The effect of market structure, profitability and organization size on commercialization, clutter, clearance and complaint practices used by commercial television stations nationwide

The last decade represented an era of unprecedented change in broadcast regulation and self-regulation. The National Association of Broadcasters abandoned its Television Code in 1982, and the Federal Communications Commission deregulated commercial television in 1984 and relaxed local station requirements for screening or clearing ads in 1985. These changes may affect the amount and accuracy of commercial information consumers receive.;A national mail survey of broadcast TV management was conducted to consider these questions and to determine if advertising practices changed after deregulation. The goal was to use economic theory, mass media policy research and organizational theory to predict performance differences in: (1) the level of commercialization, (2) the number and composition of commercial breaks, (3) the number and type of standards and sources a station uses or consults when clearing ads, and (4) individual station complaint practices. The idea that stations manipulate these practices to make their broadcast fare more attractive to viewers and commercial time more attractive to advertisers was also proposed and tested.;The primary independent variables were market structure or concentration, station profitability, and organization size. Regressions were used to analyze these variables' relative effect on the dependent variables. T-tests were used to assess the usefulness of distinguishing different types of markets based on the level of concentration, profitability of stations and organization size.;Study results suggest that some relationships between market structure, profitability and organization size, and commercialization, clutter, clearance and complaint practices exist. Results also support the notion that station managers may manipulate the dependent variables to make their airtime more attractive to viewers and advertisers. The implications of the marketplace approach are also discussed.;But what, if any, effect is this free marketplace approach having on the advertising practices of commercial TV stations? How well is the public interest served in the decision-making hands of commercial broadcasters as compared with FCC policies and self-regulatory bodies?...