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An innovative method is proposed for generating valid national samples of online e-mail addresses that are proportionate to the population. Although multistage cluster sampling is not new, this particular application using first names and/or surnames has not been previously published or presented. This article outlines the method in detail and presents a number of advantages over other forms of samples. Limitations are also discussed.

Dividing voters up into groups from most to least partisan to those politically unattached, this study, based on a telephone survey in Toledo, tests the notion that those most partisan will use the press most for reinforcement of political views while those least partisan or unattached will be more likely to seek information. Findings are mixed but there is evidence that independent partisans—one of the groups studied—is most likely to seek information from television. There are a number of other suggestive findings.

This study focused on the gratifications of some of the newer television technologies. Specifically we expected that cable television, videocassette recorders, and remote control devices would increase the gratifications people receive from watching television and the satisfaction they derive from television use. Telephone interviews were completed with 615 respondents in a Midwestern town. There was only limited support for our expectations. Use of new technologies had an impact on receiving, pass-the-time, and companionship gratifications from television viewing. Instrumental viewing motives, television exposure, and receiving informational gratifications from television viewing were the strongest predictors of television satisfaction. The discussion relates these findings to the ambiguous meanings that the new technologies have in U.S. society.

The cultivation perspective holds that heavy exposure to television's consistent messages leads viewers to be more fearful and mistrustful of others. The widespread adoption and use of new television technologies, however, may alter how television viewing cultivates social reality beliefs by allowing for greater programming diversity and greater viewer control. Two random-digit-dialed telephone surveys of adults in two U.S. cities were conducted to test the impact of cable, VCRs, and remote control devices on fear of crime and interpersonal mistrust. It was found that whereas interpersonal mistrust was linked to greater exposure to cable's broadcast-type channels, both fear of crime and mistrust were negatively related to increased exposure to more specialized and diverse cable channels. Fear of crime was also linked negatively to VCR ownership. The discussion suggests that mass communication researchers continue to explore the impact of new television technologies on traditional media effects.