"This article explores the consumption patterns of local and foreign film and television content of Mexican audiences living in the Northeast region of the country, a region bordering with the United States. Based on telephone surveys in four of the largest cities in the area (Reynosa, Monterrey, Sa ... ltillo and Torreón), the study presents data about television consumption that suggest that cultural proximity factors are stronger in Mexican northerners than their geographical, commercial and historical proximity to the US. The concept of cultural discount seems to apply in this part of Mexico, due to the differences in language, practices and traditions despite the proximity and familiarity with US culture (except in the case of Hollywood films, as in many other countries in the world)." (Abstract) more

"This article reports the findings of a review and methodological critique of 96 Latin American empirical studies on television reception published between 1992 and 2007 in the most important journals of the region. The analysis compares the studies according to their theoretical approach, the resea ... rch technique used, their sample size, the type of audience members studied, the type of television content researched and the scholars mentioned the most in their references. Findings show that Cultural Studies is by far the most popular theoretical approach in Latin American audience research, and that two of the topics covered the most were television and daily life and the importance of social and cultural mediations. The article also concludes that many studies lack a solid methodological base. Morley, Orozco, Martín-Barbero, García-Canclini and Lull were the scholars mentioned the most in the reference sections. The article ends with a diagnosis of the strengths and weaknesses of current Latin American empirical research on television audiences and points out the need for more methodological rigor and more emphasis on the analysis of ideological readings and impact." (Abstract) more