RTV Theory and Practice - Special Issue

concepts do not make much difference to the number of listeners on condition that the morning programmes preserve their basic characteristics and give the most useful possible servicing and general information, maintain their simplicity, ease, sincerity and relation of mutual trust and equality. It is significant to underline in this context that morning programmes hevertheless must not be seen as mass beauty salons for setting the mood for working people, but neither аге they isolated desks from which the first morning lesson is read. We stress this especially because morning programmes can have a positive influence even now on the other parts of the daily radio programme as well. For here, unfortunately, the day cannot be recognized by the morning. If we agree on this, and we probably will, there are still some questions which remain open. We must, above all, analyze with саге the experiences and dilemmas which remain evident. In the first place: how great is the continuity of listening to the morning programme, if we can speak of continuity at all, and secondly: are listeners to the morning programme mainly active or mainly passive? The problem of attention in general in listening to the radio has been Ueated to date by many theorists of mass communications, mainly on the basis of foreign experience. Unfortunately, we lag greatly behind in this sphere of research, although there are serious reasons why we should have far more results of our own to work on when we consider the specific nature of our social relations. Thus in accepting foreign research fmdings and studies we are sometimes in danger of neglecting phenomena which, in correlation with phenomena of social behaviour as a whole, deserve to be studied more thoroughly. For example, it was a great surprise for both researchers and creators of Radio Zagreb’s morning programme to fmd that about two-thirds of their listeners do not belong to the passive but the active category of listeners. The response of listeners in diiect contact with announcers and guests on the programme also shows that the active relationship of listeners is m direct correlation with ihe continuity of listening to the mornmg programme, between 5.30 and 7.30 a.m. in the case of Radio Zagreb, the most intensive listening period. It may seem to some that this conclusion contradicts the earlier statement that the majority of listeners to the morning programme аге active and work, which means that they do not have much chance to follow the programme actively and with continuity. It is apparently true, but this in itself is an occasion for further research. It is important to remember that radio sets аге more and more mobile, that cars are used more and more and that the јоигпеу to the place of work takes longer and longer. Neither should we ignore the

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