ColloquyVol.12,Fall2016,pp.39-51

Ryan’sRosesandMediaExposurethroughtheLensofCultivation

WesleyHernandezAbstractThispaperundertakesanextensiveanalysisof theLosAngeles radioprogram,Ryan’s Roses. Ryan’s Roses showcases adultery and toxic relationships in anentertainingfashion.Littleresearchexistsregardingtheextenttowhichradiotalkshowsaffectanindividual’sengagementinromanticrelationships.Studiesfromcultivation theory, media exposure, and radio were engaged to develop aframeworkforgaugingnegativebehavioraleffectsinconsistentlistenersoftheshow. The subsequent analysis provides structural support for the claim thatheavylisteningexposuretoRyan’sRosesperpetuatesdistortedviewsofromanticrelationships.

Within the field of communication studies, research on cultivation effects hassuccessfully been conducted in various parts of the world (Hetsroni &Tukachinsky,2006).However,thereexistsverylittleresearchthatexaminestheeffectsradioprogramsonpeople’sperceptionofromanticrelationships.Inthisregard,aparticularradioprogramthatisworthwhiletoexploreisRyan’sRoses.HostedbyinternationallyknowncelebrityRyanSeacrest,Ryan’sRosespresentsinterpersonal conflicts among heterosexual coupleswhereby the girlfriend, orwife,believesthatherromanticpartnerissecretlyengaginginintimatebehaviorswithanotherwoman(Seacrest,2015).Giventhatasubstantialamountofmencommitadultery,thethematicaimoftheshowistodeceive,shame,andpubliclyembarrasssuchmenonliveradio.

Ryan’sRoses followsa specific routine that consistently leads to the samedramaticconclusion,thatis,amaleindividualhavingtoexplainhisimmoralandadulterating actions to his romantic partner. The program garners a lot ofattentionbecauseoftentheromanticpartners’initialargumentescalatesintoaheated discussion, which usually provokes the male partner to correct hiswrongdoingorjustifyhisactions.Butbeforethisparticulardiscussioncomestofruition,Ryan’sRoseslaysoutthesameeffectiveplanthatdrawsthesemenonliveradio,eventuallygettingthemtodisclosethetruth.ItbeginswhenSeacrest’spersonalassistant,PattyRodriguez,disguisesherselfasaflowershopownerand

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makesatelephonecall tothepartnerof theconcernedwomantoofferhimadozen free roses. She also allows him to send them to any individual of hischoosing(Seacrest,2015).Usually,themalepartnersendstherosestoanotherwoman,whoismerelyaplatonicfriend,orsomeonewithwhomheishavinganaffair (2015). Immediately afterwards, Seacrest intervenes, bombarding theboyfriend/husbandwithaseriesofquestionsinordertoprodhimtoconfesshisactions(2015).MenwhoappearonRyan’sRosesoftendenycommittingadultery,andusuallyarenervousanduncoordinatedintheirattemptstoconjurefruitfuland valid excuses (2015). Usually Seacrest’s extensive questioning leads thecouple into an argument, which escalates and leads them to disengage theirrelationshiponliveradio(2015).

It is uncertain as towhether heavy exposure to Ryan’s Roses by listenersproduces negative effects. In order to better understand how contemporaryforms of media frame relationships, it is worthwhile to explore if and howexposure to the show shapes audience members’ perception of romanticrelationshipsandoftheirownrelationships.Statedinmoregeneralterms,itisimportanttofocusonthewaysinwhichmediacontentshapespeople’sbehaviorsandviewsofreality.Inordertoconductastudythatprimarilyfocusesonmediaexposure toRyan’s Roses, a reviewof research regarding cultivation theory isundertaken. Media exposure, radio, and parasocial relationships serve as keyvariables that further guide the literature review, as each contributes to anexplanationofhowmediashapespeople’ssocialrealities.It is inthislightthatthefollowingresearchquestionisproposed:

RQ 1: How is the frequency of exposure to Ryan’s Roses associated withperceptionsofromanticrelationships?

CultivationTheoryCultivation theory posits that the consumption of television is related toconstructionofsocialreality(Gerbner,1969).Therefore,people’sperceptionsofhowsocialbehaviorsworkintherealworldareheavilyinfluencedbydepictionsontelevision(Gerbner,1969).GerbnerandGross(1976)foundthattelevisionhasbeenestablishedasasocialnormthatinfluencespeople’sbehaviors.Theyalsoestablishthattelevisioncontainsbasichumanelementssuchasaction,science,storytelling,andart,allofwhichhavebeencultivatedinpeople’slives.Television,forGerbnerandGross,isessentiallyasubstituteforcomfortandcompanyifthereisnooneelsetorelyonforsocialinteraction.

