Questions concerning the relationship between gratifications sought (GS) and gratifications obtained (GO) were explored in a study of determinants of exposure to national network television evening news programs. The categories of gratifications, derived from a number of studies of television and political news, were (1) general information seeking, (2) decisional utility, (3) entertainment, (4) interpersonal utility, and (5) parasocial interaction. Telephone interviews were obtained from 327 heads of household in Lexington, Kentucky, with phone numbers selected through random sampling. GS and GO were measured by responses to 15 items, and six factor analyses were performed to examine the dimensions of GS and GO and the dimensions of GO for certain subsamples developed according to viewing preference. Findings led to three major conclusions: first, individual GS are moderately to strongly related to corresponding GO; second, the degree of dependence on a particular program is positively related to the strength of the GS/GO relationship; and third, the dimensions of GS and GO from television news differ and are due to general within-program characteristics such as use of videotape and eye contact. Other indications were that entertainment and parasocial interaction are independent motives for television news viewing, and that viewers may distinguish two values of TV news information, for decision making and for social information. (A list of the 15 GS items is appended.) (AEA)