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