Trends in Radio News Coverage of Private Broadcasters in the Conditions of the Slovak Republic

ABSTRACT:
This study takes a broader look at the news broadcasts of private broadcasters in the Slovak environment. News is an attractive part of any radio station, which, depending on its territorial coverage and focus, adapts the content of information in individual news blocks. The text focuses on the two most listened-to private radio stations in Slovakia, namely Rádio Expres and Fun Rádio, which operate as the two ‘flagships’ of the two largest media houses in Slovakia. The ambition is to identify and define the current trends in commercial radio broadcasting, which are ascertained through the analysis of news blocks at selected specific times, especially in prime-time in November 2021. In total, there were more than 160 news blocks. In the different parts of the research, we focused on the number of news blocks broadcast, the frequency of news that repeats, the genre of the news broadcast, but also on the news presenter’s involvement in the stream of broadcasting, and thus activity outside of their main broadcasting job or position. On the basis of the data obtained, we identify current trends in radio news coverage of commercial broadcasters in Slovakia.

KEY WORDS:
commercial broadcasting, news block, reporter, radio, news