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‘The whole nation is listening to you’: the presentation of the self on a tabloid talk radio show

University College Dublin, Ireland, sara.osullivan{at}ucd.ie

This article focuses on callers’ experiences of participating on a tabloid talk radio show. The performative dimension of calling was found to be central. This is an aspect of participation on talk radio shows that has been largely neglected by previous studies. Callers have concerns about how they manage their self-presentation on-air. They are aware of both the host and the listening audience, and try to control the impression they ‘give off’. Callers to The Gerry Ryan Show are central players who, together with the host and the production team, contribute to the staging of debate in this on-air forum. Concerns about performance were found to be secondary for those who rang the show with a problem. These callers tended to prioritize instrumental goals such as problem-solving or support-seeking.

Key Words: callers • Goffman • impression management • production

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