LO4 Task 5 - The impact of media product on the audience, and audience theories - Big John at breakfast

The first things to consider when dealing with how the audience is affected by what they hear on radio and other media is that there are two main media affect theories. First is the Hypodermic Theory. The Hypodermic theory also knows as the Passive Audience Theory, Marxist theory and Magic Bullet theory.  The theory was made by a group called Marxist lead by a man named Theodore Adorno in 1930 at Frankfurt School. The theory is that anything that people hear on the radio they will believe and that the media can control the public in this way, making them buy particular and change their opinions.  This theory is a bit outdated now however it is still applied to thing like games, films and music but for a radio station it would be applied to advertising and what the presenters say and in our case it is Big John. A good example for the advertisement is that when they play subway add it talks about how cheap their £3 sub meal is and that it is the place to go at their lunch break. So then this make the audience think next time they have lunch on how good value subway is and will go. This is where the theory applies.

more information on this theory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediation_(Marxist_theory_and_media_studies)

The second Media affect theory is the Active Audience theory. This theory was devised by and researched by Stuart Hall between  1973 and 1980. The theory goes that every body is different so every audience member will take in what they have just heard or seen differently from another audience consumer .  even if there is a preferred meaning the media is trying to get across. The theory also states that most people will look at things differently depending on there background. Thing used to define their background would be Gender, age, culture, social grade.  This will give the media out let a better understanding on how there audiences will take what is being said. If I use subway as the example again however using the active audience theory instead of Hypodermic theory a. So when the advert is played on Big John @ Breakfast instead of just thinking that subway is better than say McDonald's, the audience member will be more influenced but will not make there decision on just what was said on the radio. This theory is that the audience member still has their own free will on what they do.  

more information on this theory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_audience_theory

You can begin to get an understanding about the audience from what is being advertised and the shows content. A good give-away of the target demographics social grade is the amount of loan adverts like Wonga.com for example. This ad is played approximately every half an hour so this shows that a large amount of big Johns listeners may require the services of those types of advertisements.

representation

Representation Theory is how the represents things.  Radio stations use stereotypes to get across ideas through sound, not in bad way as such, but to help get a message across well .
on the Hallam FM show big john at breakfast, one of the convocation questions is "79% of men in South Yorkshire lie to their partners at Christmas about what?" This can be seen as a stereotype of men's attitudes to relationships and is asked to a man who gets the answer correct.
Another example of a represented stereotype in Big John @ Breakfast is its use of Yorkshire accents in the advertisements, helping represent the South Yorkshire so it appeals to the listeners, who will be living in South Yorkshire.

wonga.com is a prime example of an advert big John broadcasts to its demographic

As in every media form there is the legal and ethical issues to consider. A way Big John at breakfast avoids controversy is by not commenting on any large news headlines. So when they do talk about the news , majority is about like TV shows like x factor for example.  Another legal consideration is the music royalty's to the artists. This means that when an artist or record label produces a track , they get money every time it is played, if the company playing it is making money off it. To gain the ability to play music on air stations like hallam FM must have a PRS for music licence ( which is to the artist) a PPL licence which is payment to the record label or an MCPS (licence which is a payment which entitles them to play a record as many times as the please for a set period of time). Artists that would be effected in the big John at breakfast show would include the likes of little mix, the killers and avicii. so If hallam did not pay these royalty rights they would be breaching copyright law and would be vulnerable to suing. 

PRS is a licence which pays the royalty rights to artists when a track is played

Shows such as big John at breakfast are regulated by organisations like Ofcom. The purpose of Ofcom is to regulate the content of media programs so nothing harmful or hateful is said towards any religion race or specific group of people. There has only been one instance where a caller phoned in and said something racist which Ofcom picked up on. Ofcom also regulates the promotion of alcohol,drugs,smoking and violence. Ofcom also looks out for breaches of privacy. An example of this would be big John talking about a member of the public and giving away there full name and any details the person would not like broadcasting such as phone number or house address. An example of Big John @ breakfast obeying the ofcom rules is the conversation from the clip, the subject is very mild and not offensive and talks about family friendly content at Christmas time. so because it is very clean and offensive language is kept nil it doesn't get pulled up by ofcom.

