Radio C1

03 December

Do now

1. Paper 1 is 1hour 30 minutes long

2. Section B: Audiences & Industry

3. Media language & Representation

4. Work at 1 mark per minute

5.  A How Far question is asking you to make a judgement/ come to a conclusion

Component 1 - the Radio industry

LO. to explore the content and structure of the unit 

Key Terms:

• Public Service Broadcaster: radio station that delivers impartial information and trusted news to the public without looking to make a profit independent from government and financed by public money
• Commercial Radio: radio stations that make money by selling advertising
• Community Radio: radio stations that are operated, owned and influenced by the communities they serve, non profit
• Podcast: digital audio file (or video) episodes that relate to a specific theme made available on the internet for downloading 
• DAB Radio: stands for digital audio broadcasting. digital radio standard for most broadcasting audio services
• RAJAR: stands for Radio Joint Audience Research. It is the official body in charge of measuring radio audiences in the United Kingdom 
• Licence Fee: an annual fee used to finance the BBC, which is payable by each household in which television programmes are watched 
• Royal Charter: formal document that gives an organisation like the BBC independent legal status, and defines its powers, constitution and objectives 
• Remit: This outlines a broadcasters area of responsibility 
• Convergence: coming together of previously separate media industries and / or platform often the result of advances in technology whereby one device or platform contains a range of different features 

In the UK, radio falls down into 3 categories: public service, commercial & community radio. 

• For example BBC Radio is a public service broadcaster.   
• Community radio - non profit, covers small areas and serves interest of a particular social group
• Commercial are funded by advertising. (e.g.heart radio) Meaning they will play whatever is the most popular 

Research Task

1. BBC National stations: Radio 1,2,3,4,5 live and 6 music. BBC Radio 1 has a target audience of 15-29 year olds and Radio 2 and 3 are aimed at an older audience of 35-54

2. The BBC remit is to provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them - inform, educate and entertain

3. For one year, the licence fee is £169.50 

4. BBC Radio 4 broadcasts intelligent speech, covers news and spoken programmes such as drama series, readings, comedy, factual and magazine programmes 

5. The radio 4 target audience is 55 years and older, who are interested in current affairs, drama and cultural programming

6. Coast FM - local radio for West Cornwall

7. Commercial radio stations with different target audiences: 

Classic FM : 30+, community focused and lifestyle conscious

Kiss FM: 15- 34 year olds

talk SPORT: males who typically fall under the ABC1 profile

8. Two biggest commercial radio organisations: global and bower 

9. UK Radio is regulated by OFCOM

06 December

do now

1. Public Service Broadcaster: public service, funded by public money, independent from government

2. Commercial radio is funded by advertising 

3. BBC radio 4 broadcasts intelligent speech, covers news, spoken programmes, drama series, readings

- not a music station, mixed speech and spoken word

4. UK radio is regulated by OFCOM

5. technological convergence/ streaming platforms have affected the popularity of radio over recent years

Why DAB Radio?

• better quality sound
• wider access to more stations
• digital technology allows media organisations to offer audiences many ways to experience a programme in addition to listening to a radio: streaming live, listening again via a catch up service, downloading a podcast, accessing content on social media platforms e.g youtube
• All this content across a range of platforms offers audiences the opportunity to choose when they listen to radio 

Podcasts

• podcasts are now regularly produced by radio broadcasters,  offering the chance to download a programme
• Many offer additional content or edited highlights from the original programme
• Increasingly, podcasts are produced independently of a radio broadcaster; these include drama series, comedies and factual news 

Radio Audiences

• 88% of UK adult population ( 45 million ) listen to radio each week
• Commercial radios share of listening was 51.4% up from 50.9% in 2022
• 17% of listeners was on smart speakers, a 22% increase from the previous year
• Total combined of digital listening in now 72% of all radio listening. This is predominantly DAB which is 42.7% and online which is 25.6%
• Some BBC radio stations saw a decline in listeners, including: BBC Radio 1, 3, 4, 5, 6

Audience Appeals

• Uses & gratifications: 
• News stations such as BBC Radio 4 provide information 
• Music - entertainment. relaxation, escapism

The Archers

• worlds longest running radio soap opera
• broadcast since 1951 famously billed as an 'everyday story of country folk' now promoted in a 'contemporary drama un a rural setting'
• one of the. original intentions of the programme was to communicate information about modern farming methods to increase food production as food was still being rationed after WW2 
• Today, it is very carefully researched and is informative about many issues to do with farming, rural issues etc
• Its drama, but not as you know it - its slow moving, subtle and gentle 
• set in fictional village of Ambleside
• storylines sometimes serious - e.g rape in marriage, racism, drug addiction, family breakups
• More commonly, stories focus on daily rural life e.g. caring for animals, marmalade making competitions, harvesting crops

Soap Opera conventions: 

• melodramatic, 
• open ended narrative to keep the viewer / listener hooked 
• ensemble casts
• multi strand narrative 
• target audience is often women so often include strong women characters ( matriarchs )
• stories focused on family / work / relationships
• designed for regular listening e.g daily
• feature more on dialogue rather than action
• set in specific locations where characters come together e.g pubs, cafes, workplaces

You can listen to the archers on their regular radio slot at 7pm everyday except Saturday, weekly omnibus, weekly podcast available to download 

How do listening options offer flexibility to a wide target audience?

