Radio

                                                                                                                    Thursday 5th December 2024

1.  BBC Radio: national stations include Radio 1,2,3,4, 5 live and 6 Music. The BBC also has over 50 regional radio stations broadcasting throughout the UK.

2.  Music radio on Radio 1, Radio 1Xtra, Radio 2, 6 Music and Asian Network.

• Speech, drama, analysis and the arts on Radio 4.
• Classical music and jazz on Radio 3.
• News and sport on 5 live and 5 live sports extra.
• Local programming from 40 stations in England.

3. The new plan includes raising representation targets for TV production teams across ethnicity, disability, and socio-economic diversity from 20% to 25% across all production roles. The BBC will also invest a minimum of £80 million annually in content that meets the BBC's creative diversity criteria for TV and Radio.

4. Commercial radio stations make money by selling advertising. Having a large listening audience leads to more advertisers. The more advertisers a station has, the more it can charge for its advertising. National Public Radio stations represent public or non-commercial radio.

5. Commercial Radio Stations:

• Heart.
• Capital.
• Kiss.
• Magic.

6. Commercial broadcasting is primarily based on the practice of airing radio advertisements and television advertisements for profit. This is in contrast to public broadcasting, which receives government subsidies and usually does not have paid advertising interrupting the show.

7. BBC REMIT - To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them. The BBC should provide duly accurate and impartial news, current affairs and factual programming to build people's understanding of all parts of the United Kingdom and of the wider world.

                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                            Thursday 19th December 2024

Do Now

1. Radio 1

2. Commercial broadcasting is primarily based on the practice of airing radio advertisements and television advertisements for profit. This is in contrast to public broadcasting, which receives government subsidies and usually does not have paid advertising interrupting the show.

3.  Its got different genres and dates.

4. LIAR- Language, industry, audience, representation.

5. Context- Historical, political, social, and cultural.

The radio industry

Public service Broadcaster- produces programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain, and deliver for all audiences across TV, radio, iPlayer, Sounds, News, Sport and a whole lot more.

commercial radio- Commercial radio stations make money by selling advertising. Having a large listening audience leads to more advertisers. The more advertisers a station has, the more it can charge for its advertising. National Public Radio stations represent public or non-commercial radio.

Community radio- low power Radio Stations, which are meant to be set-up and operated by local communities.

Podcast- A podcast show is generally pre-recorded audio (and sometimes video) content. 

DAB radio- Digital Audio Broadcast, (DAB) Radio uses digital technology to distribute your favourite radio stations. Due to the digital method of broadcasting, more stations including unique digital only stations are available in digital clear audio. DAB+ enables even more radio stations to be broadcast. 

RAJAR- RAJAR stands for Radio Joint Audience Research. It is the official body in charge of measuring radio audiences in the United Kingdom.

Licence fee- The licence fees are calculated as a percentage of the station's annual Net Broadcasting Revenue (NBR), plus an annual royalty fee. Apply for a licence.

Royal Charter- The Royal Charter is the constitutional basis for the BBC. It sets out the BBC's Object, Mission and Public Purposes. The Charter also outlines the Corporation's governance and regulatory arrangements, including the role and composition of the BBC Board.

Remit- To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them.

Convergence- Media convergence is the process by which multiple media technologies are brought together into one computerised device. For example, smartphones can do the jobs which newspapers, GPS's, and telephones used to accomplish separately.

BBC radio: A public service broadcaster, it is funded by aa licence fee, and operates many national and local stations.

Community radio: Often not-for-profit, tend to cover small areas. Can be funded by a variety of sources such as grants, advertising, fundraising, etc.

Commercial radio: Funded by advertising, often focused on particular genres of music  and are very popular.

1. Radio 4 broadcasts News, talk, comedy and drama.

2. The BBC remit provides impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them.

3. Ofcom is the regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries. It regulates the TV and radio sectors, fixed line telecoms, mobiles, postal services, plus the airwaves over which wireless devices operate.

4.  Heart and Capital are the two biggest commercial radio organisations.

Public service radio is funded by diverse sources such as public financing, license fees, individual contributions, and commercial financing. An example of this is the BBC radio. Whereas, commercial radio, which often focuses on particular genres of music and are very popular, are funded by advertising. This could include television advertisements. PSB Radio is funded by the TV licence, which is paid for by the public. Commercial radio is funded by people/ companies paying to advertise on the radio.

