Radio Host Research Articles

Mitindo ya mawasiliano katika kipindi cha Patanisho, Redio Jambo nchini Kenya

SWAHILI Lengo la makala hii ni kuchanganua mitindo ya mawasiliano inayotumiwa na manahodha wa kipindi cha Patanisho cha Redio Jambo nchini Kenya. Redio za hivi karibuni zinazidi kuendeleza vipindi vya redio ambavyo vinawahusisha wasikilizaji wake kupiga simu na kujadiliana. Tafiti chache zimechunguza mazungumzo yanayoendelezwa katika redio. Kipindi cha Patanisho cha Redio Jambo ni mojawapo ya vipindi vya redio vinavyoendeleza majukumu yake kama asasi inayowaunganisha wasikilizaji kupitia kwa mijadala inayohusu masuala ya kijamii. Watafiti wa makala hii walipania kuchunguza jinsi manahodha wa kipindi hiki wanavyotumia mitindo ya mawasiliano ili kuvutia umakinifu wa wasikilizaji. Mbinu ya uteuzi wa kimaksudi wa sampuli ulitumiwa kuteua sampuli ya utafiti. Kikundi lengwa cha utafiti kilikuwa kipindi cha Patanisho cha Redio Jambo. Vipindi 60 vilisikilizwa katika mtandao wa Youtube ya Redio Jambo na vipindi kumi vikateuliwa kimaksudi kwa misingi ya mazungumzo kuhusu migogoro ya kifamilia iliyojitokeza. Matokeo ya utafiti yalionyesha kuwa mitindo tofauti ya mawasiliano hutumiwa na manahodha wa kipindi cha Patanisho kujenga mahusiano na kuvuta umakinifu wa wasikilizaji. Watafiti walibaini kuwa mitindo ya mawasiliano inayotumiwa na manahodha wa kipindi hufanikisha malengo ya kipindi chenyewe. ENGLISH The purpose of this study is to analyze the communication styles used by the Patanisho program hosts in Patanisho program, Radio Jambo. Patanisho programme of Radio Jambo has Radio hosts who participate in radio talk shows that discuss family issues in ways that seek non-violent solutions. This study was interested in the uniqueness of the discourses that develop in Patanisho program. The researchers of this study aimed at explain how radio hosts of Patanisho programme use different communication styles to attract the speaker’s attention. This research was conducted on Radio Jambo’s YouTube channel. The research design was descriptive. The target group of the research was Patanisho programs in Radio Jambo. The study samples were purposively selected. A total of 60 episodes of Patanisho programs aired between January and April 2023 in Radio Jambo and recorded on YouTube were listened to by the researcher and 10 episodes were deliberately selected based on their themes to be examined. The data collection methods were listening and note taking. The data collection tools used were a laptop, notebooks and pens. The findings of this study poses a challenge to hosts of different radio programs to design new communication styles and strategies that will attract listeners to their programs and design programs that deal with the life challenges faced by members of the community.

On the Relation between Symmetry of Radio Galaxies and Their Physical Parameters

Abstract Gravity as a fundamental force plays a dominant role in the formation and evolution of cosmic objects and leaves its effect in the emergence of symmetric and asymmetric structures. Thus, analyzing the symmetry criteria allows us to uncover mechanisms behind the gravity interaction and understand the underlying physical processes that contribute to the formation of large-scale structures such as galaxies. We use a segmentation process using intensity thresholding and the $k$-means clustering algorithm to analyze radio galaxy images. We employ a symmetry criterion and explore the relation between morphological symmetry in radio maps and host galaxy properties. Optical properties (stellar mass, black hole mass, optical size (R$_{50}$), Concentration, stellar mass surface density ($\mu_{50}$), and stellar age) and radio properties (radio flux density, radio luminosity, and radio size) are considered. We found that there is a correlation between symmetry and radio size, indicating larger radio sources have smaller symmetry indices. Therefore, size of radio sources should be considered in any investigation of symmetry. Weak correlations are also observed with other properties, such as R$_{50}$ for FRI galaxies and stellar age. We compare the symmetry differences between FRI and FRII radio galaxies. FRII galaxies show higher symmetry in 1.4 GHz and 150 MHz maps. Investigating the influence of radio source sizes, we discovered that this result is independent of the sizes of radio sources. These findings contribute to our understanding of the morphological properties and analyzes of radio galaxies.

