Abstract
This article analyzes U.S. television news coverage of the last episode of the NBC program, Seinfeld, focusing specifically on the concept of "plugola," defined as self-interested news stories that promote entertainment events. Using the Lexis/Nexis database, stories devoted to Seinfeld that aired on the Big 3 television broadcast news networks, owned and operated stations in New York City, affiliate stations in a midsize market, and the cable networks CNBC and CNN were examined. The analysis revealed that news organizations with connections to Seinfeld covered the program's last episode more extensively than those without such connections. The article also discusses implications for the role of corporate media in modern democracy.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 383-401 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Journal of Communication |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 1 2002 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Communication
- Language and Linguistics
- Linguistics and Language