The thesis is a case study of KUOP, FM, Stockton- Modesto, an affiliate of National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Radio International (PRI). The study employed rhetorical criticism, a member survey, and participant observation. First, a critical review of the audience research literature and the electronic discussions of public radio professionals revealed the discursive struggles concerning mission, service, community, and audience. Second, a survey of KUOP's members was used to compare KUOP with the national \"norm,\" as developed within public radio audience research. Third, these findings were discussed from the perspective gained through participant-observation as a part-time worker at KUOP for more than two years. The study used both national and local research to develop specific strategies for programming, marketing, and positioning KUOP, utilizing a polysemic approach to media performance. Member preferences and positioning themes were derived from the KUOP
","abstract_html":"<p>The thesis is a case study of KUOP, FM, Stockton- Modesto, an affiliate of National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Radio International (PRI). The study employed rhetorical criticism, a member survey, and participant observation. First, a critical review of the audience research literature and the electronic discussions of public radio professionals revealed the discursive struggles concerning mission, service, community, and audience. Second, a survey of KUOP's members was used to compare KUOP with the national "norm," as developed within public radio audience research. Third, these findings were discussed from the perspective gained through participant-observation as a part-time worker at KUOP for more than two years. The study used both national and local research to develop specific strategies for programming, marketing, and positioning KUOP, utilizing a polysemic approach to media performance. Member preferences and positioning themes were derived from the KUOP</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hurley, Mary E."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (M.A.)","degree_level":"Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted","degree_discipline":"Communication","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["R. Alan Ray"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1998,"date_issued":"1998-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"1998-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:36:28Z","subjects":["Public radio","Communication","Social and Behavioral Sciences"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/511","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["R. Alan Ray"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hurley, Mary E."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-06-29T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Communication"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (M.A.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Public radio","Communication","Social and Behavioral Sciences"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/511"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The thesis is a case study of KUOP, FM, Stockton- Modesto, an affiliate of National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Radio International (PRI). The study employed rhetorical criticism, a member survey, and participant observation. First, a critical review of the audience research literature and the electronic discussions of public radio professionals revealed the discursive struggles concerning mission, service, community, and audience. Second, a survey of KUOP's members was used to compare KUOP with the national \"norm,\" as developed within public radio audience research. Third, these findings were discussed from the perspective gained through participant-observation as a part-time worker at KUOP for more than two years. The study used both national and local research to develop specific strategies for programming, marketing, and positioning KUOP, utilizing a polysemic approach to media performance. Member preferences and positioning themes were derived from the KUOP
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