C1 Radio

 Radio research 

Wednesday 27th November

1. some BBC national radio stations are...

Asian Network- The station's target audience is people "with an interest in British Asian lifestyles", 

BBC Radio 5 Live - It broadcasts mainly news, sport, discussion, interviews and phone-ins.

BBC Essex - It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios on New London Road in Chelmsford.

BBC CWR -It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at Priory Place in Coventry city centre.   

BBC Radio 1 Dance -The station plays a mix of back-to-back current, future and classic electronic dance music, and broadcasts exclusively on BBC Sounds.

 BBC Radio Cornwall - It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at Phoenix Wharf in Truro.

BBC Radio1 - It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day.

Radio2. -  a distinctive mix music and speech programmes covering a mix of live pop and rock concerts.

Do Now

Wednesday 4th December 

1. Radio 1 ✔

2. Run for profit and advertisement. ✔

3. Through music and news. ✔ diverse interest

4. Language, Industry, Audience and Industry.

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

Component 1, The Radio Industry.

Lo : To explore the content and structure of the unit.

Public Service Broadcaster -  refers to broadcasting intended for public benefit rather than to serve purely commercial interests.

Commercial radio - is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media

community Radio - The Community Radio provides a platform to communities to air local voices on issues concerning Health, Nutrition, Education, Agriculture etc

Podcast - Typically, a podcast is an episodic series of digital audio files that users can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing

DAB Radio - A DAB+ radio acts as a receiver for digital channels, similar to a TV. It allows you to easily switch between stations without needing to tune to specific frequensies

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

Licence free - Licence-free radios are generally lower-powered, handheld radios with a maximum power output of 0.5 watts

Royal Charter - The Royal Charter is the constitutional basis for the BBC. It sets out the BBC's Object, Mission and Public Purposes.

Remit - The remit of BBC Local Radio is to provide a primarily speech-based service of news, information and debate to urban and rural communities.

Convergence - Convergence is when two or more things come together to form a new whole. 

THREE TYPES OF RADIO 

BBC Radio

• Public service broadcaster
• Local stations
• Distinct Identities and targets specific audience
• License fee.

Community Radio

• Not for profit
• covers small areas
• Funded by advertising and fundraising etc
• Interests of a small group

Commercial radio

• funded by advertising
• focused on general types of music
• very popular

In Public service radio they are funded and make money through a license fee. They are very local and don't include many ads unless its for their own promotion. However, In a commercial radio they are run off of advertisement. They are very popular and mostly focus on getting profit and money by advertising and promoting other things. 

Advantages of DAB radio : Stream it live, You can listen to it again through catch-up, better quality, no crackling, stream it anywhere including your phone.

DO NOW

Wednesday 18th December 2024

1. Radio funded by the license free. ✔

2. advertising and fundraising. ✔

3. Talking speech. ✔

4. OFCOM regulates radio.

5. DAB Radio - that you can stream it online, on any device, anywhere. and its also better quality ✔

The Archers

LO : To explore context and background of our set product.

Briefly explain why radio is still so popular.

Radio is popular because you can choose what you listen to meaning you can listen to your preferences, you can listen to it anywhere, for example : in the car, on your phone, on your Alexa. Its also popular because its free to listen to meaning anyone can listen to it.

Soap Opera Conventions

• Strong female leads (matriarchs.)
• stories focus on family, relationship and work
• Daily listening
• ongoing stories
• reflects real life
• more dialogue than action
• set in specific locations.

Where can you listen to it?

• BBC Sounds
• BBC 4
• Spotify
• Apple Music
• Downloadable.

producing the archers

• Recording takes place every 4 weeks and actors only receive their scripts days before
• Very little room for errr as the episodes are 13 minutes long and they only get 2 hours in the studio
• Most of the actors are not employed full time on a show and often have careers in film, theatre, television and other radio shows.

The archers is the worlds longest-running radio soap opera. It began broadcasting in 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 World War II. Each episode is 13 minutes long and listened to by more that 5 million people. The show broadcast ever day at 7pm again the next day, and in a weekly omnibus. The target audience are on-demand.

