Public Service Radio Programming for Minority Language Audience(s) in a Competitive Market

Abstract

With the arrival of commercial radio, attracting a younger audience, it becomes a challenge for minority radio stations to keep their audiences. The size of the minority, its location with respect to state borders, its dispersion into the majority population and the strength of the commercial and public service broadcasters in the area shape the possibilities for commercially based radio services. The focus of this study is on the recent development in radio services for the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland. The article concludes that if competitive programming is available in their own language, even bilingual speakers who form local minorities in regions with a highly competitive radio market will seek to strengthen their cultural identification by using radio services in their mother tongue.