Reception of religious radio programs: The case of Akra FM

Since it is invented, the radio had important social functions in the world as well as in Turkey and it is still an important mass medium. Even though the advent of religious radio broadcasting in the world is in parallel with the evolution of this medium, the appearance of religious radio stations in Turkey dates 1993. Until this year, the adventure of religious programs was determined and controlled by the State. With the privatization of radio-TV broadcasting in Turkey, religious programs found a free space and have still had impacts on listeners' religious beliefs and lives. Furthermore, although these radio stations belong to particular religious communities, they didn't limit their audience with the community members. Thus, closed communities became more open and gained new members thank to these radio programs. This thesis, based on a case study on Akra Fm, illustrates media and religion relationship and explores how religious programs are decoded by their listeners and what kind of needs are satisfied through them.