Radio Vox Populi

Talk radio is broadcast discourse expressing - under ideal circumstances - the medium's full potential as a vox Populi megaphone. Talk radio creates a virtual arena (a Coliseum!) in which topics of public relevance, and most specifically of current affairs, are treated with both expert voices and the continuous contributions of the "man on the street" - the vox Populi. This vox Populi is expressed within the mainstream media context. Radio broadcasters anticipate the active participation of listeners and make them engines of the on-air discussions. Talk radio programs become instruments for intervening in public opinion and, via opinions of the public, intervene in the public agenda. Talk radio and its vox populi amplify the importance of political issues and social issues.

Auteur

Peter Laufer, long-time journalist, is the James Wallace Chair Professor of Journalism at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication and visiting professor at the Sapienza University of Rome Department of Communication and Social Research.

Christian Ruggiero is Associate Professor in Sociology of cultural and communicative processes at the Department of Communication and Social Research, Sapienza University of Rome.