The radio as good object: An object relational perspective on the curative and protective factors of a BBC public service broadcast for young people

Contemporary young people inhabit an environment that is saturated with a variety of new media platforms competing for their attention. While as a demographic they tend to listen to traditional radio broadcasting less and less, under certain conditions the traditional radio transmission can provide an oasis of consistent positive influence on the emotional well-being of its listeners. Drawing on personal experience as the mental health contributor to BBC Radio 1’s public service phone-in advice show The Surgery with Aled, the author reflects on the ways in which this programming may shed light on the curative and protective factors implicit in its broadcast. Using both personal reflective experiences alongside the application of object relations theory, the nature of this public service advice broadcast is critically examined for the unconscious psychodynamic components that underlie the more obvious conscious role the advice itself provides. It is proposed that traditional radio programmes that meet some basic criteria including regularity, authenticity and a ‘listener-centric’ approach can enable an ‘object constancy’, which ultimately creates the overall curative effect for its listeners.