RTV Theory and Practice - Special Issue, 01. 01. 1988., стр. 112

not exist. Only when citizen groups begin exploring the possibilities for local radio and television programming on the cable nets do city governments consider a form of overall media policy. In general, local stations are dependent to a large degree on the goodwill of the local government, and in this sense there is a direct threat to station independence . Failure to provide start capital or to allocate annual funding депегаМу means to demise of a local station . The city council in Helmond approved an етегдепсу subsidy for the local station , but at the same time announced that this could not be repeated . In the event the station finđs no other f inancing , this stipulation spells the end of the station . In Groningen the station is so dependent on municipal funđing that the city has been able to dictate how the топеу is used for programming: the city has deciđed that the топеу is to be primarily useđ for production of television programming rather than radio programming . The station is thereby forced to fmance this form of programming from other resources . fUSE AND OPINION OF STATION PROGRAMMING There is little information available on the uses made and opinions of station programming in the Netherlands . During the national experiment with community radio and television in the 1970s extensive research was conđucted (Stappers et al. , 1976 Kool et al. , 1976; Jankowski, 1982), but since then only occasional and limited research has been performed . For тапу stations it is simply not possible to finance audience research. Most of the research which is conducted , then , is that commissioned by another party such as the city government or a local newspaper . In four of the six stations investigated auđience research has been conducted by the respective city governments . This occurred prior to decision making regarding awarding of a grant to a station . These research events were оп-time activities without follow-up. Only in one location, Gouđa, was a form of continuous audience research conducted . Here , a team of volunteers performed regular surveys of auđience use and opinions of programming , On the basis of the information available it nevertheless appears that residents are депегаМу aware of the stations m their respective localities . One recent long-term study has been conducted which gives some indication o.f use and opimon of a single local radio and television station Transmedia, m the town Zaltbommel. In annual surveys held under a panel of respondents data has been collected on awareness , use and opinion of the station. Nearly all of the respondents - 98Х

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