OFCOM or office of communications ,regulates the content of media products broadcasted

BCAP codes

BCAP Codes:

The British Committee of Advertising Practice have regulations on what can and can't be featured in media advertising. 
Big John @ Breakfast is careful with their advertisements and radio show content to keep it appropriate for the audience, such as their advertisement to promote safety with drinking - they wouldn't make the man in the advertisement promote his drinking to ensure the audience wouldn't be influenced by his actions.
the staff writers for big john at breakfast also make sure that there is no abusive content towards any religion or belief and that they never encourage violence . 
An example of Big John not breaking these regulations includes when Big John mentions Christmas and the time of year , he dosent suggests that everyone should celebrate Christmas -and he is cautious to consider the other religious backgrounds that may be listening to the radio station. He is also careful to never use bad language that may offend others.

ASA code

ASA - Advertising Standards Authority

- Adverts should not cause offence
- Adverts should not glorify alcohol, sexual activity, drug taking
- Adverts should not cause harm to children
- Adverts should not be misleading
- Adverts should not give false information about what they are selling/promoting or exaggerate claim made.

ASA covers broadcast media (TV, Web, Radio, Film Trailers) and print media (magazines, newspaper)

link to ofcom website
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/

link to PRS website
http://www.prsformusic.com/Pages/default.aspx

link to MCPS website
http://www.prsformusic.com/creators/memberresources/MCPSroyalties/Pages/MCPS.aspx

link to PPL website
http://www.ppluk.com/

LO3 Task 4 - distributing a radio product - Big John at breakfast

Distribution
Without distribution and advertising a radio media product such as big John at breakfast would be deemed useless as it would fail to reach its audience. There is multiple ways to distribute radio programs one of which is the standard FM/AM transmitter. This emits an analogue signal which is received by those who are tuned into that frequency. this method is quite outdated now and has been over taken by a method called DAB. DAB stands for digital audio broadcasting which is a digital method of broadcasting which provides the audience with more choice of stations and provides them with better sound quality, more information and more than double the stations of analogue. This method is much more efficient at using the radio spectrum so it can broadcast more channels on the same frequency. also due to DAB broadcasting in computer binary code it can be compressed. this is called multiplexing. Bauer Media own their own multiplex where they broadcast both local and national radio stations, such as Hallam FM. Hallam FM also simulcasts its shows on its APP , website and fm at the same time so its easier to access its programmes in the digital age of smart phones etc. Also the use of APP broadcasting makes it much more appealing and convenient for those who are of a younger age or are out on the move regularly by using their phone to listen to its programmes.
Advertising
Also advertising is key for if no one knows about the product they wont tune in to listen. Ways in which big John is advertised is the use of print and digital applications. One would be the banners of the show on social media such as Facebook , the Hallam website its self and digital billboards. Another would be print applications of the events host by big John and the giant billboard poster located on the entrance of the city. banners are also widely placed on buses , bus stops and other common places to broaden its coverage to its target audience. Sponsorship is also used to advertise for example the once (now motor point arena) Hallam FM arena. So because the name is placed all of the landmark of the city the station becomes a common household name. Also Hallam FM sponsors its events like the "summer live" show and its charity events for its own charity " cash for kids". Both these sponsorships increase the advertising reach of its company name , programmes and events. It also makes the most of its air time by the use of indents with in its other shows so that it advertises its shows throughout several times of the day. this covers much more people for it will gain the listeners of its other shows.

