A Study of Printed Mass Media Circulation and Radio Receiver Ownership Patterns in the United States: 1950

221 Pages·10.707 MB·English

by  Smith, Oliver Rollin

A STUDY OF PRINTED MASS MEDIA CIRCULATION
AND RADIO RECEIVER OWNERSHIP PATTERNS IN THE UNITED
STATES: 1950
by
Oliver Rollin Smith
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the field of
Mass Communications in the Graduate College
of the State University of Iowa
August 1951
ProQuest Number: 10907249
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I wish to express appreciation and thanks to the
following persons and organisations to whom I am indebted for
assistance in carrying out this research projects to Professor
Leslie G. Moeller, chairman of my doctoral committee, for his
interest in the project fend his valuable suggestions and critic­
isms; to other members of the committee — Professors Arthur M.
Barnes, H. Clay Harshbarger, Norman C# Meier and Walter A*
Steigleman — for reading of the manuscript and offering helpful
advice to the project; to Kathleen Cassill, librarian of the
School of Journalism, for facilitating the necessary library
research; to John Scott Davenport for aid in obtaining newspaper
circulation data; to Audit Bureau of Circulations Inc., National
Advertising Service and various state press associations for
making available requested information; and most of all to my
wife for encouragement and unstinting aid without which the
accomplishment of the project would not have been possible*
Oliver R. Smith
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter page
I The Problem................................. 1
Statement of the Problem • • .............. 2
Limitation of Media Categories........ • * 3
Additional Limitations................... 5
IX Social and Economic Aspects of the Potential
Audience for Mass Communications........ 8
Population and Age Characteristics • 9
Nativity and Racial Factors............* • 18
Economic and Educational Levels........... 21
Farm Income and Ownership . ............ 26
Basing Units, Socio-Economic Indices, and
Projected Analyses of Media Consumption
Levels • • * % • • . • 26
Basing Units • • • « • 29
Socio-Economic Indices • • 29
Analyses Planned* • * • * • • • • ....... 30
III Daily Newspaper Consumption in the States....... 32
Newspapers Included ............. 32
Daily Newspapers .......... 33
Morning and Evening Classifications • • • • 34
Sunday Newspapers .............. 36
Sources of Circulation Data.............. 38
Post Office Statements............ 38
"ABC11 Statements ........... 39
"ABC* Audit Reports................... 40
Base Period Circulation Averages ....... 41
The Inventory of Circulation by States • • • • 42
Content of Audit Reports........ 42
Selection of Audited Newspapers......... 43
Inventory Procedure ................ 44
Obtaining Uniform Base Periods......... 46
Comparison of Total Circulation Figures « • 47
Indices of Daily and Sunday Newspaper
Consumption • • • * • • • • • • • • • • • • 50
Socio-Economic Factors in Relation to Daily
Newspaper Consumption * * * • • * • • • * • 54
iii
Chapter page
III (continued)
linear Correlations................ 54
Rank-Order Analyses ........... . . . . . 55
Socio-Ec onomic Factors in Relation to Sunday
Newspaper Consumption.................. 64
Linear Correlations................... 65
Rank-Order Analyses................... 65
XV Weekly Newspaper Consumption In the States • • • • 72
Sources of Data . . ................. * . 73
Inventory of Weekly Newspaper Circulation • • 75
Indices of Weekly Newspaper Consumption • . • 7$
Socio-Economic Factors in Relation to Weekly
Newspaper Consumption . . . • SI
Linear Correlations............ . * « « SI
Rank-Order Analyses * ........ S2
V Consumer Magazine Consumption in the States . • . ♦ 89
Classes of Consumer Magazines to be Included . 90
Limitations in Sources of Data............ 92
Inventory and Indices of Magazine Circulation. 94
Socio-Economic Factors as Related to Consumer
Magazine Consumption * * . « • » » • • * • • 97
Linear Correlations................... 97
Rank-Order Analyses ............ 98
VI Comic Book Consumption in the States............ 108
Sources of Data . • • • • 108
Comic Book Circulation and Consumption Indices 110
Socio-Economic Factors as Related to Comic
Book Consumption................. • • • 114
Linear Correlations .......... • • • • 114
Rank-Order Analyses.............. 115
VII Farm Publication Consumption In the States • • . • 122
Inventory and Indices of Farm Publication
Coasunptloh ............ 124
lv
Chapter page
MU (continued)
Farm Publication Consumption as Related to
Income, Ownership and Racial Factors • • * 127
linear Correlations.................. 127
Rank-Order Analyses................• 128
VIII Radio Receiver Ownership in the States . . • • • 135
Radio Ownership Data ...........• * 137
