The dynamics of institutional change and network television news: A content analysis of network evening news, 1984-1987

• Main Author: Tessier, Elizabeth Monique
• Language: ENG
• Published: ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst 1991
• Subjects: Mass media
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9120947

The primary intent of this research has been the analysis of network television newscasts, with the purpose of understanding the relationship between the network organization and the news product, specifically in times of institutional change. This study focuses on the years 1984-87, which represent a period of virtual transformation of the American broadcast industry. As all three networks came under new management, there were major changes at the news divisions and accompanying responses were anticipated in the newscasts. The present investigation was designed to examine the behavior of the nightly network newscasts which accompanied the shifts in the network organizations. A systematic content analysis was designed to measure components of the network nightly newscasts for the four years from 1984-87. Using the Vanderbilt News Abstracts, almost 40,000 news stories were coded on forty-five different format and content variables. By measuring each of these variables, it was possible to describe the behavior of the network news system at given points and track its evolution over time, thereby leading to answers about the impact of organizational change on network news. Major findings include the trend toward fewer, longer stories and reports in the average newscast. The anchors did fewer tell stories, but conducted more interviews. Domestic news was sacrificed for increased coverage of international news, and the biggest cuts came from local news. The networks used fewer correspondents and expanded their use of 'remote' correspondents covering news from a secondary location. The newscasts increased the number of sources speaking on-camera and all but eliminated network commentary. There was no significant change in the coverage of story topics or the proportion of government-related news. In conclusion, there were clear changes in the newscasts which correlate with the events of the four years of the study.