Listening options allow flexibility for larger target audience as people can listen to it at different time as work may come up and people will will not be able to listen. Also its good as people can listen to it whenever and wherever so it allows them to see it. 

10 December

do now

1. The Archers was first broadcast in 1951

2. The archers is broadcast on BBC Radio 4

3. Soap Opera Conventions: melodramatic, multi strand narrative

4. The Archers is broadcast on the radio everyday at 7pm except Saturday, repeated at 2pm the following day. The weekly omnibus is on Sunday mornings 

5. The BBC's remit is inform, educate and entertain

Set Episode 

LO. explore a specific episode of the set text and the target audience 

• although one original function of the show was to educate farmers, it soon gained a large audience and a source of entertainment for a wider audience not just people from the rural community
• However the show still prides itself on the quality of its research and its ability to portray real rural life 

Who do you think the target audience is for The Archers and Radio 4? Why?

• The Archers has approximately 5 million listeners, and a extra 1 million who listen online (6 million regular listeners)    
• Target Audience: generally adult and older British women                                                        

Consolidate:                

The Archers is an agricultural radio soap opera that has been broadcast since 1951, making it the oldest radio soap opera in the world. Its gained popularity and a loyal 6 million regular listeners as its target audience is women, who traditionally were encouraged to be stay at home wife's and therefore had much more time to listen to the show. It is convenient for listeners as it is broadcast 7pm everyday except Saturday, and is repeated at 2pm the following day for people who cant listen to the 7pm time slot. The show aligns with the uses and gratifications theory as it has provided information on agricultural life with things like farming and harvest upkeep, but as the show grew more popular its storylines turned more melodramatic which provided entertainment for listeners and ultimately widened the target audience. 

Production

• programme produced and recorded at the BBC studios in Birmingham
• Producers consult specialist advisors when developing storylines
• The authenticity of Ambridge is very important: from the sound of walking right down of which birdsong you'd hear what time of year
• Usually one big storyline going on at a time with smaller sort of domestic storylines running alongside e.g family feuds, violent relationships, affairs 

Episode Task

Storylines:

Main Characters:

Helen, Joey, Mick, Kirsty, Linda 

Genre Conventions:

Audience Appeal:

How does this episode "inform, educate, entertain"? :

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

20 December 

do now 

1. In total the archers have an average of 6 million listeners

2. The target audience for the Archers are older, middle class white British women 

3. The Archers is broadcast on the radio at 7pm everyday except Saturday and repeated 2pm the following day

4. Gender age and ethnicity come under demographics

5. BBCs remit is inform, educate, entertain

Other than listening to the show, the fans can engage by reading the archers blog, finding out about the Archers characters on the BBC website, follow their social media such as twitter, listen to podcasts 

• The Archers i the most listened to BBC programme 
• In todays society, market share and brand identity are massively important and The Archers succeed in both of these. 
• If the BBC was to ever lose its licence fee, there are certain shows that it is guaranteed people would pay to subscribe to: The Archers is one of these 
• Some of the most controversial topics on the show recently have been affairs, armed robbery, rape, female vicars and gay marriage. Also domestic abuse, modern slavery, fraud, mental health issues. 
• The most recent was the domestic abuse storyline of Rob and Helen and her trial following his death. The storyline was developed over two and a half years and focused on Robs emotional and physical abuse of Helen. The storyline climaxed with Helen stabbing Rob in front of their son 
• storyline praised by domestic violence charities, encouraged many victims to seek help, but some criticised the storyline for melodramatic 
• The realistic portrayal of this storyline has even prompted audiences to raise over £100,000 in charitable donations 

• For many listeners The Archers was a familiar friend which provided a comforting background and until fairly recently there was an unwritten rule that nothing too terrible would ever happen
• Because the BBC can be accessed from around the world, its important to understand that some of the online audience is global, including British people living abroad
• Listening to the archers is a crucial way for them to keep in touch with British culture

Uses and Gratifications from the archers

• Personal identity: the show covers lots of storylines which audiences could relate to
• Information: The Archers is an agricultural show meaning they cover and educate on topics like harvest and farm animals
• Entertainment: The show is very melodramatic 
• Social interaction: fans can discuss it together