Socio-Economic Factors as Related to
Radio Receiver Ownership.........* 141
Linear Correlations • • • * • • • • • 141
Rank-Order Analyses.......... . • 142
IX Television Receiver Ownership in the United States 150
Ratio of Television Homes * • • • • • * * » 151
Inventory of Television Receiver Ownership • 154
Comparison of Television Area Locations Media
Consumption Levels • « * • ....... • • 159
X Comparative Media Consumption Patterns . * * • • 163
Hewspaper Consumption Patterns * ....... 163
Magazine# Comics and Sunday Newspaper
Consumption » • • • • • • * • • • • • • • 166
Printed Media Consumption and Radio
Ownership ........ • • • • ......... 169
XI Summary and Conclusions * * * * * ............ 173
Inventories and Indices of Mass Media
Consumption * • • • * * • * * . * * • * * 173
Socio-Economic Factors and Media Consumption
Levels • • « * • • • • • • • • * • • * • • 174
Suggestions for Further Research......... 175
Appendix
A Sunday Circulation of Dailies Having Fewer Than
Six Issues on Week Days « * • • • • • • • • • • 178
v
Appendix page
B 179 Daily Newspapers (Including 103 Sunday Editions; ,
Examined for Interstate Circulation Data . • • • 181
C Weekly* Semi-Weekly and Tri-Weekly Newspapers*
By States: 1950 . * • ................... 192
D Names* Classifications* and Frequencies of 228
Consumer Magazines ........ . ♦ . . ..........193
E Names* Frequencies and Publishers of 160 Comic
Books................................... 198
F Comic Books and Groups with Circulation by
States Unlisted. • ............ . 201
G Names and Frequencies of 170 Farm Publications • • 202
H A Survey of Out-of-State Circulation of Weekly
Newspapers ........... • • 206
The Method............................ 206
The Findings........ . . . . 206
Bibliography • • • • • » • • • » 208
vi
TABLE OF TABLES
Table page
X Population and Age Characteristics, by States • 10
XI Kunfcer of Homes, by States . . ........... 13
XXX Population Density by States, 1930........ • 13
19 Per Cent of Urban Population, by States, 1940 • 17
V Per Cent of Native White Population, by States,♦ 19
71 Per Cent of White Population, by States, 1940 • 20
7XX Income of Individuals, By States: 1949 • • • • 22
7XXX Educational Level of Adult Population, by States 23
XX Farm Units, Farm Income and Farm Ownership,
by States ........ 27
X Circulation of 1743 Daily and 335 Sunday
Newspapers, 1950 .................. • . . . 43
XX Circulation of 1745 Daily and 335 Sunday
Newspapers Per 1,000 Adults, 1950 . . . • • • 51
XXX Comparative Ranking of States in Daily Newspaper
Consumption and Indices of Selected Socio-
Economic Factors • • • • • • » • • • • • • • • 56
XXIX Comparative Ranking of States in Sunday Newspaper
Consumption and Indices of Selected Socio-
Economic Factors................... . • • 66
XIV Total Circulation of 8708 Weekly Newspapers, 1950 77
XV Weekly Newspaper Circulation Per 1000 Adults, 1950 79
XVI Comparative Ranking of States in Weekly Newspaper
Consumption and Indices of Selected Socio-
Economic Factors .............. 83
XVII Circulation of 228 Consumer Magazines, 1950 • « * 95
vii
Table page
XVIII Comparative Hanking of States In Consumer Magazine
Consumption and Indices of Selected Socio-Economic
Factors .................. « • • • • • • • • 99
XIX Circulation of 160 Comic Books, 1950 112
XX Comparative Hanking of States in Comic Book Con­
sumption and Indices of Selected Socio-Economic
Factors..................... * 116
XXI Circulation of 170 Farm Publications, 1950 • • « 125
XXII Comparative Ranking of States in Farm Publication
Consumption and Indices of Selected Factors . « 129
XXIII Homes Equipped with Radio Receivers, 1950 . • • » 139
XXIV Comparative Ranking of States in Radio Receiver
Ownership and Indices of Selected Socio-Economic
Factors » * * « • • ...................... 143
XXV Television in Occupied Dwelling Units, for the
United States, by Residence: 1950 » « » • • « 152
XXVI Humber of Television Receivers, by Areas, May,1950 156
XXVII Media Consumption Rankings of Television and
Hon-Television States « • • • , ......... * • 161
XXVIII Combined Circulation (Weighted) of Daily and Weakly
Newspapers Per 1000 Adults ........ 165
XXIX Combined Circulation of Consumer Magazines and
Sunday newspapers Per 1000 Adults * * * * • • « 168
XXX Comparative Ranking of States in Indices of
Combined Printed Media Consumption and Radio
Receiver Ownership ♦ . • » • » • • * • • • • • 170
XXXI Sunday Circulation of Dallies having fewer than
Six Issues on Week Bays................... 178
vlii
Table page
XXXII 179 Dally Newspapers (Including 103 Sunday Editions)
Examined for Interstate Circulation Data * . . * 179
XXXIIX Weekly, Semi-Weekly and Tri-Weekly Newspapers,
by States: 1950 • • • « • • • * * • • • • • « • • 192
XXXI? Comic Books and Groups with Circulation by States
Unlisted ................................ 201
Ix