...a must-read for anyone studying the VCR and is recommended to anyone seeking to explore communication technology within theoretical contexts.
-Journalism Quarterly
In 11 high-quality chapters, this book skillfully and provocatively explores what Dobrow calls the `relationships' of the VCR to other media industries, to various theoretical frameworks, and to individual patterns of behavior and video use.
-Journal of Communication
Contents: J.R. Dobrow, Introduction. Part I:The Relationship of VCRs to Other Media Industries: Competition, Cooperation, and Confusion.E. Secunda, VCRs and Viewer Control Over Programming: An Historical Perspective. M. Komiya, B. Litman, The Economics of the Prerecorded Videocassette Industry. B.C. Klopfenstein, Audience Measurement in the VCR Environment: An Examination of Ratings Methodologies. Part II:The Relationship of VCRs to Theoretical Frameworks: Testing, Extending, or Maintaining Existing Media Theories.C.A. Lin, Audience Activity and VCR Use. K.K. Massey, S.J. Baran, VCRs and People's Control of Their Leisure Time. M. Morgan, J. Shanahan, C. Harris, VCRs and the Effects of Television: New Diversity or More of the Same? J.D. Straubhaar, Context, Social Class and VCRs: A World Comparison. Part III:The Relationship of VCRs to Individual Expression, Collective Identity, and Social Patterns.K.E. Heintz, VCR Libraries: Opportunities for Parental Control. A.B. Jordan, A Family Systems Approach to the Use of the VCR in the Home. J.R. Dobrow, The Rerun Ritual: Using VCRs to Re-View. L.J. Vale, Captured on Videotape: Camcorders and the Personalization of Television.