Deprivation theory has an even longer history in U&G research than dependency theory. Berelson (1949) studied the effects of the 1945 strike of eight major New York City daily newspapers on audience behavior. Since that time, additional stud- ies of media strikes have emerged: Kimball (1959) replicated Berelson’s study dur- ingthe1958NewYorkCitynewspaperstrike;deBock(1980)studiedtheeffectsof newspaper and television strikes in the Netherlands in 1977; Cohen (1981) exam- ined a general media strike; and Walker (1990) analyzed viewers’ reactions to the 1987 National Football League players’ strike.
Related, Windahl, Hojerback, and Hedinsson (1986) suggested that the conse- quences of a media strike for adolescents were connected to the total degree of per- ceived deprivation of television as well as the specific content such as entertain- ment, information, and fiction. These deprivations are related both to media variables like exposure, involvement, and motives, and nonmedia variables such as socioconcept orientation and activities with friends and parents. Windahl et al. found that individuals in more socially oriented environments tended to feel more deprived than those in conceptually oriented settings.