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European Audiences Trust Radio, Research Shows

Finland leads survey of radio services with integrity

European Commission Eurobarometer data shows 54 percent of European citizens believe in the integrity of radio, compared with 48 percent who trust television, 41 percent for press and 34 percent for the Internet, according to the European Broadcasting Union.

Dr. David Fernandez, of the EBU’s Media Intelligence Service, presented the data during his address to the 20th EuroRadio Assembly in Amsterdam.

However the research, based on figures from 2009 to 2013, highlights differences between individual broadcasters across the EBU community.

“At the top of the league table is Finnish radio,” said Fernandez. “The greatest losers are Greece (40 percent), Portugal (42 percent), Cyprus (28 percent) and Ireland (26 percent), which should not come as a surprise. These are broadcasters in crisis that have been subjected to severe funding cuts leading to reduced services.”

Nonetheless, keynote speaker Helen Boaden, the BBC’s director of radio, noted that the BBC was among many institutions to face a deepening crisis of trust.

“And yet, in comparison to other news providers, the BBC has remained by far the most trusted source,” said Boaden. She said trust was driven by “content and services,” which helped build “loyalty and habitual contact with audiences.”

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