New Radio

 

Do now                                                                                            Thursday 19th December 2024

1 - BBC1

2 - commercial radio is ran for profiting.

3 - LIAR is Language, Industry, Audience and Representation.

4 - Context is historical, political , social and culture.

                                                 Radio Industry

Public Service Broadcaster -  a media outlet that produces programmes and services that inform, educate  and entertain.

Commercial radio - radio that profits off it

community Radio - cover a small geographical area and not ran for profit.

Podcast - digital medium consisting of audio episodes that relate to a specific theme.

DAB radio - digital radio broadcast uses direct technology to distribute favourite radio stations.

RAJAR - Radio Joint Audience Research - measures radio audiences  in the UK

License  Fee - money paid to buy specific rights from another party.

Royal Charter - formal grant issued by the monarch  

BBC Radio 

public service broadcaster that operates several national stations and many local. Have a distinct identity and target specific audience. Funded by license fee.

community radio 

often not for profit, cover small areas and serve interests of particular social groups. Funded by a variety of sources such as grants , advertising and fundraising 

commercial radio 

funded by advertising - often focused on particular genres and are very popular

BBC1  - operational business and division service 

BBC2 - covers a mix of rock and pop concerts 

BBC3 - home of art and culture , best known for classical

BBC4 - speech entertainment including comedy and dramas.

BBC5 - sports coverage

BBC6 - popular music

Asian Network - for people with an interest in british asian music 

BBC Remit  - establish a nationwide network of radio transmitters and provide a national broadcasting service.

radio 4 target audience is 55 years and older.

Public service radio is funded by the License fee ( government)  and plays music while gaining income from their viewers   whereas Commercial Radio is funded via advertisements  between songs. Businesses will pay to get their adverts on which is how they gain income.  

Do now                                                                                                           Thursday 9th January 2025

1. a public service broadcaster is broadcasted without profit. offers public service , for free

2. radio that makes money by ads.  

3. speech entertainment like comedy or dramas.  √

4. OFCOM regulates radio in the uk √

5. technological convergence or streaming platforms.

DAB 

Digital radio means more choice and options to listen too.

Podcasts

Podcasts are downloadable programs that focus on different interests.

Radio is still very popular - 88% of the adult population or 49.5 million people listened to the radio each week.

Radio is still popular because it offers entertainment from the Uses and Gratification theory with a variety of options to listen too which fits into a persons personal identity. several radios are free to listen to and easy to access so are the best choice for listening to music. it can offer information through news and events and education as it teaches new things. Its also used as background noise for people doing homework or tasks.

                                 THE ARCHERS

 

The Archers was first started in 1951 and is a radio soap opera. Set in the rural countryside it mixes both serious topics like drug addiction and racism with caring for the animals and harvesting crops.It tries to portray  real life events that have happened like the 2001 foot and mouth crisis and Covid. Its slow moving and gentle.

                           Soap Opera Conventions

- feature matriarchs, strong female characters

- multi strand narratives to keep viewers hooked and to reflect real life

- feature more dialogue than action - drama arises out of conflict more than characters.

- focused on family/work and relationships.

-  set in specific locations like pubs or workplaces.

                                       How can you listen to the Archers?

-13 minutes long 

-broadcast on radio in regular time slots - 7pm every day but Saturday

-available online on demand for 30 days after broadcast

-available on BBC sounds app internationally.

-weekly omnibus every Sunday morning.

        

    target audience - adult and older British women

5 million listeners plus one million online

focused primarily on women's  lives like relationships, marriage and domesticity.

Media                                                                      Thursday    16th January 2025 

 

                                     Why is the Archers so popular? 

The Archers is the longest running radio soap opera which started in 1951 and releases an episode every day but Sunday – tuned into by more than five million people. These are 13 minutes long with an omnibus on Sunday which is all the episodes that week summarised. It is considered ‘a contemporary drama in a rural setting’ and follows the drama and activities of farming. It follows many different families with a focus on women who work in the home as that is their audience target. It helped to educate soldiers returning from World War II and explored many serious topics like drug abuse and breakups. 

 

 

Storylines – selling house – Kirsty trying to avoid Joy. 

Joy out litter picking 

A christmas play for the locals 

Gavin out of jail – for modern slavery 

Joy and Mick having a relationship and moving in temporarily 

 

Main Characters –   

Joy, nosy neighbour  

 Kirsty the estate agent 

Gavin – Welsh guy whose been in prison and sounds sorry for his crimes, sounds sick. 

 Mick who is acting as Santa, living in his van, struggling financially 

Vicar from a church. 

 

Genre Conventions 

• Drama , gossip 

• Many characters  

 

Audience Appeals 

 Ongoing storylines , farm activities, issues explained. 

How does the episode “inform educate or entertain?” 

