Since television programs portray a wide variety of masculine styles, this aspect of a program may become the most important feature for adolescent boys seeking information about ideal prototypes. The program preferences of a sample of 14-year-old boys, evenly divided between white and black and between aggressive and non-aggressive subjects, were studied. Non-aggressive blacks watched shows featuring vulnerable males, who are weak and dependent on others for help. Aggressive black viewers preferred programs starring tactical males, who are adept problem solvers but whose underdog positions require them to use strategy and surprise instead of force and coercion. Non-aggressive whites liked programs about protective males and their capacity to fill a woman's place in the family. Aggressive whites like forceful male heroes, men whose position allows them to compel others to comply with them or whose characters are so strong that they determine their own lives. These programs, then, both reflect and perpetuate mass culture stereotypes of masculine roles. A boy's choice of programs helps reinforce the viability of one of these styles as a model for his own manhood. (JK)