising Medium

This study measured attitudes of newspaper staff members, advertisers, subscribers, and power structure members toward the Bowie News as a news and advertising medium. Three hypotheses were tested: that members of the power structure would have a more favorable attitude toward the Bowie News than other readers; that the Bowie News would play an active role as an instrument of the power structure; and that all four publics would differ in their perception of the newspaper's role in getting information to the community. The hypotheses were tested by a t test and rejected. Publics' attitudes were homogeneous. It was concluded that the Bowie News reflects consensus opinion within the community and is a trusted news source.
Date: May 1977
Creator: Whitfield, James Daniel
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Critical Examination of "The Echo": Prison Publication of the Texas Department of Corrections (open access)

A Critical Examination of "The Echo": Prison Publication of the Texas Department of Corrections

The problem this investigation deals with is how The Echo functions as a communication vehicle within the TDC. Information was gathered through visits, interviews and a questionnaire. Organization is as follows: Chapter I, introduction, Chapter II, history and development; Chapter III, analysis of questionnaire data; Chapter IV, content; Chapter V, summary and conclusions. The study found that The Echo is often the sole source of TDC information to inmates, frequently aids administrators in providing inmates with information, provides an outlet for creativity, and enjoys little censorship. The report concludes that The Echo is an effective information medium, and that future study is possible in the role of the prison press in influencing rehabilitation, its contact with the outside public, and in inmate-produced magazines and journals.
Date: May 1977
Creator: Hadeler, David A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Editorial Reaction of Texas Daily Newspapers to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal, 1932-1938 (open access)

The Editorial Reaction of Texas Daily Newspapers to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal, 1932-1938

The objective of this study is to identify newspapers who supported or opposed portions of the New Deal from 1932 to 1938. Nine newspapers from various geographic areas were consulted. Chapter II discusses the 1932 campaign, in which all newspapers supported Roosevelt. Chapter III discusses the First New Deal, in which widespread support was evidenced. Chapter IV discusses the Second New Deal, in which criticism appeared. Chapter V discusses the 1936 campaign, in which only one newspaper opposed Roosevelt. Chapter VI discusses three post-1936 issues. The study determined that Texas newspapers became more critical during the 1930s. The central hypothesis, that urban newspapers were more critical of urban measures and rural newspapers of rural measures, was rejected.
Date: May 1977
Creator: Sellers, Steven A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A History of Station WRR: Pioneer in Municipally Owned Radio (open access)

A History of Station WRR: Pioneer in Municipally Owned Radio

This study presents an overall history of WRR, the first municipally owned radio station and describes the problems it encountered by competing in a commercial Dallas market. The study marks the establishment of WRR in 1920 as a signal transmitter for the Dallas Fire Department, its transition to an entertainment station, the addition of WRR-FM, retirement of long-time Station Manager Durward J. Tucker, heavy financial losses, public complaints, format changes, and the sale of the station. A final chapter provides a summary and recommendations for further study, and concludes that WRR should have left the commercial market when its revenue and ratings began to decline.
Date: May 1978
Creator: Sachs, Robin Leslie
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Proposed Technical Communication Degree Program for Texas Colleges and Universities (open access)

A Proposed Technical Communication Degree Program for Texas Colleges and Universities

This investigation is concerned with the problem of Texas employers' inability to hire adequately trained technical communication personnel because Texas universities and colleges do not offer a bachelor's degree program for that career field. This study contains the results of five separate surveys that investigate the backgrounds and training of present technical communication personnel and the training desired by supervisory personnel. The study also recommends a bachelor's degree program in technical communication with three technological specialties: electronics, mechanical, and chemical/petroleum. Anticipated problems in setting up such a degree program and possible solutions to the problems are discussed in the study. The suggested freshman and sophomore curriculum could be used as a guideline for a junior college associate program.
Date: May 1978
Creator: Walker, Ronald O.
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Analysis of the Relationship of Comparative Advertising and Culture in Japanese Natives in the Dallas, Texas Area (open access)