                                                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                            Thursday 9th January 2025

Do Now

1. A broadcaster that is funded by the public.

2. Advertising.

3. Spoken word and speech.

4.OFCOM regulates radio in the UK.

5.Technological convergence and streaming platforms. 

DAB radio

Digital radio is widely used due to better quality sound and wider access to more stations.

Podcast

 Podcasts are a downloadable programs and can focus on different interests.

Radio is still very popular in the UK.

-88% of the UK's adult population, or 49.5 million people listened to the radio each week.

Radio is still so popular because it can be accessed easily and can be used to educate and inform people about what is happening in the world. It can be listened to at any time, whether it be whilst doing homework or DIY crafts. It serves as entertainment to the audience and as a good background noise. Radio can focus on different interests and is interesting to listen to.

THE ARCHERS

LO: To explore the context and background of our set products

The archers started after WW2, on the 1st of January 1951. It is mostly about farming and talks about serious topics (such as drug addiction and racism), as well as casual topics (such as marmalade making and caring for animals). It portrays events taking place on the date of broadcast, allowing a variety of topics to be included.

Soap opera conventions

• Stories focused on family/work/relationships.

• Ongoing stories to keep audience 'hooked'.

How can you listen to the archers?

• 7 o'clock every except for Sunday, repeats at 2pm the next day.

• Weekly omnibus every Sunday morning. 

• available on BBC internationally.

Target audience: Adults and older British women.

Listeners: Approximately 5 million listeners-PLUS 1 million online. .

Mainly focuses on women's lives, particularly family relationships, domesticity and marriage.Therefore the target audience was traditionally females who looked after the home. 

                                                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                        Thursday 16th January 2025

                                                                                    

The archers is the longest-running radio soap opera. It began broadcasting in WW2, 1951 on radio 4 in part to educate returning soldiers  about farming. The show, set in the fictional village of Ambleside, explores comforting tales of rural English life. Some stories are more dramatic but most are about relationships or more realistic everyday events such as farming.

Each episode is 13 minutes long and listened to more than 5 million people, The show is broadcasted every day at 7pm, again the next day, and in a weekly ongoing. The target audience are omnibus.

Storylines

Selling home, trying to get away from Joy.

Gavin was previously in prison and is now sorry for what he has done. He sounds unwell.

Mick-pub car park- lives in his van- housing crisis.

Litter picking in village.

Joy and Mick are in a relationship-moving in together.

Main character

2 women: Joy - nosy neighbour, Kirsty- estate agent.

Gavin

Mick- acting as Santa

Vicar from a church-plays for the locals.

Genre conventions

Drama-modern slavery.

Audience appeals

Ongoing storylines, issues explained, dramas, farm activities.

How does this episode 'inform, educate, or entertain'?

How does this episode show the impact of social or cultural contexts?

                                                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                               Thursday 23rd January 2025

Do Now

1. 1951.

2. BBC radio 4.

3. Stories based on work/family, more dialogue than action.

4.7pm every day.

5.To inform, educate, entertain.

Characters

The character Phoebe Aldrige, began life as the object of a tug of love between mother Kate Madikane and father Roy Tucker...

After Kate decided Phoebe would be better off in Ambridge than with her on her New Age travels, Phoebe grew up with Roy and his wife at the time, Hayley, whom she still calls Mum. She was delighted to have half-sister Abbie on whom to lavish attention. When Phoebe became more fascinated with South Africa, and the lure of getting to know Kate better, Roy and Hayley reluctantly agreed to her spending a year in Johannesburg.

Now a PPE graduate of the University of Oxford, Phoebe has a firm handle on the dynamics of her extended family. She co-founded a long-term project to re-wild parts of the Ambridge landscape, which won funding from her grandmother Peggy Woolley. However, Phoebe felt restricted by living in her childhood home. She moved to Scotland to be Head of Business Development at an eco-start up run by a university friend.

The character Meriel Archer, is played by Grace Quigley, who was born under difficult circumstances on the other side of the world as his relationship with Mel collapsed. After Kenton returned to Ambridge, it was several years before he saw Meriel and tried to forge a relationship with her. Although they are now on good terms, Kenton has had to accept that Mel's new husband Aiden has become the father figure he can't be.

The character Pip Archer, is a thoroughly modern farmer with big ideas but keeps her head on her shoulders… except where love is concerned.