An ALMA CO(1-0) survey of the 2Jy sample: large and massive molecular discs in radio AGN host galaxies

ABSTRACT The jets of radio AGN provide one of the most important forms of active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback, yet considerable uncertainties remain about how they are triggered. Since the molecular gas reservoirs of the host galaxies can supply key information about the dominant triggering mechanism(s), here we present Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array CO(1-0) observations of a complete sample of 29 powerful radio AGN ($P_{1.4\,{\rm GHz}} \gt 10^{25}$ W Hz$^{-1}$ and $0.05 \lt z \lt 0.3$) with an angular resolution of about 2–3 arcsec (corresponding to 2–8 kpc). We detect molecular gas with masses in the range $10^{8.9} \lt M_{{\rm H}_2} \lt 10^{10.2}$ M$_\odot$ in the early-type host galaxies of ten targets, while for the other 19 sources, we derive upper limits. The detection rate of objects with such large molecular masses – $34\pm 9$ per cent – is higher than in the general population of non-active early-type galaxies (ETGs: $\lt $10 per cent). The kinematics of the molecular gas are dominated in most cases by rotating disc-like structures, with diameters up to 25 kpc. Compared with the results for samples of quiescent ETG in the literature, we find a larger fraction of more massive, more extended and less settled molecular gas structures. In most of the CO-detected sources, the results are consistent with triggering of the AGN as the gas settles following a merger or close encounter with a gas-rich companion. However, in a minority of objects at the centres of rich clusters of galaxies, the accretion of gas cooling from the hot X-ray haloes is a plausible alternative to galaxy interactions as a triggering mechanism.

Reconceptualising multilingualism on African radio: a multilingual accommodation theory

ABSTRACT Media organisations in radio broadcasting are gradually fine-tuning to accommodate multilingual socio-cultural identities. Africa presents unique challenges of lingual diversity which some of the media, particularly public radio have struggled to accommodate. This article advocates for multilingual accommodation on radio to foster more liberating and inclusive ways for multilingual speakers. It is a conceptual paper informed by the Afrikology perspective which we find more useful in tackling African issues from a more realistic perspective. Using radio as a medium of ethnic lingualism, we argue that Africans should tackle their own multilingualism issues. We chose radio because it is the most used medium of communication in Africa, reflective of grassroots social identities. We cite cases of multilingualism in Southern Africa to propose what we refer to as multilingual accommodation in radio broadcasting. The article argues that majority languages in Africa are not monolingualism but family languages of numerous dialects reflecting the co-existence of diverse ethnolinguistics in the pre-colonial era. We define multilingualism as abilities of co-existence in African contexts and the reflection of this co-existence in radio broadcasting. By multilingual accommodation, we suggest sustenance of multilingual programmes by radio hosts, guests and participants in both minoritised and majorised indigenous languages.

Feedback and ionized gas outflows in four low-radio power AGN at z ∼ 0.15

An increasing number of observations and simulations suggests that low-power (< 1044 erg s−1) jets may be a significant channel of feedback produced by active galactic nuclei (AGN), but little is known about their actual effect on their host galaxies from the observational point of view. We targeted four luminous type 2 AGN hosting moderately powerful radio emission (∼1044 erg s−1), two of which and possibly a third are associated with jets, with optical integral field spectroscopy observations from the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) to analyze the properties of their ionized gas as well as the properties and effects of ionized outflows. We combined these observations with Very Large Array (VLA) and e-MERLIN data to investigate the relations and interactions between the radio jets and host galaxies. We detected ionized outflows as traced by the fast bulk motion of the gas. The outflows extended over kiloparsec scales in the direction of the jet, when present. In the two sources with resolved radio jets, we detected a strong enhancement in the emission-line velocity dispersion (up to 1000 km s−1) perpendicular to the direction of the radio jets. We also found a correlation between the mass and the energetics of this high-velocity dispersion gas and the radio power, which supports the idea that the radio emission may cause the enhanced turbulence. This phenomenon, which is now being observed in an increasing number of objects, might represent an important channel for AGN feedback on galaxies

From Niche Narrative to Audio Blockbusters

From Niche Narrative to Audio Blockbusters

A Radio Galaxy Gravitational Lens in the COSMOS-Web Survey

COSMOS 5914+1219 is a radio galaxy that is gravitationally lensing a background star-forming galaxy. We use a total of eight Hubble Space Telescope and JWST images to model the radio source host galaxy as a bulge plus disk system and fit the photometry from the optical through mid-infrared. We find best-fitting photometric redshifts of ≈1.65 for the radio galaxy and ≈4 for the lensed galaxy. We confirm a high stellar mass for the lens of 3.3 ± 0.2 × 1011 M ⊙ compared to a mass enclosed by the Einstein Ring of 1.6 ± 0.1 × 1012 M ⊙ and a star formation rate (SFR) of 340 ± 150 M ⊙ yr−1. For the lensed galaxy, we estimate a stellar mass of 9.9 ± 1.7 M ⊙/μ and a SFR of 150 ± 55 M ⊙/μ, where μ is the amount of magnification via lensing.