An Analysis of the Relationship of Comparative Advertising and Culture in Japanese Natives in the Dallas, Texas Area

This study was designed to test whether Japanese natives who retained traditional Japanese value orientations and who resided in the Dallas, Texas area would have unfavorable attitude toward the concept of comparative television advertising. Data were collected from 104 respondents of varying sex, age, education, occupation, length of stay in the United Sates, intention of settling in the United States, and television viewing horse. All null hypotheses were accepted, indicting that cultural influence among Japanese natives in the Dallas area did not result fin unfavorable attitude toward comparative advertising despite the fact that in Japan, the name of names in advertising is counter to basic Japanese culture and tradition.
Date: May 1979
Creator: Fukawa, Kazuhisa
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Evaluation of the Contributions of the "Wichita Falls Times" in the Development and Progress of Wichita Falls, Texas, from 1907 to 1976 (open access)

An Evaluation of the Contributions of the "Wichita Falls Times" in the Development and Progress of Wichita Falls, Texas, from 1907 to 1976

The purpose of this study was (1) to trace the contributions of the newspaper to the civic improvement and economic growth of Wichita Falls; (2) to trace the contributions of the publishers; and (3) to trace the development of the Wichita Falls Times from 1907, when it began as a daily, to 1976, when it sold to Harte-Hanks Communications Inc.
Date: May 1979
Creator: Zajac, Patricia
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Comparative Content Analysis of The Lewisville News-Advertiser and Lewisville Daily Leader (open access)

A Comparative Content Analysis of The Lewisville News-Advertiser and Lewisville Daily Leader

The problem with which this study is concerned is that of determining what differences, if any, existed between two newspapers with different circulation characteristics and whether the two papers were in competition. The thrice-weekly News-Advertiser and the five-day daily Leader were measured by a content analysis over eight weeks and by a readership and advertiser survey. This study concludes that the two newspapers are in competition in six of eleven designated categories of the content analysis, using Spearman rho and t-tests. However, the two newspapers seemed to be aiming at different markets in Lewisville, because one paper subscribes to a news service and prints thousands of inches of wire news and the other paper is all local news.
Date: May 1980
Creator: Frerichs, Colleen Doolin
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Comparison in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex Between the State of Public Relations Education and the Views of Public School Public Information Directors and University Journalism Department Chairmen Concerning Public Relations Education (open access)

A Comparison in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex Between the State of Public Relations Education and the Views of Public School Public Information Directors and University Journalism Department Chairmen Concerning Public Relations Education

Data obtained through interviews with eleven directors of school public information directors and four university chairmen in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex indicated that they are generally satisfied with public relations education being housed in the journalism department, with course format, and with undergraduate study and specialization; and that they are dissatisfied with practitioner-educator relationships. Some of their recommendations included that graduatelevel study be offered more often, and that more emphasis be placed in the curriculum on specific areas of public relations, the social sciences, and the news-editing side of communications studies.
Date: May 1980
Creator: Ramsey, Patricia Kingsley
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Survey of Award-Winning High School Newspapers in Texas (open access)

A Survey of Award-Winning High School Newspapers in Texas

This study identified the common characteristics of the adviser, the journalism program, and the newspaper of the high schools consistently winning awards. The purposes of this study were to identify the award-winning newspapers, to examine and describe the characteristics and elements (those rated by ILPC) of the newspapers, the attitudes and opinions of the principals, the qualifications, the attitudes, and the opinions of the advisers. Based on the results, there was no pattern that indicates a given high school newspaper will receive awards.
Date: May 1980
Creator: Scattergood, Kathy
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Study of the Public Relations Structures and Activities at Selected Dallas Hotels (open access)

A Study of the Public Relations Structures and Activities at Selected Dallas Hotels