Do now

Wednesday 8th January

1. 1951 ✔

2. Radio 4 ✔

3. Strong female characters, stories focus on family/work/relationships.

4. 7pm everyday (except Saturday) ✔

5. BBC's Remit - To inform, educate and entertain.

Set Episode ☺

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

Story lines 

- Christmas play with Santa - Nerves before the play and then the congratulations after the play, possible pantomime. Living in a pub carpark in a van as he cant afford a house. 

- Philip who just got out of prison - sounds ill, poor living conditions, describes hostel as a doss house, he sounds repentant. Kirsty sounds upset and shocked but she's not scared of him.

Main characters  

- Kirsty Miller 

- Philip and Gavin Moss - welsh

- Linda - posh

- Mick 

- Joy Horville

Genre conventions - community, rural life, relationships.

How does this portray BBC's Remit - Educates people on prison and what it does, on plays and living in a van on the streets or in bad living conditions, modern slavery. Informs people on rural life community, close relationships and entertains people with the over the top drama.

How does this episode show the impact of social or cultural contexts - Living in a van (cant afford a house), slavery (modern), pantomime and pub (community)

Audience appeal - 

Do Now

Wednesday 15th January

1. 1951 ✔
2. Christmas play, Guy that got out of jail ✔
3. Strong female characters, relationships ✔
4. 7pm everyday apart from Saturday ✔
5. To educate, inform and entertain 

Audience

I believe that The Archers is targeted towards middle aged women (because of the strong female characters), who are C1 to D as its free to listen and they could listen while working, that live in rural areas or in the country side.

• Female (76%), 55+ (62%), White British (81%), ABC1 (middle/upperclass),Right-wing, High disposable income, Midlands location. 

Audiences and Uses and Gratification

1. Website
2. talking with other people
3. twitter
4. facebook listening to their other podcasts
5. blog
6. discussions online.

Big topics/themes of The Archers.

• Abusive Relationships.
• Pregnancy.
• Jail time.
• Gay Marriage, even before it was legalised.
• Abortions
• Thugs and Armed Robbery 1993
• Racism and Racially motivated attacks
• Modern Slavery
• Mental Health issues (wasn't discussed years ago)
• Fraud

Do Now

1. Relationships and prison, abortion  ✔
2. BBC
   
3. Through the TV licence
4. 
   
5. adults

The Archers Research

Conventions of a soap opera - using a cyclical narrative structure, common soap themes like romance and betrayal, focusing on social issues like domestic abuse, and including character archetypes.

Alice Carter

A high achiever and golden child of the family, Alice has struggled with alcoholism.

Fact title	Fact data
Played by:	Hollie Chapman
Born:	29 September 1988
Status:	Divorced from Chris Carter
Lives at:	The Nest, Home Farm

Alice’s world of parties and ponies was rocked when her half-brother Ruairi came to live at Home Farm. Appalled, she left home and worked as a chambermaid (to Jennifer’s horror), before spending time with Kate in South Africa. Returning in 2008, Alice started dating farrier Christopher Carter (to Jennifer’s horror). Their romance blossomed and they eloped and married in Las Vegas - Brian decried it as a “starter marriage”.

Always ambitious, Alice felt undervalued in her first job. Against Chris’s wishes she applied for a new one in Vancouver, but changed her plans when he was badly injured by a horse. Vowing to stay in Ambridge, she took a job with an agri-tech company.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the unhealthy nature of Alice's relationship with alcohol was revealed and she suddenly found herself jobless. Roped in to work at her family's Home Farm, the drinking continued. Once pregnant, Alice spent a fortnight in detox. But after Martha's birth, her problematic drinking returned and caused upset for both Chris and much of her extended family. As a result the marriage collapsed under the strain and Alice and Chris ended up getting divorced. Eventually, Alice went to rehab.

How do they appeal to the audience? very ambitious and causes loads of drama

How do they fit the soap opera conventions? pregnancy, joblessness, drama, relationships
How do they link to the BBC priorities (educate, inform and entertain?) they inform and educate people on drinking and the effects

Josh Archer

Josh is the elder of Ruth and David's sons.