Whilewatching television, cultivation emerges because viewers are eitherintentionally or unintentionally encoding the information offered by the

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television(Reizer&Hetsroni,2014).Aftertheencodingprocess,thisinformationis retained in long-termmemory and translates into evaluations and views ofreality(Reizer&Hetsroni,2014).AccordingtothecriteriaofGerbneretal.(2002),twoassumptionsunderliecultivationtheory.First,media-influencedperceptionsofrealitydevelopovertime.Second,theseperceptionsofrealityaretheresultoftheunified,homogenizedviewofrealitywheretelevisionpresentsarealitythatcommunicates mainstream values of society. Cultivation theory suggests thattelevisionoffersa“centralizedsystemofstory-telling,”theimpactofwhichcutsacrossprogrammingcontentandgenres(Gerbner,1998,p.177).Thus,itistheamountoftelevisionconsumed,ratherthanthetypeoftelevisionconsumed,thatpredictscultivationeffects(Gerbner,1998).

Significantly, there is a wide range of research that has used cultivationtheorytoidentifythewaysinwhichtelevisiondistortssocialrealities(Hetsroni&Tukachinsky,2006).Thesestudiesincludedistortionsregardingestimatesoftherate of crime and violence, personal victimization, life risks posed byenvironmental factors, and thenumberofwomen inprofessionaloccupations(Hetsroni&Tukachinsky,2006).Awidevarietyofcultivationtheorystudieshaveindicatedthattherearecertaindistortionsofvarioustopics;therefore,itcanbeinferred that topics dealingwith romantic relationships can also be distorted.Cultivation theorists have looked extensively into the effects of television;however,itisuncertainifcultivationcanalsobeapplicabletoradio.Currently,thereisnoresearchthataddressesthisrelationship.Radioissimilartotelevisionbecauseitpromotessocietalmessagesforthemasses.Sinceradioisapopularmediaoutlet,supportingtheclaimthatradiocanaffectpeople’ssocialrealitiesandpromptthemtobehaveinaparticularwayisindeedanargumentthatneedsfurtherinvestigation.Intheremainingsectionsofthisliteraturereview,Iaddressseveral gaps in the existing scholarly research of both cultivation theory andradio. Immediately following, I concludewitha researchproposal tomovemyprojectforwardinordertodiscovertherelationshipbetweenradioandromanticrelationships.Morespecifically,IintendtoexplorewhatinfluenceRyan’sRoseshasonitslisteners.CultivationEffectsofTelevisionInexaminingstudiesthathaveappliedcultivationtheory,someofitslimitationsbecome evident. Perse (1986) found significant effects of heavy viewing fromsoapoperas.Perseexplained thatheavy televisionviewingdistorts reality inasuchwaythatviewersbegintointernalizecharacterportrayalsontelevisionandperceive them as the equivalent of real life representations. Similar to Perse,

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Bond and Drogos (2014) conducted a study on the show Jersey Shore usingcultivationtheory,inwhichtheyfoundthatheavyJerseyShoreviewersadaptedthesexualbehaviorsofthecastmembers.ForBondandDrogos,itisnotsimplyexposure to television that leads to permissive sexual attitudes, but rather,exposuretoJerseyShorespecifically.

