32 2008 pp. 121 133 1 Received November 4, 2008 The aim of this paper is to clarify some profound changes in the language used in the visual media, especially in TV news programs in Japan, and show what factors cause these changes. A lot of TV news programs have been changed to be similar to entertainment programs in recent years. This affects the language used in those programs. In this point, visual images play a very important role. I compare TV and radio news programs to show visual images are essential for the language used in the TV news programs which are similar to entertainment ones. Additionally, by comparing different news programs produced by the same television station, I show that the target audience of a TV news program can affect the language used in the program. 121
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