“Tin Cans and String”: Democrats’ Failed Attempts to Challenge Conservative Talk Radio from 1994 to 1996

ABSTRACT In the mid-1990s, Democratic Party leaders attempted to counter the popularity of Rush Limbaugh and other conservative talk radio hosts following the Republican sweep of the 1994 midterm elections. President Bill Clinton appeared on shows around the country, his White House began a national radio outreach initiative, party strategists proposed creating their own radio program, and some congressional Democrats visited popular shows such as Imus in the Morning. Meanwhile, former Senator Gary Hart of Colorado and former governors Mario Cuomo of New York and L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia launched their own talk radio shows, while former New York City Mayor Ed Koch continued his program. This study examines the impetus for these Democratic broadcast efforts between 1994 and 1996, the content and style of the different shows, and the reasons they failed to overcome the Republican advantage in talk radio.

Ionized gas extends over 40 kpc in an odd radio circle host galaxy.

A new class of extragalactic astronomical sources discovered in 2021, named odd radio circles (ORCs)1, are large rings of faint, diffuse radio continuum emission spanning approximately 1 arcminute on the sky. Galaxies at the centres of several ORCs have photometric redshifts of z ≃ 0.3-0.6, implying physical scales of several 100 kpc in diameter for the radio emission, the origin of which is unknown. Here we report spectroscopic data on an ORC including strong [O II] emission tracing ionized gas in the central galaxy of ORC4 at z = 0.4512. The physical extent of the [O II] emission is approximately 40 kpc in diameter, larger than expected for a typical early-type galaxy2 but an order of magnitude smaller than the large-scale radio continuum emission. We detect an approximately 200 km s-1 velocity gradient across the [O II] nebula, as well as a high velocity dispersion of approximately 180 km s-1. The [O II] equivalent width (approximately 50 Å) is extremely high for a quiescent galaxy. The morphology, kinematics and strength of the [O II] emission are consistent with the infall of shock ionized gas near the galaxy, following a larger, outward-moving shock. Both the extended optical and radio emission, although observed on very different scales, may therefore result from the same dramatic event.

Conservative Talk Radio and political persuasion in the US,1950–1970

Conservative Talk Radio continues to shape US politics in the 21st century, but it has a deeper history. Using newly digitized archival records, we provide new evidence on the electoral effects of Conservative Talk Radio in the historically consequential period from 1950 to 1970. Conservative radio hosts like Clarence Manion, Billy James Hargis, and Carl McIntire rapidly expanded their network during the early 1960s before the Kennedy administration took regulatory steps to dismantle their business model. We find that in counties where these shows aired on local stations, the Republican vote share increased following their introduction. Anticipatory effects are small and insignificant, which supports a causal interpretation of this effect.

ThePlanckclusters in the LOFAR sky

Context.Many galaxy clusters show diffuse cluster-scale emission in the form of radio halos, showing that magnetic fields and relativistic electrons are mixed in with the intracluster medium. There is in general agreement with the idea that the origin of radio halos is connected to turbulence generated during cluster mergers. Statistical studies of large samples of galaxy clusters in the radio band have the potential to unveil the connection between the properties of radio halos and the mass and dynamics of the host clusters.Aims.Previous studies were limited to massive clusters and were based on a small number of radio halos. The aim of this paper is to investigate the scaling relation between the radio power of radio halos and the mass of the host clusters at low frequencies and down to lower cluster masses.Methods.We analysed the clusters from the second catalogue ofPlanckSunyaev–Zel’dovich sources that lie within the 5634 deg2covered by the second Data Release of the LOFAR Two-meter Sky Survey. We derived the correlation between radio power and host cluster mass, and investigated the distribution of clusters without radio halos with respect to this correlation. We used X-ray observations to classify the dynamical state of clusters and investigated its effect on the power of radio halos.Results.Using different fitting methods, we found a correlation between the power of a radio halo at 150 MHz and the mass of its host cluster down to 3 × 1014 M⊙. For comparison with previous works, with the Bivariate Correlated Errors and intrinsic Scatter (BCES)Y|Xmethod, we obtained the slope of the correlationB = 3.55 ± 0.60 and the normalisationA = 1.1 ± 0.1. This correlation has a large scatter, part of which can be attributed to the different dynamical states of host clusters. We used two statistical tests to show that the distribution of clusters with and without (upper limits) radio halos in the mass–radio power diagram is not compatible with a single correlation and that it is also not compatible with clusters being uniformly distributed below the correlation.

