A SOCIAL ECOLOGY STUDY OF MEDIA COMPETITION AND MANAGERIAL GRATIFICATIONS FROM BUSINESS NEWS

Niche theory was combined with the uses and gratifications perspective in a social ecology study of competitive superiority in managerial need gratifications among the general and specialized news media which offer business news content. Telephone interviews with 351 managers were completed in spring 1985 in Franklin County, Ohio. Factor analysis identified a two dimensional niche of macro and micro information needs about the external and operational business environments. Measures of niche breadth, niche overlap and superiority in macro and micro need gratifications were computed for the total sample and breakdowns by managerial levels, company size and type of industry. Niche overlaps showed less competitive intensity between the specialized and general news media, but more competitive intensity between the specialists and between the generalists.;On the micro dimension: (1) the trade press had the highest niche breadth and was superior to the Journal and the four general news media; (2) broader niched newspapers and magazines were superior to cable and broadcast television; and (3) among managerial subgroups cable was superior to broadcast television among managers in service industries.;The study concluded: (1) the Journal and trade press were least vulnerable to competitive displacement on the macro and micro dimensions respectively, but cable poses a potential threat to the other general news media, (2) print superiority over electronic media may be related to the cognitive orientation of the macro and micro factors, as well as managerial time and schedule constraints.;On the macro dimension: (1) the Wall Street Journal had the highest niche breadth and was superior to the trade press and four general news media; (2) the trade press, newspapers, magazines and cable had nearly equal niche breadths and were superior to the narrow niched broadcast television; (3) among the managerial subgroups the trade press was superior to newspapers and television for top managers, news magazines were superior to cable for managers at mid-levels and in non-service industries, and cable television was superior to broadcast television for firstline supervisors and among managers in small businesses and service industries.