Journalists as radio advertising endorsers in news or talk radio stations

Abstract

This exploratory investigation studies the presence of journalists as advertising endorsers in news or talk radio stations when a mention or testimonial is embedded within programme, the characteristics of these advertisements, and the degree of their involvement with the message and the product and brand. The research analysed all programming contents from a sample of national stations, focusing on type, subject and length of endorsement, role of endorser, and frequency of brand mention and call to action. The results show that many cases do not respect the codes of conduct of the sector and bypass the distinction between editorial and commercial contents.