All ears: radio, reception and discourses of disability

Abstract

This article focuses on the way radio programmes deal with issues of disability in fictional and factual programming, from the perspective(s) of disabled listeners. I argue that, for the most part, radio does not offer a diverse range of images of disability and that too many programmes continue to treat the issue in highly partial terms, using an outmoded lexicon of disablist images and language. Areas of contention include: characterization and genre range in fictional programming; language and authority in fact-based shows; and structure, agency and employment in the industry more generally. Crucially, though, issues of (o)mission were just as important as those of (co)mission, where disability in radio is less a blot and more of a creater on the landscape of radio broadcasting.