Assessment of the Influence of a Cable TV Channel on a Local Community: A Case Study of a Small Rural Town in Japan

This article describes a study of how a cable TV channel, run by a small rural town in Japan, influences the awareness and behaviour of its residents. The study is based on a postal survey. Results indicate that the TV programmes increase residents’ interests in the community, communication among residents, and resident participation in public activities. They also show that such effects on the community are influenced by the usefulness of the programmes, viewing frequency, amount of community participation, and certain personal attributes of residents, such as gender, age and household type.