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All of the programming described in the previous sections was videotaped at the Center's headquarters on a daily basis. The television networks and others offered to provide the programming, but we felt it was better and more reliable to obtain the programming on our own. Furthermore, we wanted to examine the advertising, promotions and other content which surround the programs themselves. We were curious to see what material the local stations in Los Angeles inserted into the schedule of programs. Since the local network stations in Los Angeles are all owned and operated by the broadcast networks themselves, we also examined some programming from affiliates in other cities (stations that run network programming but which are independently owned).
During the spring and summer of 1994, the Center interviewed students for the position of project monitor. Each of the selected students was affiliated with UCLA's Communication Studies Program, one of the most academically selective programs on campus. From day one, the students were outstanding. The students reported to an assistant project coordinator, Kristin Soike, who reported to the project coordinator, Dr. Michael Suman. The project was administered by the associate director of the Center, Marde Gregory, and our administrative specialist, Phoebe Schramm. All reported to the director of the Center, Dr. Jeffrey Cole.
When the monitors reported to work, they were randomly assigned a tape to examine for violent content. From the beginning, a decision was made that no monitor would specialize in any type or format of prime time programming. No one could pick their favorite programs or focus on a specific network, genre or evening in prime time. All monitors watched all types of programming and never knew what they would be monitoring until they reported to work. Logistical reasons dictated that each tape contained two successive days of programming from the same network or channel.
Once assigned a tape, a student would sit at a video monitor and examine the content of the programming. We created Scene Sheets (attached in the appendix) for the students to use in their monitoring. These sheets allowed each student to "brief" a scene of violence. The sheets asked a series of questions about every scene of violence. These questions will be discussed in detail in a later section of the report.
After completing scene sheets for the entire program, the student monitors then filled out a program report. That form asked for their written summary of the program and the number of violent scenes which required a scene sheet. Some series or movies required as many as 55 full scene sheets. Clearly this was an extraordinarily time-consuming process, but a necessary one to properly examine the context in which the violence occurred.
When the student had finished one program, he or she went on to the other programming on the tape. The students filled out separate forms for on-air promotions or advertisements. When the entire tape was finished, it and the scene sheets were prepared for the weekly meeting.
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