The text tries to find out what is the relevance the triadic model of meaning generation or semiotic created by C.S. Peirce for the study of media communication. The aim is to show its analytical pertinence through the consideration of some contemporary media studies, followed by a brief discussion of a TV format, the reality show, as an illustration. In every case, it is argued, the use of the non-dualist semiotic principle and the logical relationship of the three elements which constitute the sign and which accounts for its activity have explanatory and generalizing power. A term that is both common but of doubtful scientific pedigree, from an epistemological viewpoint, the (media) audience, acquires considerable heuristic value from a semiotic perspective. Another contribution of the semiotic model is to overcome the enduring and not too productive dichotomy of the passive/active in the analysis of the media/society relationship.