African multilingual public sphere: a critical analysis of minority indigenous language(s) representation on Breeze FM talk radio in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT It is significant to note that the African public sphere has not been fully explored beyond Habermas or Mouffe’s theoretical lens. Relying on what we call the African multilingual public sphere, this article analyses talk shows on commercial radio to ascertain the marginalisation of minority ethnolinguistic groups in Zimbabwe. The study uses an ethnographic observation technique and in-depth interviews with radio hosts, and presenters to analyse participants' interaction within an indigenous multilingual context of Breeze FM talk shows. The article argues that the dominance of major indigenous language speakers on talk radio reflects the dominance of such languages in the African polity. The findings of the study shows the dominance of major indigenous languages and a lack of participants in minority languages on Breeze FM talk shows. This article argues that the African multilingual public sphere should reflect participation by all ethnolinguistic groups in their indigenous languages. We argue that both majority language speakers and minority language speakers should be accommodated in the public sphere and multilingualism should occur without switching to the language of the majority.

The Dragonfly Galaxy. III. Jet Brightening of a High-redshift Radio Source Caught in a Violent Merger of Disk Galaxies

The Dragonfly galaxy (MRC 0152-209), the most infrared-luminous radio galaxy at redshift z ∼ 2, is a merger system containing a powerful radio source and large displacements of gas. We present kiloparsec-resolution data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and the Very Large Array of carbon monoxide (6−5), dust, and synchrotron continuum, combined with Keck integral field spectroscopy. We find that the Dragonfly consists of two galaxies with rotating disks that are in the early phase of merging. The radio jet originates from the northern galaxy and brightens when it hits the disk of the southern galaxy. The Dragonfly galaxy therefore likely appears as a powerful radio galaxy because its flux is boosted into the regime of high-z radio galaxies by the jet–disk interaction. We also find a molecular outflow of (1100 ± 550) M ⊙ yr−1 associated with the radio host galaxy, but not with the radio hot spot or southern galaxy, which is the galaxy that hosts the bulk of the star formation. Gravitational effects of the merger drive a slower and longer-lived mass displacement at a rate of (170 ± 40) M ⊙ yr−1, but this tidal debris contains at least as much molecular gas mass as the much faster outflow, namely M H2 = (3 ± 1) × 109 (α CO/0.8) M ⊙. This suggests that both the active-galactic-nucleus-driven outflow and mass transfer due to tidal effects are important in the evolution of the Dragonfly system. The Keck data show Lyα emission spread across 100 kpc, and C iv and He ii emission across 35 kpc, confirming the presence of a metal-rich and extended circumgalactic medium previously detected in CO(1–0).

Persona-driven journalism at Radio24syv

The article proposes an analytical approach to the study of persona-driven journalism. Drawing on concepts from performance studies, the article builds an analytical framework for engaging with empirical material where the performance of the journalist’s personality becomes a central part of the journalistic product. The analysis of journalist and radio host Ditte Okman identifies a journalism practice that draws on bodily expressivity, outspoken attitudes and the creation of a socializing media space. This practice is used to showcase an unashamed persona that creates journalism based on a performance of authenticity and sincerity, which is read as an example of doing affective labor. The main contribution of the article is to conceptualize a methodological approach to the study of persona-driven journalism practices by drawing on ideas and concepts from performance studies, thus adding methodologically to journalism studies.

