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Employing a uses and gratifications paradigm, we expected that audience experience with televised sports would vary on the basis of fanship, with fans having a qualitatively different, deeper, and more textured set of expectations and responses than nonfans. Fans were expected to respond in similar ways, regardless of gender. Telephone interviews were completed with 707 adults residing in Los Angeles and Indianapolis. Fanship was operationalized using cognitive, affective, and behavioral bases. In this study, fanship made a difference, with fans clearly more invested in the viewing experience. Male and female sports fans reacted and responded in almost identical ways, although men generally were an insignificant shade more involved than women. However, since more males are fans, the televised sports viewing experience in many households may not be shared, even when husbands and wives watch the same TV sports program.

Much has changed in television since the 1970s, when most studies examining the content of advertising to children were conducted. A n altered regulato y climate and changes in the industy structure (e.g., growth of cable and irzdependent stations) suggest the need to reexamine the characteristics of such messages. mis study assessed the nature and number of commercials during children ' . s programs on three diflerent types of channels: broadcast networks, independent stations, and cable networks. Clear patterns of dijferences were found ucross the various channel types. 7be broadcast nelworks provided the greatest amount of advertising; cable presented signzjicantly less. Independent stations captured the largest share of to-y ads. Cable presented the widest range ofproducts advertised, including such new categories as recorded telephone messages targeting children. 'fie study also examined the themes/appeal.s emplo-yed in the commercials, disclosures/disclaimers used, and other content attributes qf the advertising.

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