Talkback Radio: Some Notes on Format, Politics and Influence

Abstract

This paper presents early results from an ARC-funded research project on the content, audience and influence of Australian talkback radio. Drawing upon the analysis of data from a survey of three talkback programs — John Laws and Neil Mitchell from the commercial sector and Australia Talks Back from the ABC — the paper focuses upon two aspects: the topics canvassed and the participation of the callers. Although very preliminary, the results of this survey narrow down the kinds of questions we need to ask as we move towards more sophisticated analysis of this media format.

The role of blogging in public deliberation and democracy

“…Bolt, in contrast, does not employ or encourage communication strategies that would facilitate deliberative exchanges. Like talkback radio 'shock-jocks' (see Turner, 2009), Bolt and the bloggers on his site blur fact and opinion, and seem to see their prime endeavour as the mutual affirmation of each other's as well as Bolt's views, and the denigration of others holding alternative views. Furthermore, because Bolt presents himself as 'telling it like it is', and responds to 'hot' topics, his posts change focus regularly as different topics come into vogue.…”

“…At the very least, such deliberation helps the community determine what issues are of communal concern and what the relevant factors are for constructive discussion. It also helps community members to express the public good they support (Turner, Tomlinson, and Pearce, 2006). Habermas' conception also reminds us that all outcomes-shared understandings-are in fact partial and contingent, open to further debate and revision.…”

The Interactive Audience: A Radio Experiment in Community-Building

“…As Turner et al (2006) note, talkback appears to bring similar social benefits: in most cases callers are not participating in order to present a political position. Rather … they are more likely to be calling in order to provide information from their own experience as a contribution to a conversation which is itself the public good they wish to support.…”

“…In many ways, they conform to the profile of the group defined by a 1999 report to the Productivity Commission on media use as those who use media to while away the time without spending much money: older lower income groups, the retired and the unemployed (BDA, 1999; see also ABA, 1996 which confirms skew to the 40+ demographic for the Perth local ABC station at this period). Their use of the program conforms with Turner et al's (2006) 'backyard fence' model where talkback repairs 'a gap in regrettably attenuated community relations by providing a public space where their voice might be heard ' (2006: 109).…”

Jonestalk: The Specificity of Alan Jones

“…Prime Minister John Howard, and before him Paul Keating, have both pointed to its importance, and it has been the medium of choice for many state and federal politicians for some years. Research conducted as part of Graeme Turner's ARC-funded study into talkback goes some way towards complicating the assumption that politics is an important focus for talkback programming, by challenging the notion that most programs have a political agenda which they prosecute through their conversation with their callers (Turner et al, 2006;Turner, 2007). In making such an argument about talkback in general, though, one has to admit there is at least one outstanding exception: Sydney radio station 2GB's Alan Jones.…”