A Flat-spectrum Radio Transient at 122 Mpc Consistent with an Emerging Pulsar Wind Nebula

We report the discovery and follow-up observations of VT 1137–0337, an unusual radio transient found in our systematic search for extragalactic explosions in the Very Large Array Sky Survey. It is located in the brightest region of a dwarf starburst galaxy at a luminosity distance of 121.6 Mpc. Its 3 GHz luminosity is comparable to luminous radio supernovae associated with dense circumstellar interaction and relativistic outflows. However, its broadband radio spectrum—proportional to ν −0.35 over a range of ≳10× in frequency and fading at a rate of 5% yr–1—cannot be directly explained by the shock of a stellar explosion. Jets launched by various classes of accreting black holes also struggle to account for VT 1137–0337's combination of observational properties. Instead, we propose that VT 1137–0337 is a decades-old pulsar wind nebula that has recently emerged from within the free–free opacity of its surrounding supernova ejecta. If the nebula is powered by spin-down, the central neutron star should have a surface dipole field of ∼1013–1014 G and a present-day spin period of ∼10–100 ms. Alternatively, the nebula may be powered by the release of magnetic energy from a magnetar. Magnetar nebulae have been proposed to explain the persistent radio sources associated with the repeating fast radio bursts FRB 121102 and FRB 190520B. These FRB persistent sources have not previously been observed as transients but do bear a striking resemblance to VT 1137–0337 in their radio luminosity, spectral index, and host galaxy properties.

Ask a Political Scientist: A Conversation with Katherine J. Cramer about Listening as a Way of Democratic and Scholarly Life

Ask a Political Scientist: A Conversation with Katherine J. Cramer about Listening as a Way of Democratic and Scholarly Life

APIs With GraphQL

Tanmai Gopal, CEO of Hasura.io, discusses GraphQL in this episode with SE Radio host Jeff Doolittle.

The Cuban Vote by Carmen Pelaez (review)

Reviewed by: The Cuban Vote by Carmen Pelaez Horacio Sierra THE CUBAN VOTE. By Carmen Pelaez. Directed by Loretta Greco. Colony Theater, Miami New Drama, Miami Beach. April 22, 2022. Carmen Pelaez’s The Cuban Vote demonstrated just how vital regional theatre is and how well it is able to reflect the realities of local communities and the sociopolitical discourses they sustain. Inspired in equal measure by the international attention Miami’s Cuban American community garners every election cycle, William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, and the snappy writing of Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing, Pelaez’s play buzzed with urgent energy and left the audience pealing with laughter at jokes that lampooned the three-ring circus that is Miami’s political scene. But just as the retort “Fidel Castro is dead”—delivered deadpan by the play’s main character, Carolina Clarens (Carmen Pelaez) when she was being interviewed by a right-wing, Spanish-language radio host—sent shudders through the audience, The Cuban Vote takes everyone to task for the political mayhem of the last twenty years. Liberals, conservatives, candidates, political consultants, mainstream media, social media, naïve Cuban Americans nostalgic for pre-Castro community, cynical Cuban Americans who are “over the whole Castro thing,” and every disengaged Miamian in between are all held to account. Carolina is an intelligent and wonky candidate for mayor of Miami-Dade county. Despite having managed the office of a former mayor, who also happens to have been her father, Carolina is faltering in the polls. With a skeleton crew consisting of her seen-it-all mother, Ofelia (Evelyn Perez), and social media influencer sister, Blanca (Marcela Paguaga), the campaign needs help. Blanca’s boyfriend, the obnoxiously charming bitcoin bro Benji Carbonell (Kristian Bikic), is eager to wed Blanca. But Blanca [End Page 87] has informed Benji that her mother won’t consent to the marriage until Carolina is elected mayor. Benji calls in a favor from a Miami native, Alex Mesa (Andhy Mendez), who has made a name for himself in Washington, DC as a slick political consultant. Benji pays Alex’s salary to ensure Carolina wins her campaign and Benji can marry Blanca. After Alex convinces another formidable candidate not to enter the race, he realizes how unlikable Carolina is. To offer voters a clear contrast between Carolina’s governing prowess and the clueless schmucks who usually dominate Miami’s political scene, he recruits a drunk viejo sitting at a bar, the scene-stealing Gilberto Ruiz (Jonathan Nichols-Navarro), to run for office. Gilberto—a character clearly inspired by the Christopher Sly lark at the beginning of Taming of the Shrew—believes he has what it takes to be mayor. The play soon amps up the didacticism as it serves up a cautionary tale with which we are all too familiar: experience, merit, and know-how are often overshadowed by superficial showmanship. Especially in a city as flashy as Miami. Click for larger view View full resolution Andhy Mendez (Alex Mesa), Carmen Pelaez (Carolina Clarens), and Kristian Bikic (Benji Carbonell) in The Cuban Vote. Photo: Stian Roenning. Pelaez’s keen appreciation for the local vernacular of Miami’s Cuban American community not only makes for great jokes, it also underscores regional theatre’s ability to offer representation to communities that are often excluded from Broadway and from canonical theatre that is deemed to be representative of the American experience. As The Cuban Vote makes clear, political machinations, ambitious individuals, and falling in love, may be universal, but the way in which these themes are expressed have more power when the audience feels a visceral connection to them. For example, a popular meme riffs on how Hispanic communities will take someone’s insecurity (big nose, skinny, red-headed) and make it a loving nickname (narizón, flaco, peliroja, respectively). The double-edged sword of such nicknames is on display in The Cuban Vote when Gilberto continually disparages Carolina by calling her “la gorda” (the fat woman) during interviews. In response to a debate question about climate change and rising sea levels, Gilberto’s anti-intellectualism is subsumed by his callousness: “Let the seas rise. I float! [To Carolina] Especially...