The study was designed to identify the public relations structures at eight Dallas hotels, their functions and activities, and if public relations effectiveness is evaluated. Findings were based on sixteen interviews with senior management and public relations coordinators. The study concluded that public relations programs are structured by either separate public relations department, public relations activities combined with other department, or an external agency. The public relations functions range from image-building to participation in sales and marketing with primary responsibility of promotion and publicity dominated by economic considerations. One weakness is the lack of formal research methods to discern public opinion. There is a lack of understanding by hotel management of the potential and scope of public relations programs.
Date: May 1981
Creator: Milacek, Barbara J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Comparative Content Analysis of Time, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report Coverage of the 1979 Energy Crisis (open access)

A Comparative Content Analysis of Time, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report Coverage of the 1979 Energy Crisis

This study was designed to determine whether Time, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report news magazines expressed. opinions in their coverage of four topics concerning the 1979 energy crisis: United States government, OPEC, oil companies, and consumers. A content analysis of all stories in the three magazines from May to December 1979 indicated that Time was the most opinionated, U.S. News & World Report was second, and Newsweek was most neutral in coverage of the energy crisis. The percentage of article space allotted had no apparent effect upon the magazines' handling of those topics.
Date: May 1982
Creator: Frazier, Julia Alicia
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Independent Candidate, Campaign '80: A Content Analysis of the Coverage of John B. Anderson in Three News Magazines (open access)

The Independent Candidate, Campaign '80: A Content Analysis of the Coverage of John B. Anderson in Three News Magazines

This study seeks to determine, through content analysis, whether there was evidence in news magazines during the 1980 presidential campaign to support the claim that Anderson was a "media-created candidate." Studying weekly issues of Time, Newsweek, and U. S. News & World Report from April 28, 1980 through November 3, 1980, it was found that (a) Anderson received 17 per cent of the total campaign coverage, compared to Reagan's 42 per cent and Carter's 37 per cent, and (b) overall, Anderson's coverage was mildly negative in all magazines. The study concludes that rather than "creating" Anderson, news magazines may have undercut his viability by restricting the length and number of stories about him.
Date: May 1982
Creator: Deahl, Maureen E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Analysis of Methods of Promoting Country Music Records in the Atlanta, Georgia Area (open access)

An Analysis of Methods of Promoting Country Music Records in the Atlanta, Georgia Area

This study examined promoting recorded country music from Atlanta, Georgia, and explored why Atlanta is important in this field. It was learned, through interviews, that promoters wanted radio airplay and top trade publication chart ratings. Radio station program directors decided upon playlists from reading trade publications, efforts by record promoters, listener requests and focus groups, and from reported sales. Stores used album and poster displays, charts, and played music for promotion. The business is one of personalities and experience, as much as product promoted. Large conglomerates are fast changing it.
Date: May 1986
Creator: Fogel, Betty Cruikshank
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Comparative Content Analysis of ITAR-TASS's and the United Press International's Coverage of the Russian Referendum in April 1993 (open access)

A Comparative Content Analysis of ITAR-TASS's and the United Press International's Coverage of the Russian Referendum in April 1993

A comparative content analysis was conducted to determine whether the Russian (ITAR-TASS) and the American (UPI) wire service coverage of President Boris Yeltsin in the April 25, 1993, referendum was balanced and unbiased. Also, the amount of space dedicated to this topic was measured. Study results indicate that ITAR-TASS was more critical of Yeltsin prior to the referendum than UPI, and that there was no statistically important difference between the two wire services in their post referendum coverage. UPI articles were almost 30% longer than the ITAR-TASS articles. Each UPI article was on an average more than 220 words longer than were the ITAR-TASS articles.
Date: May 1994
Creator: Glad, Lotte Marie
System: The UNT Digital Library
Amarillo Globe-News: How Did Gene Howe and the Globe-News Help Guide Amarillo, Texas through the Dust Bowl and Great Depression? (open access)

Amarillo Globe-News: How Did Gene Howe and the Globe-News Help Guide Amarillo, Texas through the Dust Bowl and Great Depression?

