Radio: Final index

1) Radio: Introduction to Radio
2) Radio: Life Hacks
3) Radio: War of the Worlds

Radio: War of the Worlds (1938)

Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #176: CSP Radio - War of the Worlds. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets - you'll need to save the factsheet to USB or email it to yourself in order to complete this at home. Read the factsheet and answer the following questions:

1) What is the history and narrative behind War of the Worlds?

 

It was an adaptation from H.G Wells' 1898 novel.

2) When was it first broadcast and what is the popular myth regarding the reaction from the audience?

30th October 1938.
The audience reacted dramatically and 1 out of 12 liteners thought that it was true.

3) How did the New York Times report the reaction the next day?

"Radio Listeners in Panis, Taking War Drama as Fact"- shows the histeria behing the WotW

4) How did author Brad Schwartz describe the the broadcast and its reaction?

Schwartz indicates that reporting on the impact of the broadcast was not solely exaggerated ; he means that the effect it had was in fact an instance of a "viral-media phenomenon." He indicates that the show actually provided a "fascinating window into how users engage with media content, spreading and reinterpreting it

5) Why did Orson Welles use hybrid genres and pastiche and what effect might it have had on the audience?

It was because it heighten the effect that it had on audiences. Also radio was very popular.

6) How did world events in 1938 affect the way audiences interpreted the show?

It was the time when people knew that something is going to happen. The war was something obvious so the show was really bad timed.

7) Which company broadcast War of the Worlds in 1938?

CBS

8) Why might the newspaper industry have deliberately exaggerated the response to the broadcast?

At the time, the radio industry was relatively new and newspapers were under threat as radio became a new competitor-they exaggerated the response to broadcasting in an attempt to create a panic surrounding the radio industry's impact, causing listeners to lose out.

9) Does War of the Worlds provide evidence to support the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle theory?

It definitely had the evidence of that, the effect on the audience was very strange, but we can't forget about what people were expecting at that time

10) How might Gerbner's cultivation theory be applied to the broadcast?

It's simply applied to the hyper-needle theory as it says that the audience will consume anything that is said in media as true, which happened in case of the Was of the Worlds show.

11) Applying Hall's Reception Theory, what could be the preferred and oppositional readings of the original broadcast?

The preferred is definitely the idea of people actually recognising that it's a show and the events aren't real.
The oppositional is what actually happened. People thought that it was real and started to panic.

12) Do media products still retain the ability to fool audiences as it is suggested War of the Worlds did in 1938? Has the digital media landscape changed this?

 

There are still a lot of things like that that we see on  the internet, but it's more from the 'digital influencers' that e.g. shows photoshoped pictures on their profiles which fools the audience in believeing that that's a normal standard for a person.

Analysis and opinion

1) Why do you think the 1938 broadcast of War of the Worlds has become such a significant moment in media history?

It show the impact of media when people are very easy to believe anything that the media say. It represents the idea of something impossinble becoming possible only through media and showing how easly infliuenced people are.

2) War of the Worlds feels like a 1938 version of 'fake news'. But which is the greater example of fake news - Orson Welles's use of radio conventions to create realism or the newspapers exaggerating the audience reaction to discredit radio?

The newspapers that exaggerate the reaction of audinece are more like fake news. This is because although both of these media texts were somewhat fake, the broadcast eventually used typical broadcast conventions to produce a realistic broadcast

3) Do you agree with the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle theory? If not, was there a point in history audiences were more susceptible to believing anything they saw or heard in the media?

There's definitely a part of it that I agree with, but in XXI century is less likely to see such impact on an audience because we're getting more and more aware of just how fake the news can be.

4) Has the digital media age made the Hypodermic Needle model more or less relevant? Why?

5) Do you agree with George Gerbner's Cultivation theory - that suggests exposure to the media has a gradual but significant effect on audience's views and beliefs? Give examples to support your argument.

6) Is Gerbner's Cultivation theory more or less valid today than it would have been in 1938? Why?

I think it's a little less valid, but only because media chenged the way that they contriol or 'injest'  the information to the audience. Not people are stuck being self contious and the materialism is what in injected to their brains through social media. People also wat to be relatable and to be seen , they went attention and that is the weaknes of today's audiences- that they watch but also create.
 

Radio: Life Hacks

BBC Radio 1 - Life Hacks: Blog tasks

Analysis

Listen to the extracts from Life Hacks above and answer the following questions:

1) What do the titles The Surgery and Life Hacks suggest?

it suggests that the listener can be 'injected' with useful information that could help then with every day life.

2) How are the programmes constructed to appeal to a youth audience?

The programmes have a hosters that create a warm mood for the audience to feel as if it's just some friends talking and advising one another.

3) What does the choice of presenters (Cel Spellman and Katie Thistleton) and Dr Modgil suggest about the BBC’s approach to diversity and representation?

It's definitely to appeal to a younger audience. Also the diverse pair shows the audience that they respect and applaud all cultures.

