Pertti Alasuutari provides a state-of-the-art summary of the field of audience research. With contributions from Ann Gray, Joke Hermes, John Tulloch and David Morley, a case is presented for a new agenda to account for the role of the media in everyday life. Only this new agenda, they suggest, can adequately account for our ubiquitous, highly reflexive, participation in modern media culture. Offering a thorough survey of audience research this volume also offers a provocative pointer to future directions and trends in reception research and qualitative analysis.

Pertti Alasuutari provides a state-of-the-art summary of the field of audience research. With contributions from Ann Gray, Joke Hermes, John Tulloch and David Morley, a case is presented for a new agenda to account for the role of the media in everyday life.

PART ONE: THE SHAPE OF AUDIENCE RESEARCH
Introduction - Pertti Alasuutari
Three Phases of Reception Studies
Audience and Reception Research in Retrospect - Ann Gray
The Trouble with Audiences
The Best of both Worlds? Media Audience Research between Rival Paradigms - Kim Schr[sl]oder
PART TWO: THE NEW AGENDA: THE INSCRIPTION OF AUDIENCES
Media Figures in Identity Construction - Joke Hermes
Cultural Images of the Media - Pertti Alasuutari
Legitimations of Television Programme Policies - Heikki Hellman
Patterns of Argumentation and Discursive Convergencies in a Multichannel Age
Slaves of the Ratings Tyranny? Media Images of the Audience - Ingunn Hagen
The Implied Audience in Soap Opera Production - John Tulloch
Everyday Rhetorical Strategies among Television Professionals
To Be an Audience - Birgitta H[um]oijer
`To Boldly Go...′ - David Morley
The `Third Generation′ of Reception Studies