RTV Theory and Practice - Special Issue

Why do people listen? It is difficult and can be misleading to sum up research from eighty ог so countries showing reasons for listening . The generalizations which f ollow apply chief ly to listeners to the BBC . In couritries where the local media are under some form of political constraint or have a poor reputation for speed, impartiality or current affairs programmes have been available around the clocK on a satellite feed to public radio stations in the United States . Ву mid-1988 about fjfty public radio stations were using BBC material in this way . For a much longer period most of the major international broadcasters have also provided recorded programmes on disc or tape to other broadcasters ,in most cases fee of charge . The BBC , unlike most of its competitors , charges for most of its recorded output made available in this way . Тће increase in ownership of radios worldwide , the growth in the likely to continue to be at the BBC and VOA , with Deutsche Welle , Radio France International, and some others making a strong showing in some areas . Despite increasing efforts to find other means of delivery anđ despite some rebroađcasts via local stations , most listening to international radio is likely still to be оп short-wave at least until the next century . In a world of rapidly changing electronic msdia technology one of the oldest, and in some ways crudest, means of delivery seems likely to continue to prevail. It continues to have the advantages of simplicity, ease of access, and lack of susceptibility to governmental interference - all advantages not possessed by апу of the alternatives . Such listeners seek out all sources of information - radio , television, newspapers (Tamii and English) and periodicals - in order to gather all the current news and get different perspectives . They аге not content with a single source of news . They like to have an opinion on every current politicai event and to guote from a range of sources. SEGMENT 2: THE TAMIL ENTHUSIAST Tamil language and culture , and their place in the world and in inđian society , are a matter of pride and concern for a great many Tamilians . There is resentment of 'Hindification', the encroachment of the Hindi language into many walks of life . The BBC Tamil Service therefore attracts some people primanly because it is in Tamil, and because of the quality of the language used . "We wouldn't bother about it if it were some other language, but they speak in Tamil."

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