This paper examines perceptions of three different communication channels (written, interpersonal, and e-mail) in a new organizational form, from six perspectives: social information processing, decision making, cost minimization, social presence, uncertainty reduction, and appraisal. In this study three functional groups within the Cancer Information Service (CIS) were examined: Project Directors (N=11), Outreach Coordinators (N=16), and Telephone Service Managers (N=17). The results indicated that there were few significant differences between these functional groupings. While there were clear differences between theoretical perspectives, the specific functional role differences related to them only marginally supported our hypotheses. This study suggested that refocusing on fundamental underlying processes may be necessary at this stage in the development of the literature on channel selection in organizations.