On electronic public space: Talk shows in theoretical perspective

Herbst, Susan

doi:10.1080/10584609.1995.9963073

Cited by 43 publications

(20 citation statements)

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“…Political talk radio provides a good context in which to test Zaller's (1996) claims about media effects because sound 370 GangHeong Lee and Joseph N. Cappella measures of media reception are available, and variance in the content of the messages sent by hosts about political leaders is large. Under these circumstances, Zaller predicts that the effects of messages will be large when receipt of those messages is properly measured.Studies of the impact of political talk radio have focused on the nature of democratic participation (Bick, 1988;Page & Tannenbaum, 1996), political and social alienation (Hoffstetter et al, 1994;Petrozzello, 1994), and public opinion and political behavior (Barker, 1996;Boyer, 1992;Herbst, 1995). However, there is little systematic research on the impact of political talk on attitudes toward political leaders.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Studies of the impact of political talk radio have focused on the nature of democratic participation (Bick, 1988;Page & Tannenbaum, 1996), political and social alienation (Hoffstetter et al, 1994;Petrozzello, 1994), and public opinion and political behavior (Barker, 1996;Boyer, 1992;Herbst, 1995). However, there is little systematic research on the impact of political talk on attitudes toward political leaders.…”

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The Effects of Political Talk Radio On Political Attitude Formation: Exposure Versus Knowledge

Lee¹,

Cappella²

2001

Political Communication

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The effects of political news on the mass audience are usually difficult to establish empirically. Recent models of mass communication effects have held that political knowledge is a better indicator of media reception than traditional measures of exposure. This claim is tested in two studies of attitudes toward Democratic and Republican leaders during the 1996 U.S. presidential primary campaigns. The impact of messages from three types of political talk radio (PTR) is examined: Rush Limbaugh, other conservative hosts, and liberal/moderate hosts. Political knowledge and exposure to talk radio are found to be equally good predictors of attitudes toward political leaders when studied separately. However, when tested against one another, exposure is the more effective measure. Agreement between Rush Limbaugh's messages and his audience's attitudes toward political figures is consistent and strong. Biased processing of PTR content by audience members with partisan predispositions contrary to those of the host is also examined.Keywords attitude formation, biased processing, media exposure, political knowledge, political leaders, political talk radio GangHeong Lee is an assistant professor at Taegu University, Korea. Joseph N. Cappella is a Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania. The data reported in this article were collected as part of the political talk radio project conducted at the Annenberg School for Communication and funded by grants to Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Joseph N. Cappella from The Ford Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The views presented are those of the authors alone.Address correspondence to GangHeong Lee via e-mail: glee@asc.upenn.edu.This article examines the effects of political talk radio (PTR) on the formation of voters' attitudes toward political leaders. Political talk radio can be defined as "call-in shows that emphasize discussion of politicians, elections, and public policy issues" (Knight & Barker, 1996, p. 2). Political talk radio was once viewed primarily as a form of entertainment, especially for the lonely (Armstrong & Rubin, 1989;Bierig & Dimmick, 1979;Turow, 1974) and for the less affluent and educated (Crittenden, 1971;Surlin, 1986). In recent years, however, PTR has grown as a major source of political information for many of its audience members. In some circumstances, it can also be a determinant of public opinion and political behavior (Knight & Barker, 1996). Researchers have tried to determine whether media exposure or political knowledge is the better measure of reception of mass communication. Political talk radio provides a good context in which to test Zaller's (1996) claims about media effects because sound 370 GangHeong Lee and Joseph N. Cappella measures of media reception are available, and variance in the content of the messages sent by hosts about political leaders is large. Under these circumstances, Zaller predicts that the effects of messages will be large when receipt of those messages is properly m...

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

The Effects of Political Talk Radio On Political Attitude Formation: Exposure Versus Knowledge

Lee¹,

Cappella²

2001

Political Communication

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“…Echoing theorists of deliberative democracy, many researchers thus focused on talk radio as democratic forums on which people express opinions and exchange views (Crittenden, 1971;Herbst, 1995;Livingstone & Lunt, 1994). The present study further shows that talk radio can contribute to democratic deliberation by being systematically related to public discussions outside the confines of talk radio.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Carey (1993) argues that the rise of talk radio in the early 1990s in the US represents citizens' attempt 'to reassert both a public interest and public participation in the sphere of national politics ' (p. 19). Herbst (1995) argues that talk radio provide channels for the bottomÁup, unstructured communication of public opinions, as opposed to the topÁdown, structured communication of public opinions in polling (Herbst, 1993). Similarly, Livingstone and Lunt (1994) and Leurdijk (1997) emphasize that audience participation talk shows on radio and television provide the space for citizens to express opinions in their everyday, laypeople discourses and in relation to their own experiences.…”

Section: The Political Significance and Influence Of Talk Radiomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the past 20 years, talk radio 1 has been a major type of mediated public forums in many countries. It provides 'an electronic public space' with the potential to contribute to public deliberation in its own way (Herbst, 1995;Livingstone & Lunt, 1994). Therefore, it is important to study talk radio as a 'democratic forum' and talk radio listening as an 'opinion activity' (Pan & Kosicki, 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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