On and off the air at France Culture. Introducing the listener and forms of engagement in speech

Abstract

Summary: What happens in a radio studio at the moment of going on the air? This article examines the modalities of going on and off the air at France Culture. It describes the radio producer's twofold task: slhe has to introduce a third party, the listener, into the group of participants in the studio, and to construct a place for that listener in the conversation. The study shows the contemporary form of interaction on the air, and the frame of reference mobilized. We see how radio professionals employ vari- ous means to achieve the 'live' involvement of speakers, and in so doing define, in a sense, the cultural programme at France Culture.