Layperson Participation on Radio and the Internet in Three European Countries

Digital Radio Cultures in Europe (DRACE), the radio panel of the COST A20 action on The Impact of the Internet on Mass Media, has launched a qualitative research project in a number of European countries about participation in broadcast media among the public. The project involves a reception study and analysis, with a focus on experiences of interaction with the media, attitudes towards media participation and evaluations of the context for interactivity provided by digital technologies. This paper introduces the methodology and rationale of the study in the context of previous European studies. We start from the broad category of ‘experience’, intended to cover the different ways of relating to radio, from having music on in the background, as accompaniment to daily activities and to listening to radio with the utmost concentration. Just as important as analyzing the qualities of interactivity, the research also explores the experiences and underlying reasons for not participating, arguably more representative of the general experience of radio consumption.