«L'hanno detto alla radio!» : comme la sciena va en l'aire

Abstract

Of all forms of media, radio can play a central role in the modern process of science communication, exploiting its unique nature of closeness and intimacy. Radio over the years has been able to reach a large number of people, to diffuse knowledge, to mirror the important changes and social movements that have taken place. This is particularly true when dealing with science popularisation at local level. Community radio stations represent an interesting place where the discourse of the media and the discourse of the public merge together at a deeper level. Their main characteristics being free access and public participation in production and decision-making, community radios have a prominent role in the promotion of the public debate on topics of risk communication in science, such as biotechnologies or health matters. The network of municipal radio stations of Catalonia is presented as an interesting example where confirmation of this hypothesis can be found.