ABSTRACT
The most pervasive assumption of research on program choice has been that when viewers select a program to watch, they evaluate all program options available at the time and select the one that best fits some criterion. In a television environment where only three networks are available, this assumption rarely has been questioned. However, in cable television environments, as the number of program options increases vastly, the assumption becomes less plausible. One implication of the cable environment for selective-exposure research is to suggest that the actual choice process needs better articulation.
