Media Studies
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Number 028
Contemporary British Radio This aims of this factsheet are to: • Provide an overview of historical and technological developments in British Radio • Identify the institutional differences between Public Service Broadcasters and Commercial radio stations • Examine the generic codes and conventions used in modern radio programming • Investigate the contemporary issues and debates surrounding the representation of music culture in British radio
This can affect programming content and the style in which the station produces programmes. The way an institution generates an income is an important factor to consider when analysing radio programming. The way an institution makes money informs the values and ideologies contained in the programmes it produces. Radio institutions can be classified by their geographic reach (national, regional or local) but it is also useful to examine radio institutions by the way they are financed which can be split into two categories: Public Service and Commercial Broadcasting.
Definition
Historically radio has been considered a primary medium for audiences and from the 1930s the majority of British households owned at least two radio sets. During this period, the radio was perceived as being a technological innovation for the home and the whole family would gather around their radio set to listen. Radio is perceived and used differently today as modern entertainment is now usually centred on the television or, increasingly, the internet. The radio is now seen as a secondary medium with its audience often listening whilst doing something else. Whether accompanying studying, driving or even washing up, the radio is still a popular and versatile medium. www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/stories/
• Public Service Broadcasting (PSB): a radio institution funded by a compulsory public licence fee • Commercial Broadcaster: a radio institution funded through private investors and advertising revenue
Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) The BBC currently owns 10 national and 40 local radio stations. The BBC operates under a PSB remit and is regulated by a board of governors. This system exists in theory to free the BBC of all political and commercial influences due to it being funded through the license fee paid by the British public although the amount of funding the BBC receive is set by the government. This public funding means the BBC cannot profit commercially via the advertisement of non-BBC products. The BBC offers a wide range of radio programming e.g. talk, drama, music, entertainment and educational because it has to represent the varied tastes of all license fee payers. Traditionally it has aimed ‘to educate, inform and entertain’ as part of its PSB remit and, in part, its programming still reflects this ideology. The BBC has to ensure it reaches as many people as possible so its ratings and audience feedback are important and this means that the BBC tends to prioritise entertainment in its programmes as this is more likely to please a broader audience. http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/images/_16859_house.jpg
Contemporary mainstream radio is still capable of reaching more people in a variety of environments than any other medium because of its accessibility. The technological advancements that have taken place in radio transmission through the development of digital radio combined with the changes that have occurred to the way radio is transmitted via the internet, digital television, mobile phones, MP3 and even environmentally friendly wind-up radios, means radio has continued to move with technological and audience trends. Podcasting and play back transmission, used by many popular mainstream radio stations on their internet sites, allows audiences to catch up with programmes they have missed, encouraging audience loyalty and continuity. This has enabled radio as a medium to broaden its audience appeal, resulting in its increased popularity because audiences are able to access the radio they like, wherever and whenever they want.
Exam Hint :-The examiners reports state that institution is an important Key Concept that students often avoid because they find it a difficult concept to define. This means that students often miss out on important marks because they do not fully engage with the text. Although you will still be using the Key Concepts to determine the messages and values in your text, your exploration of institution will help you understand the relationship between institutions and audiences. A thorough investigation should help you evaluate how the demands of the audience help to shape and create the texts produced so institutions can cultivate a profit through the sale and consumption of its products.
Radio Institutions Radio institutions are responsible for the production, scheduling and broadcasting of radio programmes. An institution’s role is to understand the behaviours, demands and needs of its target audiences in order to produce programmes that their audiences will listen to. Audience demand is measured according to the volume of listeners and the audience interaction a programme receives. Radio institutions differ in their values and have different target audiences.
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Media Studies
028. Contemporary British Radio
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
Commercial Radio
Exam Hint:- Examiners reports often identify how students discuss audiences in terms of social class and age instead of analysing and evaluating why the text is aimed at that particular audience. By just stating a text is aimed at a specific demographic you are simply describing who will listen to the programme. Instead, identify the representations and analyse how they link to the ideologies that are embedded in the text, evaluating why they are of importance to your audience.
Commercial radio differs to Public Service Broadcasting because it generates the majority of its income through advertising revenue and from private investors. Traditionally, commercial radio was created by local radio companies but in recent years larger media conglomerates such as Emap, Virgin and the Guardian Media Groups have bought out local commercial stations and run them through their brand. To attract advertisers, radio stations must provide programming that their target audience will listen to. Music based programmes are more popular than talk based ones so it is in the interests of commercial broadcasters to create music programmes that appeal to the age group, gender and musical tastes of their audiences. High volumes of listeners attract advertisers who are willing to pay more money for advertising airspace. Advertising on the radio is still a very popular choice for a lot of businesses because it is cheaper than television advertising and often reaches a broader audience, producing financial returns for both the radio station and advertisers.
