PERFORMING PUBLIC SERVICE: VOCAL STRATEGIES AND INSTITUTIONALIZED PERSONA CONSTRUCTION IN CHINESE RADIO HOSTING

Abstract

This study examines how radio hosts construct professional personas through performance techniques in China's public service program 992 Everyone Help (HEBRTS), focusing on the interplay between institutional constraints and performative strategies in crisis broadcasting. Combining qualitative content analysis of 80 program segments (2023-2024) with in-depth interviews of 4 hosts and 3 producers, the research reveals how hosts employ specialized vocal techniques including pitch modulation (85-300Hz range), speech tempo variation (120-160 wpm), and strategic pauses (0.3-0.8 seconds) to navigate between authoritative and empathetic roles during live interventions. Key findings demonstrate the development of "crisis vocalics," a performative framework where hosts: 1) execute rapid code-switching between technical directives and emotional appeals, 2) maintain "vocal through-lines" for identity coherence across role shifts, and 3) adapt to generational divides with veteran hosts prioritizing institutional consistency (±15Hz pitch stability) and junior hosts employing wider affective variation (±40Hz). The production ecosystem scaffolds these performances through structured systems, including six-month vocal apprenticeships and real-time "empathy parameters" during broadcasts. The study contributes to performance theory by extending Goffman's (1959) dramaturgical framework to public service media, proposing "institutionalized intimacy" as a mode of professional persona construction. Practical implications highlight three training innovations: crisis simulation drills, generational mentorship programs, and "performance scaffolding" protocols. These findings affirm radio hosting as a skilled vocal artistry that balances institutional imperatives with human connection in high-stakes environments.