 

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

Do Now                                                                                     Thursday 23rd January 2025

1 - The archers was first broadcast in 1951. √ 

2 - The Archers is broadcasts on the BBC. √ 

3 - two soap opera conventions are strong female characters and multi strand narratives

4 - The archers is broadcast at 7pm every day but Sunday. √ an omnibus on Sunday

5 - BBCs Remit is to inform , educate and entertain

Character Roles

Jill Archer

brought up four children .

made her income by the bed and breakfast she owned.

running a craft studio.

Pip Archer

took up a top agri business job only to leave after a week and talk her dad into employing her.

caused an IBR outbreak which she initially covered up 

co - parents her daughter Rosie with Toby Fairbrother.

she has now found romance with Stella Pryor.

Alan Franks 

adventures like abseiling down the church tower and taking in a young heroin addict.

had a rift with Shula Loyd over his marriage to Usha

lost his wife to breast cancer and struggled with single parenting

Toby Fairbrother

lacks commitment which led to the breakup of his and Rex's partnership issues.

became romantically involved with Pip but got into a love triangle with his brother Rex.

co- parents daughter Rosie with Pip Archer.

Archers audience

• age. - 40 to 70 ( 62% of 55+)
• gender - female ( 76 %)
• location - Britain , Rural farms, Midlands
• income -  high  
• class -  middle class ( ABC1)
• sexuality - straight
• religion -   assumed to be Christian
• many are right wing and conservative
• high ' disposable' income
• white British ( 81%) 

perceived as high quality soap opera by providing education.

Engagement draws in from the multi strand narratives that can interest viewers .

Radio 4 has a high cultural status and most of the audience is well educated , middle class professionals who are middle age and above, white woman.

Do Now                                                                         Thursday 30th January 2025

1 - over 5 million listeners √  6 million.      

2 - high disposable income , upper middle class, women, ABC1 √ 

3 - 7pm every day except Sunday √ 

4 - demographics

5 - BBCs remit is to inform , educate and entertain

The Archers contains many realistic storylines which keeps them popular

There was a #free helen going round online on Twitter because of the domestic abuse situation in the Archers which contained both Helen and Rob which the audience followed through with the two and a half year journey where she ends up killing him. This was a relatable topic and many could relate and sympathise to this.

The BBC uses various platforms such as Their website and DAB. The Archers is available on the Radio, on Smart speakers, on social media and on their website. It is on the radio at 7pm every day but Saturday with an omnibus on Sunday, with the podcasts being 13 minutes long and able to download for a full month. The Archers is promoted through social media where fans can debate together and discuss topics involved in the radio. One particular example is the #freeHelen which is where fans discussed the domestic abuse scenario surrounding Rob and Helen which ended with her killing him. 100k was raised for domestic charities as people could relate and sympathise with the melancholic topic. Fans can also engage through the Archers website which allows them to read about the characters and review on their thoughts on the show.

Why might audiences listen to the Archers? Refer to U & G theory?

Audiences listen to the Archers following the Uses and Gratification theory. They may have a similar background or interest in the show, as well as the Archers having a variety of characters and many storylines which the audience may relate and sympathise with. This fits into the Personal identity of the Uses and Gratification theory. For Information, fans can learn about farming life and the many activities that they do - like canning and milking cows. It also offers awareness on deep topics like Domestic Abuse , Modern Slavery and Gay Marriage. For Entertainment , it can be a good background noise to listen to and relax, as well as an escapism for some to escape real life and follow the multi strand narratives and each character. It also offers Social interaction as there are many fanbases on Social Media and Twitter which debate about recent episodes, They are also able to write reviews on what they think about The Archers and potentially talk with family and friends.

Do Now                                                                                   Thursday 6th February 2025

1 - 3 types of radio are community, commercial and PSB

2 - Remit Public Service broadcaster

3 - Commercial radio is funded by advertising

4- Community radio has a small broadcasting area

5-Archers is broadcast on BBC 4 √

                                        Exam questions and responses

  Ofcom is the organisation that regulates radio. 

  2 other radio types is commercial and Public Service Broadcaster. 

 Commercial is funded through advertising - whereas PSB gets funding from TV license Fee. 

   

The Archers fits into the BBC Remit as it entertains its audience through loads of storylines and characters to follow as these topics vary and are realistic and relatable to some viewers.

The Archers fits into the BBC Remit as it informs its audience about issues like cost of living as shown through one of the main characters, Mick living in his van.   

b. older ABC1 females ( 55+)

c - The Archers is aimed at middle aged women as many of their characters are woman, who are strong matriarchs.  

Audiences listen to the Archers as they they can entertainment from the variety of different storylines and characters that we are introduced too. The topics are realistic and relatable to some and vary from lighter topics about farming to topics like modern slavery and domestic abuse.  People enjoy how diverse the characters and storylines are.

Do Now                                              Thursday 13th February 2025

1 - 2 √

2 - 1 hour and 30 minutes

3 - BBC 4 √

4 -  TV License fee √

5 - educate, inform and entertain √ is the ethos of the BBC