Television broadcasting in different languages and dialects: TRT Kurdî perception in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia

TRT Kurdî channel, previously also known as TRT Şeş (6) was the first state channel broadcasting in different languages and dialects in Turkey. The title of this study is "Television Broadcasting in Different Languages and Dialects: TRT Kurdî Perception in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia". Study aims to investigate whether the channel is broadcasting in accordance with the policies of "broadcast in different languages and dialects" of the European Union, by surveying television's audience in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia and asking questions about TRT Kurdî's attitudes towards broadcasts, the perception of the channel, the impression it creates in the minds and whether the channel meets the expectations of the audience. The first part of the study focuses on the European Union-Turkey relations, steps taken in "broadcasting in different languages and dialects" in Turkey's accession process to the European Union, and the launch of the first Kurdîsh-language TRT Kurdî channel. The second part of the study explains the "Uses and Gratifications" theory, gives information how the theory emerged, developed, basic concepts of the theory, and its relationship with television. The third part of the study shares the results of the field survey conducted by face-to-face survey method in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia. The survey was conducted in Malatya, Muş, Şırnak, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, and Hakkâri provinces where the Kurdîsh citizens live intensively, in order to measure which preferences play role in watching TRT Kurdî channel.