Fact title	Fact data
Played by:	Angus Imrie
Born:	13 Sep 1997
Status:	Single
Occupation:	Likes to think of himself as a successful businessman
Lives at:	The Stables

He's often to be found helping Ruth with the milking and also has a lot in common with his dad. They both loathe shopping and have a capacity to eat whatever's put in front of them.

As Josh got older, a distinct rivalry developed between Josh and his elder sister Pip

• Likes - Tractors, animals, football
• Dislikes - Washing his hair; shopping
• Highs - Taking a partnership in the hen business at Willow Farm
• Lows - Being dropped as a friend by the older Jamie Perks

Immediate family

• Ruth Archer (Mother)
• David Archer (Father)
• Pip Archer (Sister and rival)
• Ben Archer (Brother) 

Key relationships

• Rex Fairbrother (Josh can see more sense with Rex than Toby)
• Daniel Hebden Lloyd (Cousin and friend)
• Neil Carter (former partners in free-range egg business)

How do they appeal to the audience? likes rural things and a very chill in the radio show

How do they fit the soap opera conventions? rural life
How do they link to the BBC priorities (educate, inform and entertain?) entertains people

Susan Carter

Susan desperately wants to be the Horrobin girl who made good.

Fact title	Fact data
Played by:	Charlotte Martin
Born:	10 October 1963
Status:	Married to Neil Carter
Occupation:	Postmistress (Ambridge Community Shop) and dairy worker, both part time

And she thinks she might have, if only Neil had stuck with that sales job at Borchester Mills and not gone back to his piggy roots.

But she shook off the shackles of her background a bit with their lovely self-built house, Ambridge View. And Christopher's now defunct marriage to Alice made Susan a sort of in-law to the monied Aldridges.

If only the rest of the Horrobins didn't keep dragging her down... All her brothers have now left Ambridge (thankfully). Her sister, and youngest sibling, Tracy remains in the village since returning in 2011. While Susan may question some of Tracy's choices, they both know deep down that 'there is no friend like a sister in calm or stormy weather'.

How do they appeal to the audience? very desperate, entertains people

How do they fit the soap opera conventions? dramatic and loves her sister
How do they link to the BBC priorities (educate, inform and entertain?) entertain peopls

Brad Horrobin

A full time Ambridge resident since his mum Tracy returned in 2012, Brad is the younger of the Horrobin siblings.

Fact title	Fact data
Played by:	Taylor Uttley
Born:	2006
Lives at:	6 The Green

Brother of Chelsea, Brad is the quieter of Tracy Horrobin’s two children, preferring to leave the chat to his feisty older sister. Getting a word in edgeways hasn’t always been so tricky for Brad though, and as a child he was known to cause as much chaos as Chelsea as they fought like cat and dog and drove their mother to distraction.

Brad once memorably threw his sister’s new trainers “down the bog”, and as an early teen came off worst in an argument with Jazzer’s lethal home-brew. These days you’re more likely to find Brad with his nose in a maths book than figuring out how best to wind up his sister.

Immediate family

• Tracy Horrobin (Mother)
• Chelsea Horrobin (Sister)
• Bert Horrobin (Grandfather)
• Susan Carter (Aunt)
• Emma Grundy (Cousin

How do they appeal to the audience? know to cause chaos, and is the youngest sibling so very relatable

How do they fit the soap opera conventions? chaos, relationships with family, siblings
How do they link to the BBC priorities (educate, inform and entertain?) entertains. 

How does the Archers fit to the requirements of the BBC to educate, inform and entertain.

• The Archers is aired on Radio Four, the BBC's main spoken-word channel, and so is funded by the licence fee. The BBC has a public service remit (to educate, entertain and inform.) and The Archers was originally established to educate farmers.

Do Now

Wednesday 29th January 2025

1. 5 millions
2. Middle aged women who are C1 to D and live in Rural areas.
3. Everyday at 7pm except Saturdays
4. Demographics
5. To inform, educate and entertain.

Audience and U&G

Explain how the BBC uses different platforms to distribute radio programmes. Refer to The Archers to support your points.