Generic Codes and Conventions of Radio Radio programmes use generic codes and conventions to aid audience recognition. These codes and conventions can be broken down into two categories: • The use of aural technical codes (sound) to convey meaning and audience understanding • The format and content of the radio show: talk based or music based www.britlink.org/media.html
Exam Hint :- It is possible you may receive a radio text in the unseen examination. Radio texts are similar to visual texts and the Key Concepts should still be applied. Remember when planning your response, technical codes (Media Language) are still relevant but instead of focusing on what you can see, analyse and evaluate the way sound is used to create meaning and recognition for audiences.
Activity Choose a commercial radio station and analyse the advertisements that feature alongside a music programme in their schedule. Consider who the target audience is through your analysis of the representations featured in the advertisement and genre of the music programme.
Aural Technical Codes (Sound) The use of sound in radio broadcasting is important because it helps audiences to quickly identify a programmes genre and content. Radio narratives use five distinct types of aural codes:
Case Study: Century Radio Century Radio is a commercial radio station that transmits across the North West of England. The station follows a music based format and the stations slogan reinforces this: ‘Century Radio: Music you just have to sing along to’. Disco Divas is scheduled at 7pm on a Saturday night, is hosted by Jo Lloyd and is aimed at a female target audience aged between 25 and 45 years old.
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The use of a female presenter provides women with somebody they can identify with. The presenter comes across as a northern woman, whose age is ambiguous and so she appeals to the whole target audience.
The uses of aural technical codes often allow audiences to quickly decide if the radio station and programme meets their requirements and expectations of the genre they have tuned in to. The use of aural codes also helps to convey the narrative by creating visual images in the mind of the audience.
Words Register Music Sound effects Silence
[image: www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra]
www.1054centuryfm.com
Radio Programme Formats
The advertisements that feature around the show include Weight Watchers, The Trafford Centre and McDonalds salad options and they are featuring products which tap into stereotypical ideas of feminine interests and concerns such as shopping, health and weight loss. The show also identifies its perception of its audience through the variety of music it plays from Gloria Gaynor through to the Sugarbabes. When male artists are played they are often in the form of boy bands such as Take That or singers like Ronan Keating. This genre of music appeals to female, mainstream popular music lovers.
Radio programme formats can be split into two categories: • Talk based radio • Music based radio Some radio stations use a combination of the two formats but most commercial mainstream radio stations create music based shows because they are cheaper to produce and the majority of audiences demand music as part of their main radio consumption. Irrespective of the format it is important to remember that radio still delivers messages to the audience using the codes and conventions of the genre.
The show’s narrative is presented as a programme to listen to whilst preparing to go out and references to going out are regularly made. Ideologically, Disco Divas positions its female audience to feel empowered by their gender and united as a demographic by reinforcing conventional ideas about women’s tastes and interests.
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Media Studies
028. Contemporary British Radio
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
Each individual is represented as a stereotype and their character becomes part of the narrative of the show. These characters often have their own features, indents, jingles and sound bites.
Audience participation is essential to a programmes success and all radio presenters try to engage audience participation via: • Text • Email • Quizzes • Competitions • Requests • Phone-ins
Definition • Station Indent: a snippet of music or song that is used across the station to reinforce the stations identity • Jingle: Snippets of music or a song created by the presenters of a programme to reinforce the identity of the programme. The jingle often represents the ideologies and values of the programme e.g.: light-hearted, comedic etc.
www.xfm.co.uk The popularity of the internet has steadily increased radio audience participation. Many shows now have blog pages, videos, mobile ringtones and alerts of catchphrases featured in the shows, online podcasts and chat-rooms continually engage their listeners and encourage loyalty to the programme.
The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio One typifies this style of presenting. This show focuses on the narrative interactions of the production team who work alongside Moyles and his side-kick Comedy Dave.
Conventions of Talk based Radio Traditionally these programmes contain little or no music dependant on the station and the genre of the programme. Talk based radio follows a magazine style format with presenter(s), discussion of current events, debates, interviews and radio phone-ins. This format was traditionally popular with drive time shows but the change in audience listening patterns means that some shows now subvert the genre and incorporate some music, depending on the target audience. BBC Radio Four is one of the few Radio stations that still maintains the traditional talk based format. BBC
http://chris.polymathic.net/mw/teamchris.shtml The show incorporates all the members of Moyles’ production team and, this year, 7.31 million listeners regularly tuned in to listen to the programme. This format engages the audience because they are addressed directly by the DJ and the gang. They have access to ‘private’ jokes, banter and conversation between the gang and presenters. From an audiences perspective this reinforces notions of friendship and loyalty, allowing them to feel ‘part of the gang’.
