Radio Industry Research

 What is podcasting? 

Podcasting is an episodic series of spoken word digital audio files that a user can download to a personal device for easy listening. 

Podcasting is different from traditional radio blog broadcasts for the audience and producers for many reasons, for example ;

Radio:

•You would have to stick to a schedule as you're only on for a set amount of time per day

•Have to communicate the schedule to your audience so they can listen to the full broadcast

•May need to reintroduce yourself and the topic being discussed or if the audience tune in halfway through 

Podcasts:

•Audiences are able to listen to it whenever they want, as they can start at the beginning and start and stop the podcast when they want to

 •The audiences have a lot more control when it comes to what topics of the podcast they 

want to listen to and when they listen.

Radio:

•Radio producers have to be comfortable accepting past mistakes or moving onto the next subject, as there isn't much room for mistakes or hesitations during live shows

•You can't edit any mistakes out afterwards, as it's live

•You have the time restriction of how long the radio show is scheduled for - can't go overtime

Podcasts:

•Have the ability to re-record or edit out any errors or technical difficulties 

•no restriction of time which allows for more freedom to do what you want to do in the podcast as you have as much time as you need

•Also you can include all of your chosen topic - doesn't have to be cut down

Radio: 

•Radio broadcasts don't last as long because one it’s no longer live you can’t listen to it again.

• It has a smaller window for opportunity because you have to listen at that certain time.

Podcast:

•Have a bigger window for opportunity and exposure as listeners are able to view the podcast whenever they want 

•A podcast will be online forever, so the audience can watch it long after they’ve recorded. 

Commercial Radio :

• A Commercial Broadcaster is a radio station that produces money through the use of advertising.
• The advertising is released by companies that use radio stations as a good medium in order to get their message across
• Examples include Classic FM and Absolute Radio, as they both generate their money through advertising  

Public Service Broadcaster:

• The term refers to broadcasting that is intended for the public's benefit rather than just their commercial interests 
• Includes Radio 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Live and 6 Music
• The BBC is the most know public service broadcaster in the Uk.
• Public service broadcasting doesn't include any advertisements, as they are all funded by license fees, which are paid by the public. 

The BBC

Purpose, Mission and Values:

• The BBC's mission statement is "to act in the public interest, serving all audiences through the provision of impartial, high-quality and distinctive output and services which inform, educate and entertain" - The statement stresses on the difference it makes in society while fulfilling it's objectives. 
• The vision statement is "to be the most creative organisation in the world" - the BBC isn't happy just dominating the UK
• One of the missions that the BBC has is to have a Global Reach
• The BBC's values are: 
• Trust is the foundation of the BBC. We're independent, impartial and honest
• We put audiences at the heart of everything we do
• We respect each other and celebrate our diversity 
• We take pride in delivering quality and value for money 
• The Purpose of the  BBC 
1. To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them
2. To support learning for people of all ages
3. To reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United Kingdom's nations and regions. 
4. To reflect the United Kingdom, it's cultures and values to the world 

BBC Broadcasts: Locally, Nationally, Globally:

Local Services:

• BBC offer listeners BBC Local Radio, which operates at 39 stations across England, offering speech based services for news, information and debates, which has a strong emphasis on interactivity 

National Services:

• The BBC broadcast their different channels nationally across the UK, and includes the Welsh, Scottish and Irish versions of some one their main channels, for example BBC One Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Same as their Radio stations, for example BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and Cymru 2 (made for people that speak Welsh in wales)
• They offer these services so that their products can reach a wider range of people

Global News Services:

• BBC world services is an international multimedia broadcaster, which delivers a wide range of language and regional services on radio, TV and online 
• Reaches a weekly audience of around 279 million people around the world
• Operates in more than 40 languages

Content and Style of BBC Radio 4

• Broadcasts a wide range of spoken word genres such as news , drama, comedy , science and comedy
• The target audience for BBC Radio for are people aged 34-54 and the average aged listener is 54 years old
• Out of all the genres they mainly seem to broadcast the news and sports coverage on the radio broadcast
• Example: Woman's hour - talk about important women's topics 
• Example:  Always includes the news at certain points throughout the day - keeps their viewers up to date with current affairs 

RADIO INDUSTRY: initial research

 Initial Research -

Radio 1 

The target audience -

 For radio 1 listeners it is targeted towards people who are aged between 15 and 29. This is because of the distinctive mix of contemporary music and speech which would appeal more to those ages. 

Music genres -

At night, Radio 1 gives different genres including hip hop, dance and indie whereas in the day they usually just shuffle the most popular contemporary music of the time in order to appeal to their  target audience.

Spoken word genres - 

This would include documentaries and information about music artists and genres which would interest the audience. Radio 1 also like to feature podcasts like “Di’s salon” that provide comedy and entertainment. 

Radio 3

Target audience -

The target audience is typically aimed at an older audience  50 years old and above. It is know that older listeners tend to listen for longer. 

Music genre -

Commonly the genre is mainly centred around classical music and opera however occasionally other genres are featured in the broadcast. For example, jazz, world music and drama. 

Spoken word genres - 

Radio 3 includes genres and topics that may appeal to their audience for example real life topics or situations that are going on. Also may include chat segments and lifestyle programmes. 

Radio 4  

Target audience -

The target audience for Radio 4 is between 34 - 51 years old with the average listener being 56 years old. 

Music genre - 

It doesn’t work in the same way as the other radio stations because Radio 4 is viewed as a speech only radio station. Therefore, there are some music focused programmes on Radio 4 such as desert island discs but everyday they use small music clips only. 

