Talkback Radio

Talkback radio – a radio format containing discussions on topical issues - has become an increasingly popular trend in developed countries such as the US and Australia. As I am not too familiar with the concept of talkback radio, the ABC radio transcript on talkback radio in Australia piqued my curiosity.

This radio transcript is in itself a form of talkback radio as the discussion of this issue is broadcasted through a talkback radio station, ABC Radio National. This interview is conducted by Antony Funnell on his show, The Media Report. The guest on the show is Julie Posetti from the University of Canberra.

The transcript highlighted the prevalence of talkback radio in Australia and how it has contributed to society. Posetti mentioned that callers on talkback radio shows sometimes identify themselves as citizen journalists as they contribute information as well as provide alternative voices and debates (Funnell, 2008). The issue of dialogue restriction and censorship is also discussed in this transcript.

The frequent use of talkback radio by politicians and prominent public figures has been heightened to visibility (Gould, 2007). However, talkback radio has been surprisingly overlooked in the US due to misconception that radio was declining in importance (Turner, 2003). This is justified by the numbers as only 17% of US citizens tune in to radio talk shows (Pew Research Centre, 2004).

Talkback radio gives a chance to politicians and prominent figures to reach segments of the population as well as to heighten public awareness on an issue (Gould, 2007). Plus, talkback gives stories another twist and can keep a story going for a while (Turner, 2003).

In my opinion, talkback radio is not only a platform for prominent figures, but for listeners as well. This gives public members a voice to express opinions and viewpoints as they are encouraged to call in during the show.

As Kress and Leuween (1998, pp.186) note, we articulate our spoken message not just with words, but through a complex interplay of speech, sound, intonation and rhythm. Therefore, talkback radio is considered a personal medium for guests to connect with listeners.

References

Funnell, A 2008, The audience talks back, The Media Report, ABC Radio National, viewed 9 November 2008, http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2008/2410940.htm

Gould, L 2007, Talkback radio: power and perception, Macquarie University, viewed 9 November 2008, http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:7OZ19lf6JkJ:www.humanities.mq.edu.au/humanity/2007/doc/gould_liz.doc+talkback+radio+popular&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=my

Gunther, K, Theo, VL 1998, Approaches to media discourse, Blackwell, Oxford

News audiences increasingly politicized 2004, The Pew Research Centre for the People and the Press, viewed 9 November 2008, http://people-press.org/report/?pageid=834

Turner, G 2003, The power of talkback, The University of Queensland, viewed 9 November 2008, http://www.uq.edu.au/research/index.html?page=13243&pid=0