| Abstract: | This research is premised on Stuart Hall's encoding/decoding model and on Berger's concept that religiosity is socially constructed. However, unlike the early Birmingham studies' emphasis on socioeconomic status as a “cultural code” through which audience members would decode media texts, this study examines the readings of television texts from the perspective of audience members who are, because of their religious practices, ideologically situated to the right of much that is offered on television. The findings in this case are consistent with Hall's notion that individuals bring contradictory and conflicting discourse into their readings of media texts. |