4) Go to the Life Hacks iPlayer page and analyse the content. What does this suggest regarding the Life Hacks audience and what the BBC is hoping to achieve with the programme?

 

It's clearly going for a youthful audience, looking at the colours and images used for the page, it's very, very youthful.

5) Go to the Life Hacks podcast episodes page. Listen to a few episodes of the podcast and explain how the topics may a) appeal to a youth audience and b) help fulfil the BBC's responsibilities as a public service broadcaster. 

I feel like it appeals to the younger audience because it talkes about issues that are very important for the generation Z audience, and a lot of people have a clear opninion about some of those topics.

Audience

1) What is the target audience for BBC Radio 1?
 

They definitely changed the target audience to 16-28

2) Who is the actual audience for BBC Radio 1?

It's something like 35-50 year-olds
 

3) What audience pleasures are offered by Life Hacks? Apply Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications theory.

Surveillance is definitely the main one considering the podcast is about improving the life of a listener and giving him good tips to improve his life. There's also personal identity becasue the hosts talk about every day problems that we all struggle with.
 

4) Read this Guardian review of Life Hacks. What points does the reviewer make about Life Hacks and the particular podcast episode they listened to?

The point was how the audience can relate to the hosts nas she's literally talking about a different podcast and then about an interview with a celeblity. It definitely shows how normalised this media is .

5) Read this NME feature on Radio 1 listener figures. What are the key statistics to take from this article regarding the decline in Radio 1 audience ratings?

Radio 1 has lost 200,000 weekly listeners since May, when they attracted 9.4 million listeners a week.

There was better news for Radio 1 in terms of its digital audience, with the station now posting a record 16 million YouTube views a week. 

The station is also still the top choice for listeners aged 15 to 24 in the UK.

Industries

1) How does Life Hacks meet the BBC mission statement to Educate, Inform and Entertain? 

 

Educate- They give them guidance on problems linked to youth.  
Infor- They show tchem solution to the problems tha are common and that they know deaply about
Entertain- They give then the comforting atmosphere by talking freely and not formally.
 

2) Read the first five pages of this Ofcom document laying out its regulation of the BBC. Pick out three key points in the summary section.

1.The public has exceptionally high expectations of the BBC, shaped by its role as a publicly-funded broadcaster with a remit to inform, educate and entertain the public, and to support the creative economy across the UK. 
2.The BBC must deliver the mission and public purposes set out in its new Royal Charter (the Charter).
3.Safeguard vulnerable genres such as arts, music and religious programmes. Our research shows these areas are important for some audiences; but some are in decline.

3) Now read what the license framework will seek to do (letters a-h). Which of these points relate to BBC Radio 1 and Life Hacks?
 

Support national and regional audineces

Reflect the full diversity of the UK population
Secure a more disctinctive BBC

 

4) What do you think are the three most important aspects in the a-h list? Why?
 

'Support a wide range of valued genres.' I feel like the good quality of our generation is understanding to be different and that is a great

 

5) Read point 1.9: What do Ofcom plan to review in terms of diversity and audience? 
 

1.That their content reflects younger and older audiences ' lives.
2.Diversity in programs on-screen. 3.How to portray and represent different audiences. 

Read this Guardian interview with BBC 1 Controller Ben Cooper.

6) What is Ben Cooper trying to do with Radio 1?

 

"make BBC Radio 1 like a Netflix for radio"
7) How does he argue that Radio 1 is doing better with younger audiences than the statistics suggest?

He estimates that a Radio 1 listener's most prevalent age is 18. And she's 12- to 17-year-old women for her YouTube channel.

8) Why does he suggest Radio 1 is distinctive from commercial radio?

He argues that they play 4,000 different songs whereas commercial radio plays around 400.

9) Why is Radio 1 increasingly focusing on YouTube views and digital platforms?

It's because radio is slowly dying and, especially with young people, the audience isn't really interested in radio anymore.
 

10) In your opinion, should the BBC’s remit include targeting young audiences via Radio 1 or should this content be left to commercial broadcasters? Explain your answer.

I feel like the BBC creators understand just how much impact young audience have and how they are the future of media. If you gain an attention from young audience, you'll be able to gain marketing, because of the 'global villige' and how the young audience listen to each other and agree and argue about certin topics.

Introduction to Radio

BBC Sounds

Read this Guardian feature on the launch of BBC Sounds and answer the following questions:

1) Why does the article suggest that ‘on the face of it, BBC Radio is in rude health’?

Radio 2 alone reaches 15 million subscribers a week, and one in nine Britons still tune in to hear John Humphrys and his co-presenters harangue leaders every week for all the criticism of the Today program.
2) What percentage of under-35s use the BBC iPlayer catch-up radio app?

3% 

3) What is BBC Sounds?

It's an app with radio livestreams, catch up services, music mixes and podcasts.

4) How do audiences listen to radio content in the digital age?

