Speaking for the public - Representation and audience participation duringthe 1997 British general election campaign

Audience-participation programs are designed to provide interaction between politicians and voters. Through voters' questions, politicians gain a valu able gauge of public opinion. However, for this to happen, participants mus t be representative of the general public. Previous U.S. research suggests that this is not the case, but this failure may be caused by that country's commercialized media structure. Callers to the premiere British erection p hone-in program, Election Call, broadcast by the noncommercial BBC, are com pared with members of the general public to determine whether its participa nts are socially and politically representative of the general public. The results are negative, at least in part because simply reflecting the public mood would conflict with the rules and norms of public-interest broadcasti ng.