Personality versus voice: The perception of the radio program Manhãs da Comercial among young academic Portuguese audience

At a time when the emergence and positioning of new media in people’s daily life seems to compromise or threaten the tradition of listening to the radio, several stations have felt the urge to modernize and to adapt to the changing needs of the public. Radio stations in Portugal and elsewhere have used the internet and social media, as a platform and as an extension of the dialogue with their listeners, risking losing their traditional influence and ratings in the process. Despite the increasing competition from other media outlets, radio continues to play an important role as a source of news and entertainment. Given the emergence of new technologies, we seek to understand if there is still a significant percentage of people under 25 years old listening to the radio, how they listen and what interests them. Using the "Manhãs da Comercial” (“Commercial Mornings”) show as a case study, this article aims to reflect on how young people (student audience between 18 and 22 years old) react to a variety of content to assess which elements are the most valued. Does radio still have an important presence in young people’s lives? What captures their attention? Is it the voice of the presenters (as tone, range or inflection), the presenters’ personality, how they conduct the show, the programme’s content or just the music? “Rádio Comercial” was chosen because of its position as a leader of radio audiences in Portugal, since the second quarter of 2012. This success is due, in good amount, to the morning programme. “Comercial” managed to dethrone RFM from the leadership position it held since 2004. This audience segment has been selected to assess to which extent the students remain loyal to radio. Therefore, we are not focusing on the station’s target audience (aged 25 to 44). Instead, we aim to evaluate the impact that radio may still have on the young, an age group whose attention is increasingly sought after. It is also the objective of this article to understand which radio stations are favoured and what interests young people tuning into “Comercial” and, in particular the morning show. It is in this context that this study aims to assess the importance of the voice and/or the personalities of the presenters and humorous pieces during a chosen segment, especially given that over the years there has been a preference for music among the young at the expense of talk radio: could this be an exception? Our premise is that regardless of the medium chosen, it is the personality and the charisma of the presenters and the content (who says what and what it is said) that captures the interest of young listeners when turning on the radio. All of this is to the detriment of voice and in the case of the morning programme, of music.