Radio Two’s Jeremy Vine Show (pictured) combines topical debate with music from the past and present.
Representations of Music Culture
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Different music cultures are often only represented through mainstream popular music programming. The way music cultures are represented in radio is an important area of analysis. Regulatory laws are very strict in broadcasting to ensure a fair representation of the multi-cultural nature of society is broadcast. This means that the discrimination of race, culture, gender and religion is illegal on any Commercial or PSB station. Due to its PSB remit The BBC deals with the representation of different music cultures in a balanced way via dedicated radio channels such as BBC Asian Network and BBC 1Xtra.
Conventions of Music Based Radio Music radio is the most popular radio format. Historically it followed a simplistic formula consisting of records being played by a DJ (disc jockey) who would say very little other than present the records s/he played. As radio developed so too did the style in which DJs presented their shows. A contemporary DJ’s role now includes more than just providing a brief introduction to each record, they must also provide additional entertainment for their audiences.
Commercial broadcasters do not have the opportunity to expand their programming in the same way as PSB broadcasters because of the way they are financed. Because commercial stations are also branded the musical content and ideologies of a station will reflect the majority of its listenerships and cannot afford to tailor its scheduling down to anymore than general stereotyping of gender and musical interests of its audience. Although commercial radio does not break any of the regulations, it does not offer much variation regarding music culture. Therefore the way commercial radio stations deal with the issue of representation relies more on the variety of musical genres played.
Alex Zane, who hosts the morning drive time music show on 1XFM, has attracted large youth audiences to the station because of his quirky presentational style. http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/tv/2007/10/xfm.html As music radio has developed, a new style has emerged - that of the group or ‘gang’ presentation. This format consists of a presenter whose show often includes a ‘side-kick’ and other people they work with. The banter that occurs between the group is part of the entertainment for the audience.
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Media Studies
028. Contemporary British Radio
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
Activity Analyse a radio station that represents a specific music culture. Consider the following points: • What music culture does the station represent? How does it represent this culture musically? • Who is the station’s target audience? How are they addressed? • Does the station have mass or niche audience appeal? • Is the funding of the station reflected in the representations of the presenter(s) and the programmes content?
Case Study: BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a digital UK radio station specialising in new urban black music and the playlists represent British and North American Hip Hop, Grime, Bassline, Garage, Dubstep, Drum and Bass, Bashment, Soca, Reggae, Gospel music, Bhangra and R&B. BBC 1Xtra’s target audience are 15- 30 year olds and this is reflected via the various presenters, guests, artists and topics featured on the show. The audience is addressed in an informal tone, reinforcing the youth market it targets. The accents of the presenters are from all over the UK area reflecting the diversity of Black British culture and the mainstream audience it aims to target. www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra Because it is a BBC product 1Xtra reflects the ideological values of this institution through the focused news bulletins called TX and a documentary series which addresses issues affecting its audience such as celebrity diets through to teen sexual health advice. The main daytime presenter Jenna G (pictured) is representative of the target audience and the values of the BBC and she addresses the audience with an informal yet knowledgeable tone and offers information and advice. The station aims to be accessible to all by representing those who listen to the station as a mixture of races and cultures and avoiding racial stereotypes. Although a digital channel, 1Xtra has mass appeal due to the current popularity of R&B, Hip Hop, Drum and Bass and Garage in mainstream popular music. The slogan of the show is ‘Love Black Music Love 1Xtra’. This slogan connotes an inclusive attitude which reflects the mass appeal of urban music and the website reinforces the ideological message that the show is for music lovers and not just specific racial groups. The music that features reinforces this ideology because the station features artists who are of varied ethnic backgrounds including Christina Aguilera, J Lo, Jay-Z, Bob Marley and Madonna. Urban music is an important part of mainstream music scene and this is reflected in the artists on the playlist.
www.seatwave.com/FileStore/ SEASON/IMAGE/jay-z
AQA, WJEC, OCR? Each exam board assesses the topic of radio differently. AQA and WJEC examine the topic as a genre, investigating how the Key Concepts establish meaning to audiences. You must also analyse the ways institutions are financed and evaluate how this affects the texts the production and distribution of texts. OCR investigates the way music cultures are represented on niche and mainstream radio. All three boards examine the role of audiences, their needs, behaviours and demands in regards to radio formats, scheduling and programming and expect you to evaluate the impact of global and technological trends and changes in radio.
Acknowledgements: This Media Studies Factsheet was researched and written by Emma Cairns Curriculum Press. Bank House, 105 King Street, Wellington, TF1 1NU. Media Factsheets may be copied free of charge by teaching staff or students, provided that their school is a registered subscriber. No part of these Factsheets may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any other form or by any other means, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISSN 1351-5136
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