VIEWER LETTERS AS AUDIENCE RESEARCH - THE CASE OF MURPHY-BROWN

Viewer letters sent to the top-rated situation comedy Murphy Brown wer e analyzed to reveal how the audience reported decoding a televisual t ext focusing on gender-related construction of meaning. Viewers endors ed a new, nontraditional definition of women while reporting conflict between the reality of their personal and professional lives and tradi tional gender definitions. Their strong need for validation was satisf ied by seeing characters like themselves depicted in prime-time televi sion. Audience usages and interpretations of the program did not match previous textual analyses.