Comedy shows: humour, crisis and the resilience of radio

Abstract

Being a part of many radio stations' progra􀀗mming, comedy shows are also available on radio websites as audio on demand. Often topical, many of these shows are based on everyday news. With a strong aesthetic sense, comedy shows are often brash as well as funny, but they can also play an important role as a barometer of social, political, economic anel cultural life. The history of comedy shows on radio in Portugal began in the 1940s. Since that time, humour has been inspired mainly by news anel current affairs, not only in terrns of content but also in terms of format. Many comedy shows parodied news genres. Like news bulletins, these shows normally feature an anchor who presents the comedic news. The scripts for these programmes are wrillen in a satirical way and present a caricature of society. This chapter will identify some characteristics of comedy shows on the radio, consider the relationship between comedy shows and real news output and reflect on the role humourous narratives may play in contributing to the resilience of radio.