Spoken word genres - 

Radio 4 features in depth news and current affairs and  magazine programmes. Also, spoken word broadcasts include drama, comedy, science and history

SECTION 1B FILM MARKETING : Independent Film

 The key elements of an independent film is ; 

- is associated with critical success

- makes you ask questions 

- limited distribution 

- is rarely shown in multiplex cinemas 

- limited star marketing 

- lower production values 

- targets and older audience 

Daniel Blake ( Loach 2016)

The director of Daniel Blake is Ken Loach

What clues are there to why this is an independent film ?

- Unknown actors

- Not shown in multiplex cinemas

- looks like it has a low production value 

-  Low budget 

-Ken Loach portrayed many different messages throughout his other films. He had a socially critical directing style and socialist ideals are evident in his films. He treatment of social issues such as poverty in his earlier film Poor Cow made in 1967, homelessness in his film Cathy Come Home in 1966 and labour rights Riff-Raff made in 1991.

Who are the stars of I, Daniel Blake? 

 The main character of this film is Dave Johns; before starring in I, Daniel Blake he was an english comedian as well as an actor. Another main character in the film is Hayley Squires who hasn’t been involved in any wide known or mainstream productions. She is also an english actress and playwright. 

Is this film low budget or high budget? 

I, Daniel Blake is seen as a low budget film because of the way they marketed and promoted the film which was by organising free screenings and talks in community centres across the UK to build local enthusiasm for the film's message.  Moreover, throughout the film it uses basic props and minimalist settings and backgrounds unlike mainstream films which have a higher production value who have expensive props and lively trailers with pops of colour and upbeat music. 

Which companies produced and filmed I, Daniel Blake?

- Sixteen Films, eOne Films, Why Not Productions, Wild Bunch, BBC Films

These companies may be interested enough to fund and support a film like I, Daniel Blake because they believe that the UK system does more harm than good and believe in the message that it has throughout the movie. 

Who do you think ideal target audience for the film?

Although the movie is based in Newcastle with characters who rely on benefits and who are not rich, I think that the ideal target audience for the film are people who are middle class and middle aged. I think this because they are able to make a difference and understand what people on benefits have to go through as it’s quite realistic and relatable . Also, the premier for the film was in London which implies that Ken Loach wanted people with wealth to be able to see this film.

RECEPTION

What type of audience could have oppositional reading of the film?

The Guardian is known as generally being a more mainstream left wing on British political opinion. When discussing and writing about I, Daniel Blake, they described it as "a battle cry for the dispossessed" which highlights their approval of the movie and its meanings .To add, they also believe that the system is corrupt. However, a newspaper that has an oppositional reading of the film is The Mail who is known for being right wing on British political opinion and traditionally is a supporter of the Conservatives and has endorsed this party in all recent and general elections.

BLACK PANTHER: MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

- MARKETING CAMPAIGN - 

Black Panther had a strong marketing campaign which was large and wide reaching, this is why it was such a great success. Disney was distributing the film which meant that they had a large budget and resources to create a detailed marketing campaign. To maximise profit they also released merchandise such as action figures, posters, trailers and social media pages to allow the audience to become more familiar with their film and to maximise audience appeal in order to sell the film. Action figures and toys were a great way of targeting young children and family audiences which helped their marketing campaign. 

The lexus partnership was a way of targeting an adult male audience, interested in technology and status as the partnership with Lexus created 2 Black Panther themed cars. This meant everytime the cars got marketed, the film got marketed too. Disney also produces many trailers which were released in cinemas, on television and online. These trailers were also used to emphasise that the film was part of the Marvel Franchise targeting their pre - sold  fans. It was also broadcasted in the ad breaks of the Superbowl  in America which is one of the most expensive advertising slots which would result in targeting a global mass audience which was a great marketing technique to spread awareness of the film. 

Black Panther was released during Black History Month meaning that the release was marketed as a ‘cultural event’ to celebrate black culture. Some people took this a step further and started crowd funding site online which were set up to raise money to make sure that young black people could go to the cinema and see this film.These crowd funding sites were shared online and in the media which was great for the Black Panther film as it acted as an official marketing campaign.

Disney also did a partnership with New York fashion week and did a show using clothes inspired by the Wakandan clothes in the film. This would’ve attracted a lot of media attention and publicity which helped their marketing strategy hugely and targeting a huge female audience. Another Global marketing technique that was used was the use of Youtube which allowed audiences to share, comment and like the trailer, as YouTube is a global platform it allowed the  Black Panther to receive huge publicity. Social media was also a core part of their marketing campaign as Disney used Twitter to market the film by using hashtags, posts and film teasers. This resulted in the film becoming the most tweeted about film of the year which was a huge success. Twitter was also used to livestream Q & A sessions with the cast and crew, creating anticipation for the film and allowing the fans to get involved. 

The actors took part as guests on chat shows and other tv programmes was a great way of marketing the film to older audiences. The actors and crew appeared at Comicon which is a huge globally recognised event for fans of big franchises in film, gaming and tv. They had a panel at Comicon in which they spoke to fans and answered any questions which was a good way to target ‘super fans’ of a franchise or shared universe, ensuring they spread the word. Later on there was even an exclusive Black Panther Snapchat filter which was a method of targeting a younger audience and spreading the word of the film. 

The use of sequels and prequels helps to reduce risk and maximise profit. This reflects Hesmondhalg’s ideas about companies striving for maximised profits. Black Panther could have been seen as a part of Disney’s strategy to improve its reputation for the way it treats ethnicity/ gender in the film. 

The various use of posters which each one featuring a different character from the film which is also a great way of targeting different audiences.