Listening in times of crisis: the value and limits of radio phone-in shows

Orgad, Shani ORCID: 0000-0001-5129-4203, Srivastava, Divya ORCID: 0000-0001-5135-3592 and Olaleye, Diana (2025) Listening in times of crisis: the value and limits of radio phone-in shows. Media, Culture & Society. ISSN 0163-4437

Text (orgad-et-al-2025-listening-in-times-of-crisis-the-value-and-limits-of-radio-phone-in-shows) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial. Download (204kB)

Abstract

The article explores the democratic value of listening by examining what listening to radio phone-in programmes and listening more broadly mean to people in times of crisis. Drawing on focus groups with London residents severely affected by the cost-of-living, health and social care crises, the article discusses how participants engaged in listening and discussed its significance. Against what we call a ‘crisis of listening’, namely, a rapid shrinking of the spaces and possibilities for listening and a profound sense among people of not being listened to by the political system, the health system and other authorities, participants appreciated listening to phone-in shows and to fellow focus group participants. Listening unifies listeners around common experiences, facilitates building commonalities and enables the public expression of vulnerability in a period of increased isolation and intensifying individualism. At the same time, commercial and exploitative logics shaping phone-in shows foster polarised debate and delegitimise differing opinions, thus reinforcing a deepening crisis of listening. The article concludes by calling for a reorientation of public life around listening and a reorganisation of our commitment as researchers to contribute to listening as an ethical project.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2025 The Author(s)
Divisions:	Media and Communications
Subjects:	H Social Sciences P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1990 Broadcasting
Date Deposited:	04 Dec 2024 15:03
Last Modified:	14 Jan 2025 10:00
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/126253

Actions (login required)

View Item