Program Analyses of Radio Stations

House of Research has been conducting program analysis of TV and radio stations for years. This is usually done via quantitative content analysis. We take care of the software-supported recording and carry out structural and content analysis using computer-supported coding in order to make statements about the form, content and journalistic quality of the programs. The program analysis also includes the study of the music profile, for which we use our very extensive music database.

One of our projects in this area was the study of private radio programs in Saarland, with which we were commissioned by the Media Council of the Saarland Media Authority (LMS). The quantitative content analysis focused on the journalistic quality of the stations and covered the seven programs bigFM Saarland, Classic Rock Radio, Radio Homburg, Radio Neunkirchen, Radio Saarbrücken, Radio Saarschleifenland and Radio Salü. In addition to structural characteristics such as the word content, criteria such as the proportion of hard and soft news, depth of reporting, relevance for the listener, regional reference, quantity and type of music played and much more were analysed. The word analyses were also contrasted with a newspaper analysis of the Saarbrücker Zeitung. The created program profiles provide an insight into the different priorities of the stations. Read more about the study in the final report, in the press release of the Saarland Media Authority, or in a short overview of the journalistic program profiles and program characteristics of the individual stations.