RTV Theory and Practice - Special Issue

not exist. Only when citizen groups begin exploring the possibilities for local radio and television programming on the cable nets do city governments consider a form of overall media policy. In general, local stations are dependent to a large degree on the goodwill of the local government, and in this sense there is a direct threat to station independence . Failure to provide start capital or to allocate annual funding депегаМу means to demise of a local station . The city council in Helmond approved an етегдепсу subsidy for the local station , but at the same time announced that this could not be repeated . In the event the station finđs no other f inancing , this stipulation spells the end of the station . In Groningen the station is so dependent on municipal funđing that the city has been able to dictate how the топеу is used for programming: the city has deciđed that the топеу is to be primarily useđ for production of television programming rather than radio programming . The station is thereby forced to fmance this form of programming from other resources . fUSE AND OPINION OF STATION PROGRAMMING There is little information available on the uses made and opinions of station programming in the Netherlands . During the national experiment with community radio and television in the 1970s extensive research was conđucted (Stappers et al. , 1976 Kool et al. , 1976; Jankowski, 1982), but since then only occasional and limited research has been performed . For тапу stations it is simply not possible to finance audience research. Most of the research which is conducted , then , is that commissioned by another party such as the city government or a local newspaper . In four of the six stations investigated auđience research has been conducted by the respective city governments . This occurred prior to decision making regarding awarding of a grant to a station . These research events were оп-time activities without follow-up. Only in one location, Gouđa, was a form of continuous audience research conducted . Here , a team of volunteers performed regular surveys of auđience use and opinions of programming , On the basis of the information available it nevertheless appears that residents are депегаМу aware of the stations m their respective localities . One recent long-term study has been conducted which gives some indication o.f use and opimon of a single local radio and television station Transmedia, m the town Zaltbommel. In annual surveys held under a panel of respondents data has been collected on awareness , use and opinion of the station. Nearly all of the respondents - 98Х

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