Publication Date

2015

Journal or Book Title

The International Encyclopedia of Language and Social Interaction

Abstract

Radio has always had the potential to change public life. Ordinary citizens participate in programs in which they call in the radio station and express their opinion. As such, these programs are part of the public sphere, as well as an entertainment form. These programs are taken as a service in public station, and as a revenue source in commercial stations. In the commercial stations, the shows promote the one-sided political agenda of their hostsstars. In the public stations, the shows facilitate a balanced discussion among different citizens. All participants in both types of programs use argumentative practices, including the use of rhetoric. Yet, the host is the power-holder in the interactions. The programs and interactions in them also encode other power relations, as these programs may promote conservative, at times racist views. Radio is still a masculine medium, and participants in talk radio adhere to the normative gender order.

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