Another significant study looked at the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy,examininghowviewersperceivethecourageofreal-worlddoctorsandhowthisperception is associated with patient satisfaction (Quick, 2009). By utilizingcultivation theory, Quick found that the number ofGrey’s Anatomy episodesviewedwaspositivelyassociatedwiththeperceivedcredibilityoftheshow.Toelaborate, the more that people watched the show, the more realistic theyperceived the program to be (Quick, 2009). Often, multiple storylines withinGrey’sAnatomyrepresentdoctorsperformingheroicactstosaveorsignificantlyimprove a patient’s life (Quick, 2009). As a result, participants within Quick’sstudy perceived doctors to be courageous. From this, it can be inferred thatparticular shows have the ability to produce particular behavioral outcomes.Throughthelensofcultivationtheory,itisevidentthattelevisionshowspresentdistinctwaysofpromptingviewerstobehave.InregardtoRyan’sRoses,itcallsattention to the concepts of romance, infidelity, and commitment (Seacrest,2015). Since Ryan’s Roses has a substantial amount of consistent listeners(Seacrest,2015),itislikelythatthesefrequentlistenersinternalizethenarrativesof infidelity that canproducecertaincultivationeffects.More specifically, it islogicaltoassumethatthereareeffectsfromheavylisteningtoRyan’sRosesthatcan potentially prompt listeners to have their perceptions of romanticrelationshipsaltered.LookingatromanceinvarioustypesofmediawillshedlightonhowRyan’sRosescanprofoundlyaltertheviewpointsoflisteners.Thenextsectionexploresthecultivationeffectsthatmanifestfromtelevisionshowsthatrevolvearoundthecontextofromance.CultivationinRomanticRelationshipsDe Souza and Sherry (2006) found that one of the consequences ofwatchingtelevisionsaturatedwithromanticconflictisthatviewersmightdevelopnegativeexpectations of real life romantic relationships, viewing them as inevitablyconflict ridden.According toArnett (2000), this is likely tobe the caseamongyoung adult viewers who are testing the waters with serious romanticrelationshipsintheirownlives.AlthoughDeSouzaandSherry(2006)andArnett(2000)sharesimilarviewsaboutrelationalconflict,theirideasarelimitedsolelyto television. Ryan’s Roses compels listeners to consistently tune in to the

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spectacle of a romantic couple’s heated arguments. Therefore, it has thepotential to provoke listeners to internalize relational conflicts and producecertainbehavioral outcomes.However, further research is needed inorder tosupportthisclaim.

Aubrey et al. (2013) assert that when control over the environment in aromantic relationship is threatened, one partner will react by controlling theother partner to regain a sense of mastery. When combining the work fromromanticconflictandrelationalcontrolwithcultivationtheory,Aubreyetal.statethat the more exposure there is to representations of romantic conflict ontelevision,themoretelevisionviewersmightbecultivatedtoacceptthatconflictis anacceptableway to reestablish relational control andmastery in romanticrelationships.Thus,repeatedexposuretotelevisionthatishighininterpersonalconflictmightcoincidewiththeuseofcontrollingbehaviorsandexpectationsinaromanticrelationship(Aubreyetal.,2013).

Aboveall,substantialdatasupportsthenotionthataudiences’realitiesareinfluenced by heavy viewing of television programs (Hetsroni & Tukachinsky,2006).Itislikely,then,thatothermediatedcontentsuchasRyan’sRosesholdsthe same weight in provoking particular behaviors in those who are highlyexposedtoit.BondandDrogos(2014)andPerse(1986)reinforcetheargumentthatcultivationeffectsmaymanifestfromcontinuedexposuretoonetelevisionprogram rather than television specifically. Using this idea of “continuedexposure”isthegoverningfactorthatwilluncoverbeliefsandvaluesamongtheconsistentlistenersofRyan’sRoses.Althoughtherearefindingsfromcontinuedexposureoftelevision,therearenostudiesthatemphasizecontinuedexposureofradiotalkshowsinvolvingromanticrelationships.Forthatreason,Iproposethatthereshouldbefurtherinvestigationtoseeifcultivationtheoryisapplicableto other media content. There are various contexts that have been exploredthrough the lens of cultivation theory, but applying this theory to radio andromanticrelationshipsislikelytogarnerrichfindings.MediaExposureInordertobuildtherationalefortheresearch:(heavylisteningofRyan’sRoseshas the ability to influence social behaviors and perceptions of romanticrelationships),itisimportanttonotetheexistingliteratureonmediaexposure.Inthemajorityofmediausestudies,mediaexposureismostoftenmeasuredbyasking respondents how many times (usually in a week) they make use of aspecificmedium (Hollander, 2006).Hollander (2006) states that audiencesareactive rather than passive because media users prefer to deliberately choose

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certain messages over others, and retain certain messages while forgettingothers. Hollander continues by asserting that audiences prefer selectingmessagesinaccordancewiththeirpreexistingattitudestoprotecttheintegrityoftheirbeliefstructures.Ontheotherhand,audiencesalsopreferentiallychoosecertainmediaanddisregardothersinordertoobtaintheinformationinwhichtheyareinterested(2006).