For many years newspapers were locally owned by editors and publishers. However, today many are run by corporations from out of state. As a result, many communities have lost the personal relationship between the family owned publication and the community. Gene Howe, who served as editor, publisher and columnist of the Amarillo Globe-News from 1926 until his death in 1952, believed the community was where the focus should be and the newspaper should do all that it can to help their readers. Despite the fact that Howe was not born in Amarillo, Texas, his passion and love for the city and its inhabitants compensated for it. During the Dust Bowl and Great Depression Howe and the Globe-News helped Amarillo survive the dust and economic storms that blew through the Texas Panhandle, an area that has not been written as much as other parts of Texas. Through his “Tactless Texan” column, which served as a pulpit to the community, to the various contests and promotions the newspaper sprang up, including the creation of Mother in Law Day, Gene Howe gave the newspaper another dimension little has been studied about, the role of the editor and publisher in guiding a community through …
Date: May 2015
Creator: Hasman, Gregory R. C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sources Say … He May Have Been Depressed and Angry: A Case Study and Content Analysis of Mental Illness Sources Used in Newspaper Coverage of Mass Shootings in 2015 (open access)

Sources Say … He May Have Been Depressed and Angry: A Case Study and Content Analysis of Mental Illness Sources Used in Newspaper Coverage of Mass Shootings in 2015

The increase of mass shootings in the U.S. has amplified news reporting on mental illness as a possible factor in the shootings despite no evidence linking the two issues. Sources used to explain mental illness in stories that explore the motivations of mass shooters affect audience perception. Through a qualitative content analysis of local newspaper coverage of five U.S. mass shootings in 2015, journalists linked mental illness as a possible motive through sources who were not qualified to treat or diagnose mental illness. Journalists also ignored professional guidance from the Associated Press on mental illness reporting in the context of mass shootings. Additionally, journalists assumed the audience was knowledgeable of mental illness in general terms and specific diagnoses. These findings indicate coverage of mass shootings includes inaccurate information about shooters' motives, and it also continues to frame mental illness as dangerous.
Date: May 2017
Creator: Fellows, Jacqueline
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Struggling Dance: The Latino Journalist Experience Covering Hispanic and Latino Communities in Dallas (open access)

The Struggling Dance: The Latino Journalist Experience Covering Hispanic and Latino Communities in Dallas

This qualitative study addresses how the Dallas Morning News and Al Día reporters and editors determine what type of news related to the Dallas Latino and Hispanic communities gets covered. It also looks into how and why each newspaper tackles the coverage of these communities. Through a systematic analysis of 8 in-depth interviews and a 6-month ethnography, the findings of this study suggest that Latino and Hispanic journalists in Dallas feel the Latino and Hispanic communities are regarded as the "other." This study suggests the newsroom's hegemony and its news production routines influence the way Latino and Hispanic communities are covered in Dallas, and the way Latino and Hispanic reporters and editors who primarily cover these communities are treated. Though the newsrooms have made an effort to diversity its staff, reporters and editors claim they still have a long way to go before the staff accurately represents the large Hispanic and Latino population in the city.
Date: May 2017
Creator: Limón, Elvia
System: The UNT Digital Library
Evaluating the Efficacy of Engagement Journalism in Local News: An Ethnographic Study of the Dallas Morning News (open access)

Evaluating the Efficacy of Engagement Journalism in Local News: An Ethnographic Study of the Dallas Morning News

The Dallas Morning News is a leader in using engagement journalism to increase and retain digital subscribers. This ethnography examined the efficacy of the engagement journalism work by the News in rebuilding trust and forming relationships with its audience. This research is exceptionally timely as more newsrooms are erecting paywalls to their content and asking their audiences to offer monetary support in exchange for greater access and engagement by journalists. This work is examined through two mass communications theories: functionalism, which says a society can be viewed like an ecosystem as a "system in balance" consisting of complex sets of interrelated activities, each of which supports the others in maintaining the system as a whole; and the dual responsibility model, which says that companies should operate in the best interests of all in the community who depend on them, not only those who benefit financially. Additionally, the work is considered from a human-interaction design standpoint to evaluate whether the News has created affordances that enable the journalists and the readers to communicate, and whether the journalists are effectively practicing service design when publishing news and information for the audience.
Date: May 2019
Creator: Wise, Hannah Marie
System: The UNT Digital Library