Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-xm8r8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-02T22:17:50.008Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Has Cable Ended the Golden Age of Presidential Television?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Matthew A. Baum  and
Samuel Kernell
Matthew A. Baum
Affiliation:
University of California, San Diego
Samuel Kernell
Affiliation:
University of California, San Diego
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

For the past 30 years, presidents have enlisted prime-time television to promote their policies to the American people. For most of this era, they have been able to commandeer the national airwaves and speak to “captive” viewers. Recently, however, presidents appear to be losing their audiences. Two leading explanations are the rise of political disaffection and the growth of cable. We investigate both by developing and testing a model of the individual's viewing decision using both cross-sectional (1996 NES survey) and time-series (128 Nielsen audience ratings for presidential appearances between 1969 and 1998) data. We find that cable television but not political disaffection has ended the golden era of presidential television. Moreover, we uncover evidence that both presidents and the broadcast networks have begun adapting strategically to this new reality in scheduling presidential appearances.

Type
Articles
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 93 , Issue 1 , March 1999 , pp. 99 - 114
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1999

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Books and Periodicals

Aldrich, John H., and Nelson, Forrest D.. 1984. Linear Probability, Logit, and Probit Models. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andrade, Lydia, and Young, Garry. 1996. “Presidential Agenda Setting: Influences on the Emphasis of Foreign Policy.” Political Research Quarterly 49(09):591–605.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ansolabehere, Stephen, and Iyengar, Shanto. 1995. Going Negative: How Attack Ads Shrink and Polarize the Electorate. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Associated Press. 1996. “Campaign 96: Debate Not a Hit, but Beats Game.” New York: Newsday. 10 18.Google Scholar
Bartels, Larry M. 1993. “Messages Received: The Political Impact of Media Exposure.” American Political Science Review 87(06):267–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Behr, Roy L., and Iyengar, Shanto. 1985. “Television News, Real-world Cues, and Changes in the Public Agenda.” Public Opinion Quarterly 49(Spring):38–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bennett, Stephen Earl. 1986. Apathy in America, 1960–1984: Causes and Consequences of Citizen Political Indifference. New York: Transnational Publishers.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berke, Richard L. 1998. “A Wild Ride, with No End Now in Sight.” New York Times, 01 30, A14.Google Scholar
Beville, Hugh Malcolm Jr. 1985. Audience Ratings: Radio, Television and Cable. Hillsdale, NJ, and London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Bower, Robert T. 1985. The Changing Television Audience in America. New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Boyer, Peter J. 1988. “Networks Refuse to Broadcast Reagan's Plea.” New York Times, 02 3, A10.Google Scholar
Brace, Paul, and Hinckley, Barbara. 1993. “Presidential Activities from Truman through Reagan: Timing and Impact.” Journal of Politics 55:(05):382–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Briller, Bert R. 1990. “Zooming in Closer on the News Audience.” Television Quarterly 25(Winter):107–6.Google Scholar
Broder, David. 1994. “War on Cynicism.” Washington Post, July 6, A19.Google Scholar
Brody, Richard. 1991. Assessing Presidential Character: The Media, Elite Opinion, and Public Support. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cappella, Joseph N., and Jamieson, Kathleen Hall. 1997. Spiral of Cynicism. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Citrin, Jack. 1974. “Comment: The Political Relevance of Trust in Government.” American Political Science Review 68(09):973–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, Jeffrey E. 1995. “Presidential Rhetoric and the Public Agenda.” American Journal of Political Science 39(02): 7–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dionne, E. J. 1991. Why Americans Hate Politics. New York: Simon & Schuster.Google Scholar
Erikson, Robert S., and Tedin, Kent L.. 1995. American Public Opinion: Its Origins, Content, and Impact. 5th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.Google Scholar
Foote, Joe S. 1988. “Ratings Decline of Presidential Television.” Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media 32(Spring):225–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Groeling, Tim, and Kernell, Samuel. 1998. “Is Network News Coverage of the President Biased?” Journal of Politics 60(11):1064–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grossman, Michael B, and Kumar, Martha J.. 1981. Portraying the President: The White House and the News Media. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.Google Scholar
Gujarati, Damodar N. 1995. Basic Econometrics. 3d ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Hallin, Daniel C. 1994. We Keep America on Top of the World: Television Journalism and the Public Sphere. London and New York: TJ Press (Padstow).Google Scholar
Hickman, Harrison. 1984. “Presidential Election Debates: Do They Matter?” Election Politics 2(Winter):10–14.Google Scholar
Iyengar, Shanto, and Kinder, Donald R.. 1987. News That Matters. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Kernell, Samuel. 1997. Going Public. 3d ed. Washington, DC: CQ Press.Google Scholar
King, Gary, Tomz, Michael, and Wittenberg, Jason. 1998. “Making the Most of Statistical Analyses: Improving Interpretation and Presentation.” Presented at the annual meetings of the American Political Science Association, Boston, MA.Google Scholar
Lowry, Brian. 1996. “Debate Attracts a Third of Potential TV Audience.” Los Angeles Times, 10 9, F2.Google Scholar