Named after her paternal grandfather Phil Archer, Brookfield Farm runs in Philippa's veins. After graduating from Felpersham University, Pip took up a top agri-business job, only to walk out after a week and talk her dad into employing her at Brookfield.

Pip’s a natural with the dairy herd, sheep and beef cattle, and during the flood her quick thinking saved the Brookfield dairy. However, her halo slipped when she caused an IBR outbreak to spread to Bridge Farm and Home Farm which she initially covered up.

She co-parents her daughter Rosie with Toby Fairbrother. Their relationship fell apart, however, and she has now found romance with Stella Pryor, who manages Home Farm.

Audience

• Age - 55+ year olds (62%).

• Gender-Mostly women (76%).

• Location - Midlands.

• Income- High 'disposable income'.

• Class- ABC1 (middle and upper class).

• Sexuality- Mostly straight.

• Religion- Mostly Christian.

However there is also a secondary audience segment.

• The Archers is perceived as a high-quality soap opera and distinguishes itself from TV soaps by providing soap for the educated middle-classes.

• Radio 4 has a high cultural status and so the audience for the Archers consists mainly of well-educated middle- class professionals, most of whom are middle and above, white women.

                                                                                                                                                            

                                                                                                              Thursday 30th January 2025

                                                                                                                                

Do Now

1. 6 million.

2. ABC1 females.

3. 7 o'clock everyday.

4. Demographics.

5. To inform educate and entertain.

The archers audience and u&g

An example of a popular story line is that of Helen and Rob. This storyline follows a serious topic of domestic abuse. This was prayed by domestic violence charities and encouraged many victims to seek help. How, some listeners criticised the story for being too melodramatic.

The BBC uses various platforms such as radio and DAB. The Archers is available on any music streaming services, such as Spotify, allowing you to listen to it on the phone when you are on the go. It can be played on the radio everyday at 7pm, and repeated the next day at 2pm to catch up on the stories they missed. The podcasts can be downloaded and the catch up ones can be listened to for 30 days. The Archers is promoted through fan groups and discussions (they have managed to raise £100 K for refuge). Fans also engage with topics through social media, such as twitter and Facebook.

Why might audiences listen to the Archers?

 Refer to U&G in your answer.

(12 marks)

Audiences listen to the Archers because they might have similar interests/background in the show. There are lots of different characters that the audience might be able to relate to by past/present experiences. For example, the story of Helen and Rob follows a storyline based on domestic abuse which, the audience might be able to relate to. The Archers also informs/educates them about the country life and farming (which follows a soap opera convention) which, might appeal to the audience living in rural areas. It is entertaining- the audience can listen to the audio and relax, it allows them to escape real life, and they are able to follow the characters of their choice. The audience are also able to interact on social media such as twitter and Facebook, and enables them to talk to friends and family.

                                                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                             Thursday 6th February 2025

Do Now

1. Commercial radio, public service broadcasting (PSB), community radio.

2. PSB.

3. Commercial radio.

4. Community.

5. BBC radio 4.

Exam Questions And Responses

OFCOM regulates  radio.

Types of radio: commercial, public service broadcaster, community radio.

Explain- FULL SENTENCES

Commercial gets funding via advertising, whereas PSB gets funding from license fee.

D: The Archers educates about country life.

E: Talks about looking after animals and community life such as litter picking that Joy describes.

L: This educates the listener about life in a rural community.

Inform: cost of living e.g. Mick in his van.

Entertain: Lots of storylines with varied topics and different people.

 

The Archers fits into the BBC remit. The Archers inform people about country life and community life. An example of this is when talk to the audience about looking after animals on the farm and community life such as litter picking. Litter picking is described by Joy in one of the episodes and educates the audience about life in a rural community and how everyone has a role in that community.

The archers also inform the audience about the cost of living. We can see this when we are told that Mick is living inside a van instead of in a house or apartment. This shows the audience how people are living with inflation and some can't afford to live in a proper house.

The audience for the archers are usually ABC1 middle-aged women.

The Archers is aimed at ABC1 middle-aged women. It appeals to them because the storylines are varied. For example some are about rural life and some about British domestic life. The characters are also mainly strong, female characters-matriarchs, which women can look up to.

The audience listen to the Archers because it promotes social interaction. This can be done via fan pages, social media, and websites. An example of when the audience used social interaction was when Helen's story line raised £100K for charity. The audience drank cups of tea and posted it to spread awareness of the problem. The audience talked, shared and discussed their thoughts and ideas, reinforcing social interaction.