An exploratory investigation into the relationship between television program preference and emotion‐eliciting qualities—A new theoretical perspective

This exploratory study applies Mehrabian and Russell's newly formulated theory of emotion to the problem of explaining television program preference. The result is a fresh theoretical approach to media selection. Results suggest that as much as 40% of preference can be accounted for by emotional response. The authors suggest that these findings may allow for numerous advances in our understanding of viewer program preference and selection.