Lowry, Brian. 1997. “Cable Stations Gather Strength.” Los Angeles Times, 09 2, F1.Google Scholar
MacKuen, Michael B. 1983. “Political Drama, Economic Conditions, and the Dynamics of Presidential Popularity.” American Journal of Political Science 27(05):165–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maltese, John A. 1994. Spin Control: The White House Office of Communications and the Management of Presidential News. 2d ed. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.Google Scholar
Media Monitor. 1991. Center for Media and Public Affairs [CMPA]. Spring, p. 4.Google Scholar
Miller, Arthur H. 1974. “Political Issues and Trust in Government: 1964–1970.” American Political Science Review 68(09): 951–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, Joanne, and Krosnick, Jon. 1996. “News Media Impact on the Ingredients of Presidential Evaluations: A Program of Research on the Priming Hypothesis.” In Presidential Persuasion andAttitudinal Change, ed. Mutz, Diana C., Sniderman, Paul M., and Brody, Richard A.. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Pp. 79–101.Google Scholar
Minow, Newton N., Martin, John Bartlow, and Mitchell, Lee M.. 1973. Presidential Television. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Moisy, Claude. 1996. “The Foreign News Flow in the Information Age.” Discussion Paper D-23. Joan Shorenstein Center, John F. Kennedy School of Government.Google Scholar
Mondak, Jeffrey J. 1993. “Source Cues and Policy Approval: The Cognitive Dynamics of Public Support for the Reagan Agenda.” American Journal of Political Science 37(02):186–212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neustadt, Richard E. 1960. Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents. New York: John Wiley.Google Scholar
Nielsen Media Research. 1993. Nielsen Tunes in to Politics. New York: Nielsen Media Research.Google Scholar
Norman, Donald A. 1988. The Psychology of Everyday Things. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Nye, Joseph S. Jr., Zelikow, Philip D., and King, David C., eds. 1997. Why People Don't Trust Government. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Page, Benjamin, Shapiro, Robert, and Dempsey, Glenn R.. 1987. “What Moves Public Opinion.” American Political Science Review 81(09):815–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patterson, Thomas. 1996. “Bad News, Period.” PS: Political Science & Politics 29(03):17–20.Google Scholar
Putnam, Robert D. 1995. “Bowling Alone.” Journal of Democracy 6(01) :65–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Popkin, Samuel. 1994. The Reasoning Voter. 2d ed. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Ragsdale, Lyn. 1984. “The Politics of Presidential Speechmaking, 1949–1980.” American Political Science Review 78(12): 971–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenstone, Steven J., and Hansen, John Mark. 1993. Mobilization, Participation and Democracy in America. New York: Macmillan.Google Scholar
Rutkus, Denis S. 1976. “A Report on Simultaneous Television Network Coverage of Presidential Addresses to the Nation.” In U.S. Congress, House, Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, Hearings on Federal Communication Commission Oversight, 03 2–3.Google Scholar
Shogren, Elizabeth. 1998. “Clinton Uses State of the Union to Show Activist President Strategy: Instead of One Big News Splash, White House Stretches Address into Series of Front-Page Stories.” Los Angeles Times, 01 10, A1.Google Scholar
Sigelman, Lee, and Rosenblatt, Alan. 1996. “Methodological Considerations in the Analysis of Presidential Persuasion.” In Political Persuasion and Attitude Change, ed. Mutz, Diana C., Sniderman, Paul M., and Brody, Richard A.. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Pp. 171–92.Google Scholar
Simon, Dennis M., and Ostrom, Charles W. Jr. 1989. “The Impact of Televised Speeches and Foreign Travel on Presidential Approval.” Public Opinion Quarterly 53(Spring):58–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Snow, Shauna. 1998. “Morning Report: Arts and Entertainment Reports from the Times, National and International News Services and the Nation's Press.” Los Angeles Times, 01 22, F50.Google Scholar
Stanley, Harold W., and Niemi, Richard G.. 1998. Vital Statistics on American Politics, 1997–1998. Washington, DC: CQ Press.Google Scholar
Webster, James G., and Lichty, Lawrence W.. 1991. Ratings Analysis: Theory and Practice. Hillsdale, NJ, and London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Zaller, John. 1990. “Political Awareness, Elite Opinion Leadership, and the Mass Survey Response.” Social Cognition 8(Spring):125–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zaller, John. 1992. The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zaller, John. 1997. “A Model of Communication Effects at the Outbreak of the Gulf War.” In Do the Media Govern? Politicians, Voters, and Reporters in America, ed. Iyengar, Shanto and Reeves, Richard. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Pp. 296–311.Google Scholar
Davis, James Allen, and Smith, Tom W.. 1996. General Social Surveys, 1972–1999 [computer file]. Chicago: National Opinion Research Center [producer]. Storrs, CT: Roper Public Opinion Research Center [distributor, 1996]. NORC edition.Google Scholar
Rosenstone, Steven J., Kinder, Donald R., Miller, Warren E., and the National Election Studies. 1997. American National Election Study, 1996: Pre- and Post-Election Survey [computer file]. 2d release. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, Center for Political Studies [producer]. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor].Google Scholar
Center for Media and Public Affairs [CMPA]. “Markle Presidential Election Watch: Report Card.” http:www.cmpa.com/politics/Elections/ewarchiv.htm (02 29, 1996).Google Scholar
Tomz, Michael, Wittenberg, Jason, and King, Gary. 1998. “CLARIFY: Software for Interpreting and Presenting Statistical Results.” Version 1.1.1. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, August 28. Available at http://gking.harvard.edu/stats.shtml (02 10, 1999).Google Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.