Hoffmann’s (2006) findings reveal thatpeopleenjoy repeatedexposure todifferentmediacontent.Significantly, repeatedexposurecanoccurwitheverymedium.Inaddition,Hoffmann(2006)statesthatrepeatedexposureisfrequentwith media that is permanent (books, CDs, DVDs) and easily recordable orrepetitive (TV). Furthermore, radio,plays, and comicswerealsomentionedassuitable media for repeated exposure. Since radio fits under the criteria of“repeated exposure,” and provided that repeated exposure tomedia contentproducescultivationeffects,itcanbearguedthatconsistentlistenersofRyan’sRosesareexperiencingasortofcultivationeffect.Inessence,applyingcultivationtheorywillbesubstantialintermsofextendingourunderstandingofhowpeopleviewromanticrelationshipsafterrepeatedexposuretoradiotalkshows.

AstudyconductedbySlaterandTiggerman(2015),foundthatexposuretomagazinesandsocialnetworkingsitesareeach independentlyassociatedwithself-objectification in female adolescents. Slater and Tiggerman’s findingsrevealedthattelevisionexposureandtimespentontheinternetingeneralwereboth shown to correlate with self-objectification. Those who listen to Ryan’sRoses are mainly women, ranging from teens to college-age adolescents(Seacrest, 2015). Drawing from Slater and Tiggerman’s conclusions,self-objectification might manifest from Ryan’s Roses listeners as well,consideringthattheshowtargetswomen’sinsecuritiesandemphasizesrepeatedactsofinfidelity.Listenersmightself-objectifybyscrutinizingtheirownromanticrelationships, questioning whether their partners are remaining faithful orcommitting adultery. When examining adolescent girls, Vandenbosch andEggermont (2012) found that cognitive processes of internalization, bodysurveillance, and self-objectification are related to exposure of sexuallyobjectifying music television, fashion magazines, and social networking sites.Thus,itisevidentthatrepeatedexposureimpartsnegativeeffectsonwomen.

Hoffmann (2006) argues that audiences subject themselves to repeatedmediaexposuremainlybecauseitprovidesarelaxingexperience.Dependingonthecontentanditscomplexity,repeatedviewerscanthusnoticehiddenjokes,look forearlyclues in theplot’sdevelopment,searchformistakesormishaps,concentrate on certain characters, analyze dialogues, or focus on stylistic

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elementssuchassetting,music,color,andediting(Hoffman,2006).Similarly,itislikelythatfrequentlistenersofRyan’sRosesfocusonthewoman’semotionalresponse to the boyfriend/husband’s infidelity. In addition, frequent listenersprobablyconcentrateonmen’sreactionstotheintrusionofSeacrest,lookathowtheargumentsescalate,andanalyzethereasoningmenuseforsendinganotherwomanroses.Cultivationtheorywouldbeusefultomystudysinceitcanhighlightthe common themes of Ryan’s Roses to further understand how listenersperceiveromanticrelationships.

In alignment with Hoffman’s findings, Yanshu and Guo (2014) found thatyoung people’s fashion clothing involvement is closely connected to fashionmediaexposure.Itwasalsofoundthatindividualswhoareavidreadersoffashionmagazinesarealsolikelytoberegularbrowsersoffashionwebsites.Hoffmann(2006)andYanshuandGuo(2014)offerstrongevidencethatcanbuildontheargumentthatothertypesofmediacontent,includingradiotalkshows,promotecertainbehaviorsamongthosewhoarerepeatedlyexposedtoit.

In addition, Pardun (2005) reasoned that adolescents live in a sexualizedmediaworld,meaningthatthemoresexualmediaateensees,themorelikelyheorsheistobesexuallyactiveandanticipatefuturesexualactivity.Pardun’sstudydemonstrated that an individual’s sexual media consumption is significantlyrelatedtotheirsexualexperienceandintentionstobesexuallyactive.Evidently,mediaexposureisthegoverningreasonwhycertainrepetitivesocialbehaviorsmanifest.Cultivationtheoryhasbeenrepetitivelyproventoproducebehavioralresponses among those who are consistently exposed to media. Using theargumentthatrepeatedexposuretosexualmediaprovokewomentobesexuallyactive (Pardun, 2015), it is probable thatRyan’sRoses is producing cultivationeffects of uncertainty and insecurity among consistent female listeners.Morespecifically,heavylistenersofRyan’sRosesareexposingthemselvestotheharshreality that Seacrest illustrates, that is, men consistently committing infidelity(Seacrest,2015).Inturn,thesefemalelistenersarelikelytoengageinuncertaintywithintheirownandothers’romanticrelationships,adoptingthementalitythatadultery is a profound and common element within the realm of romanticrelationships.InordertoguagetheexistenceofsuchviewpointsfromrepeatedexposuretoRyan’sRoses,itisimportanttolookfurtherintocultivationeffectsandthenotionofperceivedrealism.

