Music in Radio Broadcasting as a Factor of National Identity Formation

<jats:p>The main objective of this research was to define the potential of Ukrainian popular music as a means of national identity formation on the commercial radio. The methodology of the research included an analysis of scientific data about the main problem of the study to define its conception; a comparative analysis aimed to characterize the Ukrainian and European legislation in media, especially the effective means of supporting national music; interpretation of sociological data allowed to define the role of the radio in the process of national identity formation; monitoring of commercial radio stations uncovered the efficacy of their musical policies. The main conclusions of the study indicate that the Ukrainian radio listeners mainly underestimate the role of domestic culture and music for the process of national identity. It is peculiar to the post totalitarian societies. The attitude of the Ukrainians to the national culture, particularly to music, depends on the attitude to Ukrainian language. The sociolinguistic data demonstrate the correlation between a positive attitude to Ukrainian language and the same attitude to the national culture. People who speak Ukrainian have a higher interest to the national culture and music than people who speak Russian. The monitoring has uncovered that the music in Russian language considerable prevails on the Ukrainian commercial radio stations, but the demand for Ukrainian music is very high. The owners of the Ukrainian media holdings opposed the attempt of the state to increase the quota of national music on the radio, especially in Ukrainian language. At the same time, active communities and Ukrainian musicians continue to defend the right of the Ukrainians to use domestic music in the process of national identity formation.</jats:p>