Abstract
This study used in-home episodic sampling by trained participant observers to analyze viewing behavior in a naturalistic setting. The observers tracked screen activity moment-by-moment, as well as the viewers' responses and activities, which were then transformed by the observers into scripts of the viewing episode. This study analyzed channel changing and other commercial avoidance behaviors. The study found that channel changing is stimulated more by commercials than by programs, and that 90 percent of channel changers click the switch during commercial breaks. The results also lead to serious questions about program and station loyalty.
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