Is there really a global village out there? It may be true that the whole world watches Dallas and Dynasty, but is everyone seeing the same story? It is a fashionable worry among academics, critics and politicians that American hit programmes are agents of cultural imperialism. But nobody knows what message, if any, the viewers are actually getting and what critical capabilities they command.
In this path-breaking book, now available in paperback, Liebes and Katz analyse conversations about Dallas among groups of families and friends in different sub-cultures: in Israel (where the programme was an all-time best-seller), in Japan (where it was rejected), and in the US (the original target audience). The authors propose that there is a process of negotiation between these quintessentially American stories and what the viewers bring to them: their life experiences, the 'texts' of their culture, and their expectations from the genres of family drama. Through a detailed study of how individuals in different contexts interpret popular TV fiction, Liebes and Katz show that viewers possess a good deal more critical ability than they are commonly given credit for.

The Export of Meaning has already established itself as a classic text in media studies, cultural studies and communications. The paperback edition, which includes a new Introduction by the authors, will be widely recommended to students.