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University M icrofilm s International 300 N. Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 84P6438 MacDonald, Deborah M. THE DERIVED IMAGE OF THE SUPERMARKET TABLOID The Ohio Stale University Ph.D. 1984 University Microfilms International300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 Copyright 1984 by MacDonald, Deborah M. All Rights Reserved PLEASE NOTE: In all cases this material has been filmed in the best possible way from the available copy. Problems encountered with this document have been identified here with a check mark •/ . 1. Glossy photographs or pages______ 2. Colored illustrations, paper or print ______ 3. Photographs with dark background ______ 4. Illustrations are poor co p y _______ 5. Pages with black marks, not original copy_______ 6. Print shows through as there is text on both sides of page ______ 7. Indistinct, broken or small print on several pages 8. Print exceeds margin requirements ______ 9. Tightly bound copy with print lost in spine _______ 10. Computer printout pages with indistinct print ______ 11. P ag e(s)____________ lacking when material received, and not available from school or author. 12. P ag e(s)____________ seem to be missing in numbering only as text follows. 13. Two pages numbered ____________ . Text follows. 14. Curling and wrinkled pages ______ 15. O ther_______________________________________________________________ ________ University Microfilms International THE DERIVED IMAGE OF THE SUPERMARKET TABLOID DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio Str:e University By Deborah M. MacDonald, B.A., M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1984 Reading Committee: Approved By Dr. Thomas A. McCain Dr. Donald J . Cegala Adviser Dr. Lee B. Becker Department of Communication COPYRIGHT DEBORAH M. MACDONALD 1984 THE DERIVED IMAGE OF THE SUPERMARKET TABLOID BY Deborah M. MacDonald, Ph.D. The Ohio State University, 1984 Dr. Thomas McCain, Adviser Each week over 11 mi lion supermarket tabloids are sold in the United States. These periodicals such as the National Enquirer have become a pervasive medium. The tabloids are a journalistic success story, yet critics feel that they represent yellow journalism at its worst. A libel judgement awarded to entertainer Carol Burnett has shown the public that the National Enquirer, at least, is capable of printing what it knows to be erroneous in order to produce a sensational story. This investigation was conducted in order to determine what perceptions people have formed regarding this relatively unstudied media form. Specifically, this study sought to determine the derived image of the tabloids, and to what extent tabloid readership is a function of level of image and low-taste orientation. A random telephone survey was conducted which resulted in 363 completed interviews -- 179 from respondents who claimed to have read a tabloid in the last five years and 184 from respondents who had not. ii The data revealed that overall, the derived image of the supermarket tabloids does not appear to be a very positive one, particularly in the areas of credibility, utility and perceived readership (in terms of why people read). Positive perceptions of the tabloids focused on their ability to pass time, their cheap price, upbeat quality and dynamism. Level and type of experience does seem to have an effect on the image that is held of the tabloids. Most notably, those respondents who had only indirect experience with the tabloids in the form of mass media and interpersonal messages (nonreaders), were most likely to hold negative tabloid perceptions. In terms of low-taste orientation, both regular and occasional tabloid readers seemed to exhibit more of a preference for low-taste media content than did nonreaders. The data also indicated that tabloid readers do not appear to be a homogeneous group, and probable reader segments include believers, light-hearted readers and readers who feel guilty about reading. This study represents an attempt at better understanding some of the dynamics of the tabloid phenomenon. The findings of this study should prove useful for those researchers who choose to further explore this area where more exploration seems required. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all of the people who assisted and supported me during this research project: Maria Boiler, Brian Williams, Tom Battocletti and Dave Watson, for their assistance in interviewing, coding and data entry; Anne Mattina, for her assistance in coding; Anne Murray, for her assistance in coding and in the typing of my prospectus; Linda Nolan, Scott Marshall, Larry Smith, Gary Pike, Anne Mattina, Jean Dobos, Gloria Galanes, Nadine Koch and Kristan Endress, who acted as judges for the media taste sort; The Spring 1984 class of Communication 626, who conducted the interviewing for the general survey; Jean Dobos and Nadine Koch, for the learned advice they so freely gave; Kim Pasi, who so professionally typed all of my tables; Kathy Ouzts, a true friend, who spent long hours typing the text of this dissertation; Dr. Lee Becker, for his insightful mind; Dr. Donald Cegala, for his incredible patience and skills as an educator; Dr. Thomas McCain, my advisor, who believed in me and in this research project, and without whom I would not be the scholar I am today; And last, but not least, Keith Yeazel, for his love and understanding. iv VITA July 7, 1957 ............................ Born - Prince Edward Island, Canada 1978 ............................................... B.A., University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada 1979 ............................................... Teaching Associate, Department of Speech Communication and Theater Arts, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 1980 ............................................... M.A., Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 1980-82 .......................................... Teaching Associate, Department of Communication, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1982-84 .......................................... Research Associate, Department of Communication, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio RESEARCH AREAS Major Area: Audience Analysis Minor Areas: Media Policy and Regulation, Persuasion v TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................. iv VITA.............................................................................................................................. v LIST OF TABLES....................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES....................................................................................................... x CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION.................................................................................... 1 PART I: OVERVIEW OF THE TABLOIDS........................ 3 Early History ...................................................................... 3 The New E n q u ire r ............................................................. 5 Competition Arrives ........................................................ 7 Surviving and Prospering .......................................... 9 Some Reasons for the Enquirer's Popularity . 10 Elaborate Measures ........................................................ 12 The Stereotypical