The word audience has long been familiar as the collective term for the "receivers" in the model of mass communication process (source, channel, message, receiver, effect). It is a term that is understood by media practitioners and theorists alike and has entered into everyday usage; however, there is much room for differences of meaning, misunderstandings, and theoretical conflicts. In Audience Analysis, author Denis McQuail provides a coherent and succinct account of the concept "media audience" in terms of its history and its place in present-day media theory and research. He describes and explains the main types of audience, alternative theories about the audience, and the main traditions and fields of audience research. This informative volume explains the contrast between social scientific and humanistic approaches and gives due weight to the view "from the audience," as well as the view "from the media." It summarizes key research findings and assesses the impact of new media developments, especially transnationalization and new interactive technology. Finally, the volume concludes with an evaluation of the continued relevance of the audience concept under conditions of rapid media change. Providing both an overview of past research and a guide to current thinking, Audience Analysis will be enlightening to academics and students in the fields of mass communication and media studies.

丹尼斯·麦奎尔(Denis McQuail),著名传播学者,荷兰阿姆斯特丹大学传播学终身教授,“欧洲传媒研究小组”成员,《欧洲传播学杂志》三位创始人之一。麦奎尔曾经就读于牛津大学,获得历史学学位,后在利兹大学获得博士学位。曾先后在美国宾夕法尼亚大学、哥伦比亚大学、哈佛大学、俄罗斯莫斯科大学、芬兰坦佩雷大学、英国南安普敦大学担任教授或客座教授,在阿姆斯特丹大学任教长达二十多年。

丹尼斯·麦奎尔在传播学领域有着漫长而辉煌的研究经历。从1968年至今,麦奎尔出版了十几本著作,广泛涉及传播研究的诸多领域,主要著作有：《迈向大众传播社会学》(Towards a Sociology of Mass Communications,1971)、《传播》(Communication,1975)、《大众传播研究模式论》(Communication Models for the Study of Mass Communications,1982)、《大众传播理论》(Mass Communication Theory,1983)、《媒介行为》(Media Performance,1992)、《受众分析》(Audience Analysis,1997)。《媒介政策》(Media Policy,1998)。他的不少著作被翻译成多种文字并作为教材或教学参考书在世界各地使用。