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PerceivedRealismandMediaPerceivedrealismisthe ideathatfrequentexposuretotelevisioncontentmaypromote beliefs about the real world only when the television content isperceived to be real (Reeves, 1978). On the other hand, when the televisioncontent is deemed to be staged, frequent exposure may not promotecorresponding beliefs about the real world (Reeves, 1978). When examiningperceivedrealism,Choetal.’s(2011)studyreviewedtelevisionmedicaldramasand how they affect a person’s perceptions about real life physicians. Thisresearchrevealsthatwhennarrativesoftheseshowsaredeemedtoconstituteagood story, that same evaluation is given to physicians in real life. Morespecifically,medical dramas thatdisplayphysicians inepisodeswithappealingstorieswillinturninfluenceaperson’sperceptionofarealphysician,leadingtoahigherstateofperceivedrealism.

JustlikeChoetal.’s(2011)studywherebyindividualshaveperceivedrealismbecauseofgoodstorylinesfrommedicaldramas,Ryan’sRoseshasconsistentlydelivered entertaining and compelling stories. Cultivation theory has strongpotential to demonstrate that there is a certain extent of perceived realisminfluencingthemindsofRyan’sRoseslisteners.Sincelistenersarebeingexposedto the compelling storylines of infidelity and hostile arguments, the type ofperceived realism that is likely tomanifestwithin listeners is giving the sameevaluationofinfidelitytotheirownandothers’romanticrelationships.Inotherwords, Ryan’s Roses listeners are likely to perceive infidelity as a commonnarrative among males, which in turn may affect listeners’ perceptions ofcommitmentinromanticrelationships.

In regards to real life roles, Maeder and Corbett (2015) found that crimetelevision also produced perceived realism. The authors argue that higherfrequencyofcrimetelevisionviewingisassociatedwithincreasedexpectationsofevidence,differentattitudestowardevidencetypes,andvaryingself-reportedlevelsofunderstandingof scientificevidence.Additionally, flawedverdictsarelikelytomanifestbecauseoftheamountofcrimetelevisionviewing(Maeder&Corbett,2015).Insum,perceivedrealismholdspotentialinaffectingviewpointsofcredibilityandcrime,bothofwhichcansupport the likelihoodofperceivedrealism affecting viewpoints of romantic relationships as well. Essentially, acultivation effect emerges because of frequent exposure to particular media,thereforeperceivedrealismandcultivationtheoryareremarkablysimilar.

TheresearchbyChoetal.(2011)andMaederandCorbett(2015)highlightanimportantfinding.Owingtotheappealingnatureofcertainshows,viewerstendtomakecomparisonsbetweentheshows’charactersandreal lifepeople.Asa

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result, viewpoints are shifted. The same idea can be applied toRyan’s Roses.Morespecifically,viewerswholistentothevividargumentsthataredeemedtobevalidwilllikelymakeassumptionsthatromanticcouplesnotpubliclydisplayedon Ryan’s Roses have the same potential to become embroiled in sucharguments.On this show,aman is caught cheatingwithanotherwoman,andbecause of that, viewers will likely make comparisons with other romanticrelationships in which they will make assumptions including: 1) substantialamountofmencheat;2)everycoupleshouldbesuspiciousofeachother;and3)men are compulsive liars. For these reasons, perceived realism can be highlyapplicabletoRyan’sRoses.

Next,itisimportanttoexplorefurtherstudiesofperceivedrealisminorderto illustrate the cultivation effects that have been identified. Westman et al.(2013)exploredthewaysinwhichadolescentsusedmassmediaforideasaboutromanticrelationships.Westmanetal.believedthatifsitcoms,dramas,magazinearticles,orbookswereseenasrealisticorpresentinganidealforwhichtostrivefor in real life, adolescentswould thenuse ideasabout romantic relationshipsmorefrequently.Inothersimilarstudies,adolescentgirlshavebeenreportedtouse information observed on television about relationships between people(Granello, 1997), but magazines were more influential than television whenconsidering desired thinness and overall attractiveness portrayed by models(Harrison& Cantor, 1997). Having noted the close relation between romanticrelationships and perceived realism, it is at this point useful to examine howcertainaspectsofradioarelacking.TalkRadioExposureLacey(2009)revealsthatradioisatypeofmediathatismarginalized.Theauthorindicates that it is relatively simple for listeners to forget about certain things(Lacey,2009).Forthatreason,scholarsoftenperceivemediasuchasradiotobeirrelevant. An interesting observation that Lacey makes is that television wasformerly called “image radio,” while today radios are called cell phones ormobiles. Arguably, when original names are morphed, the significance of theoriginal name fades away and becomes irrelevant. For this reason, radio hasbecomeaneglectedmedium.Inconjunctionwiththisargument,RubinandStep(2000)assertthattherehasbeenlittleempiricalresearchonradiotalkshowsandthe effects they have on listeners. Provided that television has the ability toencouragenegativebehaviorsinviewers,itisthereforesignificanttoexaminetheeffectsofradiotoseeifitpresentsthesameeffectsonlisteners.

