Abstract

Since the 1980s, an important trend in talk radio has established itself in various North American cities, and has come to be known as “shock radio.” Where they have not looked at the issues of free speech and regulation of the genre, previous studies have provided rich insights into the audience and discourse. The present research lays out a profile of the listening audience and connects it with the themes of shock radio within the framework of a social movement perspective. It is hypothesized that shock radio expresses the resentment of a demographic that has been denied recognition in the emerging structure of group rights. Semi-structured interviews combined with questionnaires were administered to listeners of Quebec City’s CHOI-FM and of American shock host Howard Stern. Respondents were mostly male and non-unionized private sector workers or self-employed. Resentment at group claims was present among a certain segment of the audience, offering support to the hypothesis that shock radio draws its appeal from its expression of resentment.