 

hallam fm website
http://www.hallamfm.co.uk/

bigjohn at breakfast on social media

twitter-BigJohnhallamfm
facebook- Big john @breakfast

Hallam fm sponsored arena

Big john at breakfast website banner

LO2 Task 3 - analysing the target demographic of a radio program - Big John at breakfast

Every media organisation , product and programme has a target demographic or audience. without this it would be near enough impossible to determine the suitable content for the show. There is three main factors which need to be considered when creating a target audience or and audience profile. These are age, gender and social grade.
Age
Age is very much straight forward. Each and every product must have a target age group in which they can focus their content on to ensure that the audience is entertained and satisfied with the product. in our example for big John at breakfast the target age bracket is 25 to 45 year old so the content is mainly targeted at these age groups.
Gender
next is gender. this again is very much straight forward as it is either male or female, simple. this again is vital to determine content as both male and female like different things so what music a woman would like could be completely different to men. again in our big John example the show is aimed mainly at women as most are house wives or mothers doing the school run.this totals up to 57% total listnership being predominately female.
social grade
finally is social grade. this is very important when determining the advertisements being played. this is because social grade is a measurement of a persons annual income and spending power. company use the NRS social grade system to determine a persons wealth .

The NRS social grade tier system

Grade	Social class	Chief income earner's occupation
A	upper middle class	Higher managerial, administrative or professional
B	middle class	Intermediate managerial, administrative or professional
C1	lower middle class	Supervisory or clerical and junior managerial, administrative or professional
C2	skilled working class	Skilled manual workers
D	working class	Semi and unskilled manual workers
E	non working	Casual or lowest grade workers, pensioners, and others who depend on the welfare state for their income,

So if a person falls into the C2 category or below, like big John at breakfasts majority, they wont have as much spending powers as some one who is a doctor in the A category. This means that it is useless playing a Bentley car advertisement when no one in the audience can afford it. so big John plays advertisements such as subway and halfords which appeal to the majority of the listener ship.another example of an advertisement played would be the police drink and drive advertisement. this would appeal to to C2 and below for they tend to go to a local pub more often than ABC1. This means that the correct people are targeted to listen to the appeal. Another would be Hansen Hughes injury claims. This will appeal to C2 and below as the majority of injury claims occur to working class people so more or the intended people will be reached to go to the solicitor firm.
Also ads played are targeted mainly at the main gender which is women. so advertisements such as crystal peaks and its Christmas offers would appeal to women more as the mostly shop more than men.

Halfords is example of an advertisement broadcasted on big John which is within the financial reach of its target demographic

LO1 Task 2 - analysing a media product from an institution - Big John at Breakfast

Purpose
Big John at breakfast is the flagship product of hallam FM. its purpose is to inform, educate and entertain its audience on their way to work or school.
Genre
The genre of the show is mostly adult contemporary music however it does play quite a few old tracks when it does segments like the school days for example.
Form/style
The format of the show is a morning breakfast show which is very chatty and entertaining to commuters and parents doing the school run.
Content
The content of Big John at breakfast is engaging to the audience such as caller discussions on familiar and relate-able subjects, sections such as the hallamster which provides family friendly comedy which is perfect for the school run.
Meaning
The show uses very happy sounding jingles and sound effect to connote that it is a very friendly and lively show. jingles are used at the start and the end of the show , in between segments and in places like after and before songs. the jingles for big John at breakfast follow a theme of the classical 50's style jingles heard on the radio all those years ago. sound effects are used mainly in games played within the show for example when a caller wins the £1000 prize they play a celebratory sound effect. same apply s for example when are caller looses out they play a loosing effect which connote that it was the wrong answer.
I analysed one program of big John at breakfast which was broadcasted on Monday the 2nd of December 2013. The shows content was mostly,due to the time of year, centred around Christmas and the up and coming events within the festive season. The discussions also held within the show was centred again around the Christmas period with one of the questions being " what do partners life about most around Christmas time?" this then engaged the audience with them calling in to answer. music in the show kept to the genre adult contemporary with tracks being , killers" somebody told me" , avicii "wake me up" and little mix " cannon ball" as show in the track list the mix of music is quite diverse meaning it appeals to larger reach of people. the meaning of the show was to entertain those who are on their journey in a car in the morning. it was also to promote and advertisements of the Christmas period. so the overall meaning of the show was to celebrate and show happiness of Christmas. The form of the show is purely radio broad cast so the post production process has to make sure the shows content is lively enough to make the show entertaining. this is show in the big John program for a segment included a high pitched hamster which sung songs for the listeners to guess. this made the show much more interesting to the ear.
production process
The production process has gone into choosing the correct songs and advertisements for that type of year. For example there was a few Christmas songs in the show and also the advertisements remained at the same relevance to the time of year and its target audience. Examples of advertisements in the analysed clip was a Christmas meadowhall ad , a subway add and a halfords advertisement all three of which are in the target audiences financial reach.Also there is the segments like the news which are pre-recorded then played with in the show a long with the pre-scripted live presenter broadcasts. also within the show are the pre-prepared jingles and sound effects used in the show.

