In public service media (PSM) theory and policy, it is argued that more audience participation is needed in the production of PSM programs. However, little research has been done on the actual implementation and evaluation of audience participation in practice. Therefore, we investigate the values and meanings media users attach to participatory opportunities in PSM. We focus on the case of Bel10, a radio project of the Flemish public broadcaster VRT, as audience participation in radio is an underresearched field. First, we look at the literature to provide an overview of the main challenges PSM is dealing with in relation to audience participation. Subsequently, we conduct 24 in-depth interviews with participants in the Bel10 project and 10 focus groups with non-participating listeners. Finally, we conclude that audience participation is especially valued by media users when it contributes to societal objectives, such as being critical of the status quo.

Do "we" really matter? An analysis of user motivations for online interaction with public service radio. In RIPE (pp. 1-23). RIPE. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.

How do children experience a participatory TV cultural policy project and, related to that, which views do they share on cultural policy matters? These questions guided a case study on a TV show aired on the Flemish children's public service channel, which staged children as cultural experts. Although the programme was presented as a participatory project, we found that the children's views were minimally involved in the production process. The children also expressed concerns about how (their) art and cultural practices were represented. Yet, from a cultural policy perspective, the children accepted adults' authority in art and cultural matters.

This article analyzes whether and to what extent public broadcasters have been able to transpose concepts like interaction, cocreation, and participation into actual media service delivery. The article theoretically frames this discussion, first, by defining and operationalizing interaction with, cocreation of, and participation in public service media (PSM), focusing mainly on participation, and, second, by analyzing the challenges that emerge from these concepts. Subsequently, a comparative case study analysis is conducted. Included in the analysis are three PSM multiplatform projects targeted at younger users: that is, TV Lab (France Télévisions), Carte Blanche (VRT, Flanders), and BNN University (NPO, the Netherlands). Findings are based on a qualitative document analysis and semistructured interviews with both producers of and participants in these multiplatform projects.