Religion on the Radio

Using Christmas religious broadcasting to reframe the sacred-secular interface

Authors

  • Christopher Deacy University of Kent

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/imre.35647

Keywords:

Christmas, BBC radio, conventional religion, secular sacred, ordinary secular

Abstract

This article examines the breadth and depth of religion in British radio by means of a case study of eight different BBC stations on December 25, 2015. It draws on previous research by Knott and Gill where pre-established definitions of religion, in which the category of "Conventional Religion" is prioritized, have tended to obscure and underestimate the location and place of religion in British media and makes the case for utilizing a tighter rationale and methodology to better examine the relationship between religion and so-called "secular" media. Using a comparative content analysis across twenty-two individual programmes and fouty-four and a half hours of broadcasting, this article proposes that, with a more nuanced methodology, alternative and more challenging ways in which to seek, find and interact with religion on the radio can be identified, with key implications for both the category of religion and the BBC's own definition of the remit of "religious broadcasting."   

Author Biography

  • Christopher Deacy, University of Kent

    Christopher Deacy is Reader in Theology and Religious Studies and Senior Tutor for the School of European Culture and Languages at the University of Kent, and has published several monographs in the area of religion/theology and film. His most recent book focused on Christmas and religion, with a chapter on Christmas as a site of Implicit Religion (OUP, 2016).

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Published

2019-02-05

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Deacy, C. (2019). Religion on the Radio: Using Christmas religious broadcasting to reframe the sacred-secular interface. Implicit Religion, 21(1), 1-43. https://doi.org/10.1558/imre.35647