A study was conducted to examine the relationship between American mass media and the black community. Subjects were two groups of black midwestern college students--one group studying at a predominantly black university and the other at a mostly white university--with similar social and economic backgrounds. It was hypothesized that black students in a racially heterogeneous environment would have media habits more similar to the general population, while the students at the predominantly black campus were expected to be closer to the "norm" of black communication behaviors. Results of a self-administered questionnaire on media preferences and habits indicated that both groups were dissatisfied with the local media's efforts to address their needs and produce material of interest to them. A large number, however, rated local media neither good nor bad, which supports another hypothesis that blacks have been conditioned by the media to expect to be portrayed negatively. Both groups indicated they wanted to see more black programs, read more news of interest to blacks, and hear more black oriented music on the radio. Data did not support the hypothesis that blacks on predominantly white campuses have media habits more similar to those of the general population than do black students on mostly black campuses. (Seven tables of data and 20 references are included.) (AEW)