Sustainability of Croatian local radio stations in contemporary media environment (original) (raw)

6. Međunarodni znanstveni skup Europski realiteti – Održivost, 2024

Abstract

Although belonging to traditional media, recoding mostly declining audiences and popularity in the contemporary media environment, radio has experienced an upswing in the last few years. There are several reasons for this: in order to listen to the radio, people do not need basic literacy; following radio content does not require complete focus and concentration; its program is high on entertainment content (primarily, music) and so on. Radio also worked and adapted well to new media trends, converging classic radio forms into new ones that are interesting to a younger audience, such as streaming and podcasts. This is why radio stations today play an important role in social communities, providing access to information, entertainment, and sometimes education, which is especially pronounced in local radio stations. Their representation in Croatia is extremely large, with almost 160 radio channels at the moment, almost 90 percent of which are local radio stations, according to their direction and reach. However, these stations frequently face difficulties in terms of financial resources, human capability and technological infrastructure. The aim of this paper is to determine the sustainability of local radio stations in the new media environment and the extent to which they can adapt to the current situation and contemporary media trends. For this purpose, in-depth face-to-face interviews and an online survey questionnaire were conducted among radio professionals – managers, editors and journalists of several Croatian local radio stations. The research focused on three main components: 1) Specific obstacles faced by local/regional media; 2) Impact of the shift to digital media on market competition, audience, and advertising income; 3) Examples and data illustrating the decline in traditional media formats. The main results of the research, best practices and lessons learned, as well as recommendations for improving the operation of local radio stations are presented in the final part of the paper.

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