Is Anyone Listening? Audience Engagement through Public Media Related to the Scottish Independence Referendum

This study examines the capacity of public service media to foster meaningful civic engagement through audience participation, focusing on the BBC Scotland programme Morning Call during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. The paper critically evaluates the tension between institutional editorial control and the desire to provide citizens with a platform for political expression. Using qualitative methodologies, including semi-structured interviews and content analysis, the authors demonstrate how phone-in formats can function as accessible forums for democratic dialogue. Despite institutional elitism, these formats enable non-expert citizens to contribute to political discourse, particularly when framed through personal experience rather than expert commentary. Findings reveal that participation increases significantly when content addresses polarising or emotionally resonant topics. The study argues that such formats contribute public value by offering mediated public spheres that reflect societal diversity. While public broadcasters do not fully cede agenda-setting power, Morning Call illustrates the potential for media to support inclusive deliberation during politically sensitive moments. The article advocates rethinking media-audience dynamics as co-productive processes rather than hierarchical interactions, and proposes contextual evaluations of public media's civic role. These insights are particularly relevant for discussions on democratic media reform and the future of public broadcasting in pluralistic societies.