The BBC uses various platforms such as radio and DAB. The Archers is available on their Website which contains pages for their characters, podcasts and their blog. It is played on the Radio at 7pm everyday apart from Saturdays and has a catch up the next day at 2pm. The podcasts are downloadable, and theres an omnibus every Sunday. The Archers is promoted through twitter and facebook where fans can engage with topics through fan groups and discussions.

Personal Identity - Relate to topics - Domestic violence, storyline : free Helen.

Information - can get help for certain topics, storyline : modern slavery, prison release.

Entertainment - Gripping storylines, escapism

Social Interaction -  Fan pages social media debates. storylines ; free helen. 

Why might audiences listen to the archers? Refer to U&G in your answer.

Audiences listen to the Archers because they can relate to the topics such as Helens domestic violence story. This means they can find some Personal Identity through these story lines. It appeals to the audience through the gripping storylines and the information people may learn on those topics. The show engages the audience by Social Interaction. This is done through fan pages, blogs, twitter and debates. This can also be linked to the Free Helen storyline where people were sharing and interacting with it for weeks, meaning they spread awareness about domestic violence. 

Audiences may also listen to the Archers because of the escapism in the story lines. This is done through Entertainment. Their very intriguing storylines means people will tune in again and again, engaging with posts and blogs. This fits to the theory of Uses and Gratification through Personal Identity, Information, Social Interaction and Entertainment.

Do Now

Wednesday 5th February 

1. PSB, Commercial, community ✔ 

2. PSB ✔

3. Commercial ✔

4. community ✔

5. Radio 4 ✔

🎇 Exam Questions and Responses (Revision 🎇)

Name the organisation that regulates radio?

Offcom.

Community radio is an example of a type of radio in the UK

Give 2 other examples of radio types in the UK

PSB and Commercial.

Briefly explain the difference between 2 radio types.

In Commercial radio, they're funded by ads and commercials, to promote products. However, in Public service Broadcasters they're funded by the license fee and they broadcast for the publics benefit and not just to promote brands.

Explain why The Archers fits into the BBC Remit and the radio type that it is classified as.

'The Archers' fit into informing through mature subjects. An example of this would be domestic abuse and modern slavery. This links to the BBC's remit because it informs people on ongoing problems and subjects in our society, and spread awareness to people. This means people could get help as they feel heard. 

'The Archers' fit into educating through talking about rural life and farm life. This is done through making the community close and one with each other, which shows what rural life is all about. This links to the BBC's remit because it educated people about rural life, and might make someone want to start their own.

The last way 'The Archers' fit into the BBC's remit is through entertaining. This is done when they use the soap opera conventions. For example life after prison and relationships. This links to BBC's remit through entertaining people with dramatic storylines meaning they would want to tune in again and again. 

'The Archers' benefit the public people as they spread awareness about hard and challenging topics like modern slavery, domestic abuse and violence. This means that people will be educated, informed and entertained about these subjects. Another reason this benefits the public is that it motivates people to speak up about their problems. Since 'The Archers' is on a Public Service Broadcaster, it means it will target specific subjects from that area making it more relatable for the listeners. 

Which radio broadcasts the Archers

BBC Radio 4

Identify one of the audiences for the Archers

Middle aged women who live in rural areas

Explain 2 ways in which The Archers is aimed at the audience you have identified.

They aim at ABC1 women as there are strong female characters.There are also long storylines and serious topics which would be hard to listen to if they weren't mature. Also so they can learn about the rural life as ABC1 women usually live in the cities.

Explain why audience listen to The Archers, Refer to the Use and Gratification theory in your response.

The audience listens to The Archers for informational purposes. An example of this would be hard topics like modern slavery and domestic abuse. Another example would be to be learning about rural and farm life, and their community. This link to the theory of Uses and Gratification through information as they're are being informed about different mature subjects they might not usually talk about.

Do Now

Wednesday 12th February

1. 2. ✔

2. 1hr 30mins.  

3. Radio 4. ✔

4. Through the license fee. ✔

5. educate, inform and entertain. ✔