Viewer letters as audience research: The case of Murphy Brown

Viewer letters sent to the top‐rated situation comedy Murphy Brown were analyzed to reveal how the audience reported decoding a televisual text— focusing on gender‐related construction of meaning. Viewers endorsed a new, nontraditional definition of women while reporting conflict between the reality of their personal and professional lives and traditional gender definitions. Their strong need for validation was satisfied by seeing characters like themselves depicted in prime‐time television. Audience usages and interpretations of the program did not match previous textual analyses.