broadcasted on the 2nd December 2013

LO1 Task 1 - investigating a media institution - Hallam fm

media key terms

In media there is several key terms used to analyse and describe media institutions and products. The first in conglomerate media. this is when a much larger institution such as Bauer media for example owns a series of smaller media companies.The second key term is cross media. this is when a media company uses more than one type of media. this can be from a selection of radio, television , print and many more. Next is P.S.B for short but is called public services broadcaster which means that the station must inform, educate and entertain its audience in order to be considered a legitimate PSB .next is one only used in radio, this is pod cast. A pod-cast is a pre-recorded radio program which is broadcasted once its been edited. Next is independent media. this is when a small media company is not owned by a larger conglomerate institution such as Bauer . This means that it is funded by its self and most likely the station will be to the community. an example of an independent company is Sheffield live which broadcasts to majority ethnic minority in Sheffield.

Bauer media is an example of a conglomerate media company

Bauer media as an institution has two halves in which it splits its stations. place which is mostly community and commercial stations such as hallam FM. passion is stations on a larger scale such as heart FM.

ownership

Hallam FM is a commercial radio station located in south Yorkshire. Hallam FM is owned by the media conglomerate giant Bauer media. the purpose of the station is to play adult contemporary music to appeal to a much larger audience. it has a reach of  36000 people in and around Sheffield with the majority of these is the C2 social category and below.

                             Hallam FM is a subsidiary company of the conglomerate Bauer

programmes
 an example of a product from Hallam FM would be the popular morning breakfast show Big John at breakfast. it is focused towards people who will be commuting in a car in the morning and are within the age group of 25- 45 year old. Other programs from hallam FM would include the late show with Kate Lawler , The big Saturday show with Kam Kelly and drive time with Steve White. However we will just focus on big John @ breakfast for this blog.

Big John @ Breakfast is a product of Hallam Fm

market position and its competitors

The market position of hallam FM is relatively high due to it being the most listened to station in Sheffield and surrounding areas.however hallam FM isn't without its competitors. One would be the radio giant capital FM which is owned by the company global media and is the most listened to radio station throughout the UK. another radio station which would be a competitor is the local independent radio station, Sheffield Live. however due to Sheffield live's target audience it do-sent really affect hallam FM. Other examples of Hallam's local competitors include Dearne FM , Rother FM, Redroad FM and Magic AM. These are all competitors due to them targeting similar demographics and covering the same areas in south Yorkshire.

                                                 Sheffield live is a competitor of hallam FM
operating model

Hallam FM also has an established operating model linking its different departments together. for example the advertising and marketing department will work on promoting shows like Big John @ breakfast to increase its listener-ship. It also works the other way to work in conjunction as Big John @ breakfast will play advertisements which the advertising department charge clients for. This also applies to areas such as pre-production as they will work in conjunction with marketing, online media and other departments to ensure the show is greatly promoted, structured and distributed to its listeners. as well as keeping its advertising clients happy by playing their ads. The advertising department will also work closely with its clients to also create advertisements suitable for radio. so again the marketing dept will work with the digital media dept. These are also Hallam's main source of funding to keep the station running, so this is why it is key to have a very well structured operating model so the company runs as smooth and efficiently as possible.

an example of the advertising department working in conjunction with production