kuulijajoukko

Kuulijajoukko is a Finnish term that denotes the set of listeners or the audience targeted by a speaker, presenter, program, or media outlet. It is formed from kuulija, meaning “listener,” and joukko, meaning “group” or “crowd.”

In rhetoric and public speaking, kuulijajoukko refers to the intended audience for a message and is used to tailor language, tone, and content. In broadcasting and media studies, the term describes the group of people who receive a program by listening, though in practice many media audiences include both listeners and occasional viewers.

Compared with yleisö, which broadly means “the audience” and can apply to both listeners and viewers, kuulijajoukko emphasizes the auditory channel. It is a dynamic concept: the group may change by event, season, or medium, and communicators often consider its characteristics—such as age, interests, and listening habits—to better address the audience’s needs.

The term is commonly used in Finnish-language discussions of communication, public speaking, radio and podcasting, and audience research. It provides a practical way to refer to the part of the public that engages primarily through listening, helping to frame expectations, content decisions, and evaluative criteria for message effectiveness.