Unit 1 - Research techniques

Task 1 (P1, M1, D1)

Research Methods

I visited Pudsey library in search of information on the population of the town. As a member of the library I was shown towards the computer system which contained a directory of all the books. Using the keyword Pudsey the system pulled out; Isle L, book 914

The population of Pudsey was “38,000” in 1970.

Ed Jay Burrow, Cheltenham and London (1970 p.13)

Task 2 (P1, M1, D1)

Secondary Radio Research

Throughout the UK radio has been an important industry since the 20’s when the BBC first broadcast in 1922. Today the BBC is still at the forefront of British radio; BBC 2 is the most listen to radio station in the UK, closely followed by Radio 1 then Radio 4.[1]

Daily, Adults in the UK listen to the radio on average for 3 hours and three minutes and 5 hours and 15 minutes at weekends. This is around 20 hours per week.[2]

If one would like to set up an amateur radio station there is several things that has to be take into account, such as the Restricted Service License (RSL). OFCOM is the company that provides the RSL, which for one month on a FM channel would cost around £980. An MCPS (Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society) and a PRS (Performing Right Society) will need to be paid, which are the copyright licenses that go to pay the artists and producers of music played. The PRS is a daily charge of £64.42 and the MCPS will set you back from £70.93 to £88.65 depending on audience size.[3] All in all, based on a small audience range and broadcasting for one month it will cost around £3000, and that’s just on setting up!

[1] - http://www.rajar.co.uk/listening/quarterly_listening.php

[2] - http://radio.about.com/cs/funradiothings/f/faqradio4.htm

[3] - http://www.prsformusic.com/users/broadcastandonline/Radio/STRL/Pages/shorttermrestricted.aspx

Task 3 (P1, M1, D1)

Radio Production Reserch

There is a lot that goes on behind your Radio that enables the wide range of content available. Presenters deliver the content live, producers are controlling the content, writers and artists are creating the content, and that’s just scratching the surface of Radio Production.

One of the UK’s, if not the most, famous radio presenters is Terry Wogan who has graced the BBC for over 40 years. 8 Million People [1], on average, tune in to listen to Wogan’s humours banter, making him the most listened to man in Britain. But why is this? From secondary data alone I can presume it is because his show ‘Wake up with Wogan’ is broadcast from 7:30am to 9:30am which is Prime time for radio as more people listen to the radio in the morning compared to the rest of the day. However, to get a real reason I need to get into the mind of the 8 Million listeners, well at least a few of them. Below is a quick speech package which highlights some of the reasons Terry Wogan is Britain’s most heard voice.

From my own experience in front of and behind the microphone I can relate to what Wogan does. Whilst it had nowhere near the 8 million listeners Wogan gets, I was directly involved with PGFM’s latest month long broadcast. This gave me a taste of the Radio Industry. Thinking about people in the local area tuning in to listen sent my nerves through the roof, and I could have probably counted our listeners on one hand, 8 Million sounds like an impossibility! Everything needs to be spot on as one mistake could potentially ruin the show, not to mention make a fool out of you live on air. Personally, I believe that my interviewees Edward Lawson and Vannessa Greenhalgh make better candidates for speaking about our experiences on PGFM;

At one point, I believed radio to be a dyeing medium. With the recent switch over to digital television; it is obvious that the Human race will continue seeking out new ways to create and consume media. Radio being the first mass media outlet could be easily made obsolete. However, it has hung in there for more than 80 years and there is no reason for me to believe that it will ever go away. I believe that in the future amateur radio will see a great increase as the fight for the freedom of speech and alternate media becomes a harder battle (with ongoing internet censorship and monopolising) and the relative ease of set up becomes easier. However, with the increase in globalization and government control I can see commercial radio being saturated with patriotic songs and corporate propaganda.

[1] - http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/tv-radio/woganrsquos-run-ndash-the-king-of-banter-finally-goes-blankety-blank-1884922.html

Task 4 (P1, M1, D1)

Radio Audience Research

Below is the quantitate research that was conducted within our class, it highlights the scope of difference in radio listening within a typical, and relevant, target audience.

Task 5 (P1, M1, D1)

Primary Radio Research

I spoke to several members of my class about their radio habits ad gathered the results in a small video.

Task 6 (P1, M1, D1)

Consumer Categorization

When producing Radio, it is essentially important to consider who will be listing to you; the audience. Production companies and advertisers can capitalise on the use of Audience Demographics targeting certain groups of people, allowing them to influence the population through projecting a certain view point or idea.

For example, audiences identify with what they hear on the Radio. A political discussion show will obviously get an audience of likeminded people. When similar views are expressed in the show, audiences will agree with the professional. Due to the nature of the show, a listener may consider themselves more intelligent or sophisticated. The same can be applied to any show that concerns one specific audience. Such as a niche music program will attract a certain subculture, giving them a sense of identity. This is a perfect example of the uses and gratification theory. Producers can use this audience classification further by associating certain products or ideals with their broadcasts, causing audiences to buy into the identity.

The same can be said for gender. Would a woman be as interested in Football, fast cars and beer as a man? It’s no surprise these things are typically advertised within a few minutes of each other. The same goes for Gossip shows and adverts for makeup and hair products. This generates yet more money for producers and advertisers, through viewers and products respectively. Worryingly, the same companies who are benefit from these profiles are also furthering them through influencing what it is to be a man, or women (or any demographic) through the media; Creating a perpetual cycle of consumerism.

In my option, the age of an audience plays a much more vital role in audience profiling. When considering advertising, thinking about targeting children sounds like an awful thing, yet we see doll adverts, action man, and computer games advertised during children’s shows. Kids seem to have an attitude to want the latest toy, games or fad, which is eerily similar to the way fashion, is in today’s culture. This begs the question, are we buying what we want to buy? or are we buying what they make us think we want us to buy?

“Industry spending on advertising to children has exploded in the past decade, increasing from a mere $100 million in 1990 to more than $2 billion in 2000.”

http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/marketing/marketers_target_kids.cfm

Family programs have something to offer all ages. However, with continued audience fragmentation and break down of the family unit there is not much room for content that tries to please everyone, as people are more willing to seek out what they want in today’s culture, with internet radio and digital TV services making is much easier to get what they want. Today, no matter how many people want to deny in, there is a still a great class divide in the UK. This again fragments audience and allows producers to target people based on income and their job status or education, and thus intelligence. This creates windows for further influence, as producers know who are more likely to respond or believe in what they want.

Task 7 (P1, M1, D1)

Presentation