Date of Award

1-2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Heather Crandall

Second Advisor

Dr. Kristina Morehouse

Abstract

This thesis initially discussed the agenda-setting theory and framing and then examined how the two concepts related to the presentation of the lead stories on a trio of ESPN outlets in comparison to a pair of non-ESPN sports media outlets. This study was achieved by conducting a content analysis of the lead stories appearing on ESPN's SportsCenter and The Highlight Express televisions shows, ESPN.com, SportsIllustrated.com and CBSSports.com daily for four weeks. While the ESPN outlets made similar decisions to that of the non-ESPN outlets on the priority of story placement, there were enough instances to show that ESPN did frame its stories in a way to draw more viewers. This was done by focusing more attention on teams from larger media markets and by keeping sports, such as NASCAR, in which ESPN has a financial stake in the success of the sport on the minds of consumers.

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