How social media has affected audience’s direct participation in Spanish radio stations. The case of the National Radio of Spain

Abstract

The audience’s participation has been a part of the so called “radio language” since the beginning of its history. However, there are not as many studies on this field as there are on other topics such as message analysis or radio formats. Using the main theoretical approaches of radio in Spain as a starting point, and referencing the most recent contributions of researchers in the field, this proposal focuses on the changes experienced since social media came in to the picture.

The immediacy provided by the Internet, the elimination of all time-space barriers thanks to the new “radio on demand” and the radio’s vocation to come closer to the audience have sketched out a scenario in which the direct participation of the audience is constantly reflected on the antenna. However, a higher participation does not necessarily imply greater quality of it.

This paper aims to show the key findings of a doctoral thesis focused on the evolution of the audience’s participation at RNE Radio 1 between 2004 and 2014, coinciding with the birth and consolidation of social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter. The paper is based on content analysis, more specifically, the detailed analysis of eleven weeks of complete emission during that decade.