Through Spotify or Apple Music-both of which are available on radio
5) What does Jason Phipps suggest is important for radio and podcast content aimed at younger audiences?

He says podcasts are based on personal experiences in order to connect audiences with the story emotionally.  He also says that the podcast should be "warmer, more story-led journeys".

6) Why does the BBC need to stay relevant?

It is a very reliable sourse of news that has a huge popularity and is trusted by the audience.

Now read this review of the BBC Sounds app.

7) What content does the BBC Sounds app offer?

Music, news, drama, documentaries and comedy.

8) How does it link to BBC Radio?

Live BBC radio stations allow you to listen to podcasts and any playlists from radio shows as well.

9) What are the criticisms of the BBC Sounds app?

Not enough content - needs to "feel as packed as Netflix in order to properly work." There're some parts that are 'a little trickier to access'

10) Two new podcasts were launched alongside the BBC Sounds app. What are they and why might they appeal to younger audiences?

End of Days

Beyond Today

The shows appeal to a younger audience, so the BBC is definitely trying to find a younger audience because they have the biggest influence on media.

 

ShoutOut Network

Read this Huffington Post feature on the Shout Out Network and answer the following questions:

1) What is the ShoutOut Network?
 

It's a network based in London that vhad a variety of content.

2) What podcasts are offered by the ShoutOut Network?

 

They offer socio-political issues for millenials.

3) What audience do they reach?

 

Over 20,000 listeners per month and 92% BAME communities

4) What are the 2015 statistics on podcast listening in the UK?

 

3.7 million adults listen to podcasts - this is equal to 6.5% of the adult population 57% listen to podcasts on their phones 47% listen while commuting and 34% listen while relaxing.

5) The article suggests podcasts are ‘picking up more steam’. Do you think podcasts the future of radio?

I feel like podcast is definitlely a future of a radio as people like to have control over what they are watching, but I feel like it won't be as successful as radio used to be because audience nowadays also walue the confort of a visuals even more then the audio.

BFI study day

1) Type up your notes from the day.

• Constructing and performing gender: "gender becomes a set of connotations that have become naturalized." Gender roles are constructed, men and women are victimised from a patriarchal society. 
• bell hooks believes that traditionally masculine attitudes and behaviours aren't natural but rather constructed by a patriarchal society. 
• Van Zoonen believes that in a patriarchal society women bodies are sexualised and vulnerable whilst men's bodies are sexualised through power and strength. 
• Butler believes that gender is a performance: a repeated system of behaviours and costumes that are used so many times they may become seen as 'natural' 
• Barthes believes that signs we assume and denotations are actually 'dominant connotations' that hide ideologies. 
• Authors 'encode' their work with meaning. Audiences often do not decode meanings the way a texts creator intended, same from negotiated or even oppositional meanings. 
• Meta-narrative- A totalising cultural narrative, that organises thought and experiences into a a grand 'story' that makes sense of our lives. 
• Simulacra- Imitation that seems more real than the things it's imitating. 

*I lost my notes, those are taken form Aranvir's blog*

2) Write a one-sentence summary of the ideas of the theorists Matthew Daintrey-Hall covered (you can use your notes from task 1 here if relevant): 

bell hooks: "Gender becomes a set of connotations that have become naturalized."  She suggests that the gender stereotypes aren't normal and are constructed by society.

Liesbet van Zoonen: she believes that women are treated the same way as they were before and nothing had really changed. (women are still sexualised)

Judith Butler: 'gender as a performance' male and female behaviour is socially constructed and not natural

Saussure: -

Barthes-denotations are 'dominant connotations'

Lyotard: he believes in cultural narrative, that we need a narrative that audience can relate to

Baudrillard- the idea of hyperreality- the reality is replaced and what's not real is though of as real


 3) Choose one of the films we saw extracts from and watch the whole movie: Captain Fantastic (2016), Pulp Fiction (1994) or Inception (2010). Write a 300 word analysis of your chosen film using theories from the study day (use the exam paragraph structure we were shown on the day - theory introduction, examples from text, why this 'proves' or 'disproves' the theory).

I talked about the film 'inception'. I chose this one because it's one of my favourite film, creating almost a 'frame within a frame' with the illusion of the plot being an actual making of a film. The creative narrative is about a dream that you can actually control. The theory of Stuart Hall can be applied to this film because the director's preferred reading is that it is not a normal spy genre film, as it does not involve robberies, etc. The oppositional reading is exactly what is the deaper meaning explain by the director. It's a concept of Lyotard's theory, where we talk about things being reliatable to the audience, and as weird as it might seem, the idea of controling your dream is very real and possible. The movie keeps you on the adge of your seat and is beautifly constructed with the maze-like plots and twists. You can also see some enigma codes to what was the whole point of protagonists story and actions. His wife, his children all led up to him finally comming back home. The is a great satisfaction for an audience when we can finally see the faces of his children at the end.