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Duetotheradiolosingitsrelevance,onlyafewresearchershavefocusedontheoutcomesof listeningtoradio(Rubin&Step,2000).Herzog’s(1940,1954)researchfoundthatlisteningtosoapoperasonradiowasperceivedasanescapefrom mundane daily household duties as well as an information source forhelping to solve the daily problems in life for many women, the primarydemographic for soap opera focus groups. Similarly, Mendelsohn (1964)identifiedutilitarian/news,activemoodaccompaniment,psychologicalrelease,andfriendlycompanionshipasthefunctionsofradiolistening.Regardingpolitics,itwasfoundthatpoliticaltalkradioexertsgreaterpoliticalparticipationamonglisteners than non-listeners, and it has a substantial influence on voters’perceptionsof presidential candidates (Pfau et al., 1997;Hofstetter&Gianos,1997).RadioandParasocialRelationshipsThe following section looks at the correlation between radio and parasocialrelationships. A parasocial relationship describes a situation whereby anindividualhasaone-wayrelationshipwithamediacharacter(i.e.,aradiohost,atelevisionactor)throughmediaoutletssuchastelevision,theinternet,andradio(Horton & Wahl, 1956). People who develop this particular bond decide forthemselveswhat levelof intimacy theydevote tomedia characters (Horton&Wahl,1956).SavageandSpence(2014),forexample,foundthatpeoplewhohaveahighparasocial relationshipwith radiohostswill continue listening to them.Thus, it can be argued that a number of Ryan’s Roses listeners are likely todevelop a parasocial relationship with Ryan Seacrest because of how heembodiesacompellingcharacter.Inotherwords,Seacrestpresentshimselfasaconfidentfacilitatorthroughtheargumentsthatemergeamongsttheromanticpartnerspresentedonhistalkshow.Seacrestdisplaysmorals,ethics,andastrongdevotion to anti-infidelity. This in turn likely attracts viewers to perceive hisactionsasengagingandriveting,compellingaudiencestocontinueto listentohim.

SimilartothefindingsofSavageandSpence,RubinandStep(2000)revealedthatradioaudiencescontinuetuningintoradiohostsbecauseoftheentertainingformattheyprovideandthecertainsocietalissuestheyaddressthatarerelevantto listeners. Interestingly, this in turnenables listeners toperceive thehostasbeingattractive,aswellasconstruingtheinformationpresentedbythehosttobereliableandcredible(Rubin&Step,2000).Additionally,RubinandStep(2000)concludedthatthehigherradio listeners’parasocial involvementwaswiththeradiohost,themoretheirattitudeswereinlinewiththoseofthehost.Although

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cultivation theory was not applied to Rubin and Step’s (2000) research, theirfindingsstillembodythecharacteristicsofcultivationeffectssimplybecauseofthewaysinwhichlisteners’attitudesarebeingshapedthroughexposure,whichessentiallycoincideswiththecriteriaofcultivationtheory.ConclusionThepurposeofthis literaturereviewistocallattentiontothelackofresearchthat focuses on radio studies. More specifically, it is evident there is limitedresearchthatfocusesonradiotalkshowsdiscussingromanticrelationshipsandthecultivationeffectsithasonlisteners’perceptionsofromanticrelationships.Ryan’sRoses,whilenotatelevisionprogram,isamediaprogramthatcanlikelyharbortheability todrawaparallelbetweenheavyradiomediaexposureandaudiences adopting the behaviors portrayed on the show. Cultivation andperceivedrealismarerathersimilar.Therefore,itishighlyrelevanttoincorporatethetwoconcepts,astheywilltogetheruncoversomehiddentruthsthatarelikelyembedded in Ryan’s Roses. Since the relation between radio exposure andromanticrelationshipbehaviorsislacking,alogicalnextstepistoinvestigatehowexposuretoconflictsonradioprogramsisrelatedtoviewers’perceptionsoftheiractualromanticrelationships.References

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