Content Structure of University Radio Stations in Turkey As Part of Their Broadcast Policy

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine to what extent university radio stationsin Turkey are an alternative to popular, commercial radio stations by analyzingthe program content and general approaches within the framework of theirmusic and program policies. Using the qualitative research method, in-depthinterviews were carried out with the employees and representatives of 25 publicand 9 foundation university radio stations across various regions and differentcities of Turkey. Twenty university radio stations were examined on site by directobservations and face-to-face interviews, and we interviewed the representativesof 14 university radio stations via telephone or video communication. Allinterviewees were asked the same semistructured questions. Furthermore, thesupervisors of the 11 sample radio stations who archive their programs regularlyselected some of the programs and shared their archives with the researchers.These selected programs were analyzed in terms of the duration of talk andmusic, and categorized according to the production elements. It was found thatuniversity radio stations in Turkey have problems with content production forvarious reasons and are exposed to certain restrictions. Therefore, in contrast tointernational practices and the existing literature, they have content similar to thatof commercial radio stations, rather than broadcasting alternative content.