The transformation of community radio in the podcast era

Abstract

The study examines the impact of podcasting on the character of community radio stations in the context of digital convergence. Although community radio stations are increasingly using podcasts, the asynchronous nature of this format makes it difficult to maintain a sense of community. The aim of this exploratory research is to find out whether and how two selected European community stations integrate community-building elements into their podcasts. A qualitative content analysis of selected episodes looked at the presence of parasocial interactions, calls for participation, and explicit references to the community. The results show that the podcasts of the analyzed stations serve primarily in the logic of archiving and distribution. While basic parasociality is present, proactive calls for participation and connections with the community are almost absent. The findings empirically confirm the risk of "de-communitarianization" and suggest that without a targeted relationship-building strategy, the community potential of podcasts is lost.