Saint Hershele

History pursues the truth through facts; fiction juices those facts until it is possible to extract their truthfulness. The story of Henry Eisenberg Glantz (1959–2020), alias El Santo Judío, a Mexican Jew whose life is the stuff of myth on the US-Mexican border, is surrounded in controversy. An idiot savant, “Hershele” was the child of an Auschwitz survivor and the grandchild of an important Yiddish poet. Obsessed with urban planning, he was particularly interested in the role traffic lights might play in easing vehicular fluency. He coined the now-ubiquitous term “vialidad,” a metaphor for metropolitan dynamism. After entering and abruptly exiting Mexico City’s political establishment, Hershele moved to Tijuana, where he became a successful radio host. In time, he metamorphosed into an associate of the Sinaloa Cartel with influence to commit crimes whose ultimate goal was, in his words, “to bring justice to earth.” As this false profile suggests, at the core of Hershele’s quest was the redemption of the “caged” children of Central American immigrants imprisoned in warehouses by the Trump Administration—“‘los pequeños que los nazis siguen acribillando,’ the little people the Nazis are still massacring.” There is a petition to beatify Hershele being considered by the Vatican.

How do TV and radio hosts speak? Vowel tenseness as an index of formal and serious speaking style

The present paper reports the instrumental analysis of the unstressed variants of /iː/, /uː/, /eː/, /oː/, /æː/ and /ɑː/. The study was carried out by employing the sound analysis software PRAAT, which was used to measure the length and tenseness of the specified variants. 10 residents of Vilnius city and 10 hosts of TV/radio programmes covering serious public topics were selected as the informants of the study. The main aims of this research were as follows: (1) to determine whether vowel length and tenseness differentiate the pronunciation of Vilnius city residents from that of the hosts of TV/radio programmes covering serious public topics, and (2) to reveal whether the hosts of TV/radio programmes use the length or tenseness of the unstressed variants of /iː/, /uː/, /eː/, /oː/, /æː/, /ɑː/ as a resource for creating a formal and serious speaking style. The current study examines, among other things, if the TV/radio hosts pronounce the unstressed variants of /iː/, /uː/, /eː/, /oː/, /æː/, /ɑː/ systematically more tensely, or perhaps on the contrary – they create the impression of a serious style only with isolated sounds of increased tenseness. The analysis has revealed that the hosts of TV/radio programmes covering serious topics pronounce the unstressed variants of /iː/, /uː/, /eː/, /oː/, /æː/ and /ɑː/ in the same length as Vilnius city residents speaking in a semi-formal style. Hence, vowel length in the said programmes is not a significant linguistic resource when creating a serious and formal speaking style and constructing the linguistic identity of a TV/radio host addressing serious public topics. However, TV/radio hosts covering serious public topics pronounce the unstressed variants of /iː/, /uː/, /eː/, /oː/, /æː/ and /ɑː/ with more tenseness than Vilnius city residents, which suggests that the style of the hosts is distinct from the semi-formal speaking style of Vilnius city residents and serves as a well-defined marker of a certain language standard. These findings are in line with some previous studies indicating that vowel tenseness statistically significantly distinguishes programmes covering serious public topics from entertainment-based programmes covering personal topics. Therefore, it can be argued that vowel tenseness differentiates speakers (TV/radio hosts vs. Vilnius city residents), types of programmes (programmes covering serious public topics vs. entertainment-based programmes covering personal topics), styles (formal vs. semi-formal), and language varieties (actual standard language vs. Vilnius speech). Thus, in the speech of hosts of TV/radio programmes covering serious public topics, tenseness acquires the indexical meaning of “I am speaking seriously”. The use of isolated vowels of increased tenseness is thus sufficient to create the impression of a serious speaking style and to form the linguistic identity of a TV/radio host covering serious topics.