When looking at the radio drama I have created, I am very happy with my final outcome. I think that the overall flow of my show sounds good. The episode follows a narrative which is engaging and appeals to my target audience. From looking at the brief that I was given, I believe that I have met the requirements that were set. My radio caters to a local Sheffield audience due to some of the dialect that was used within the drama. I believe that all groups within Sheffield's community could listen to the show and feel represented.
When creating my show, I chose to target it at 16 to 19 year olds, I did this as I believed that teens need to engage more with radio and believe that with today's technology, allowing you to download most radio shows it would encourage young people to listen to each episode of my radio drama. I also know the things that this target audience like due to me being within it myself and therefore feel like I have done very well in catering towards them. I know that my target audience were engaged with my radio show as during the production stages of the programme, I got a focus group of people which were within my target audience and let them listen to the offline edit. They liked the narrative and said that the show was something which they would listen to. I believe that the cliff hanger ending will make the audience want to continue listening to other episodes as this makes them want to find out what happens next whilst also leaving them to make their own decision on what is going to happen next. A benefit of the target audience that I chose is the idea that they are digital natives meaning that they have grown up with the internet and therefore use platforms such as social media in order to share their views. If my radio drama was to become larger, I believe that my target audience would start taking to social media in order to share their opinions about the show and what they believe will happen next. This is something which is seen with a lot of popular television shows for this target audience. The use of the music which I have used within my radio drama, such as "Don't call me up" by Mabel playing in the car also is something which appeals to my target audience as this type of chart music is something which they would listen to. Another way that there is appeal is through the characters which I have created for the show. I believe that the people from my target audience can relate to them, especially the two main characters as there is representation for both genders and the characters are within the target audience themselves. Having characters which the target audience engages with makes my radio drama very strong.
One of the key strengths of my radio drama is the narrative that I created. I believe that with a weak narrative to the show, people would not be engaged and would not want to listen. I think that the character which I created and the voice actors who I cast to record these parts were a key success to the outcome of my radio show. I did have to make changes to the script slighting as the person who was playing "Diane" was unable to attend the recording. I stuck to my contingency plan within was within my production schedules and although the person who took over this part was male, I prefer the way that this sounds as it means that the difference between the two sets of parents is made very obvious.
Another strength of my radio drama is just how profesional it sounds. I believe that the end result resembles the radio drama "The Archers" which is on BBC Radio 4. This is the programme that I did my research off of and I am please that it sounds similar to my own radio show. The final edit of my radio show has very good audio quality due to me recording the voice actors within a profesional recording studio. This means that the quality of the audio is clear and loud, which will keep listeners engaged as they are able to hear just how good the quality of the show is. The way that I used wild sound to set each scene and sound effects throughout made the radio show seem profesional overall.
My only weakness was the editing of my radio show. Although I managed to piece together all of the different clips and add sound effect, wild sound and theme music, I think that there was more that I could have done with the editing. I was new to using Adobe Audition and if I was to create a new episode of the show I would concentrate on using some more advanced techniques within my editing to create an even more profesional episode of a radio drama.
Overall I believe that "The School Pick-up" is a very professional sounding, engaging and interesting Radio drama with a narrative which fits my target audience and also the brief that I was given by my client appealing to a Sheffield based audience.
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
LO4: Producing my radio show
PRODUCTION SCHEDULE
SETTING UP EQUIPMENT AND RECORDING MY RADIO DRAMA
OFFLINE EDIT
This is the offline edit of my radio show. This is what I the first two scene of the radio drama sounded like before I added in any wild sound or sound effects. The idea of this this edit was to sound what the narrative was like once I had pieced it together as I recorded each characters lines alone.
SCREENSHOTS OF CHANGES
The first thing I did when editing my radio show was piece together my radio show. Here are all the different tracks that I used. As my radio drama consisted of a lot of different audio clips, I spread these over a lot of different tracks. Some of these contain the characters lines whilst other have wild sounds and background music. Other feature sound effects.
I also added effects to different parts of the audio. I knew that I wanted the audio to sound different for the phone call, and this is something which I wrote in my script. I used the FFT filter and chose the option "telephone voicemail", I believe that this gave me the effect I desired. Also for the audio for the part of the show where Lewis is shouting to the dad. To get this effect I used FFT filter, and also added reverb and mastering. For the presenter at the beginning I used the preset effect called "radio announcer voice" to make the announcement sound professional.
FINAL RADIO EDIT
LO3: Codes and Conventions of radio dramas
My radio show is a radio drama, this means that each broadcast is an episode and therefore has a plot line or narrative. From looking at "The Archers", which is a radio drama on BBC Radio 4, I know what codes and conventions I need to follow.
An important feature of a radio drama is the theme music, this is something which will make my show recognisable. The piece of music which "The Archers" uses is called "Barwick Green" and is something that most people would be able to recognise as being the theme music for the show. In order to fit with this convention, I will create my own recognisable brand through the use of music and sound effects. As my radio drama is called "The School Pick-up", I think that using a school bell noise would create a really recognisable branding. I think that combining this sound effect with some music will help me to create a piece of theme music which is recognisable so that when people hear the music they will automatically know that it is the music that for "The School Pick-up". I will also use the bell effect throughout the show in order to split up the scenes as this will make it obvious when each scene starts and finishes. It will also further develop my branding.
Dramatisation is prominent within "The Archers" and is also something which will be included within my own radio drama. The school playground is a place where people visit day to day but not much happens. By adding dramatisation to my programme it will make the topic more interesting. This is done by using voice actors and wild sounds in order to create more excitement on a otherwise boring subject. The use of wild sounds within a radio drama are very important as there are no visuals so this is what establishes the scene. This means that within my radio show, I would need to make sure that these sounds were strong to really make the audience picture the scene.
When doing my research I noticed that "The Archers" had a large cast of voice actors, with all of them having different plots but also fitting into the same storyline and interacting with each other. This is what I wanted to do within my radio drama as I believe that this will keep my audience engaged and fit with the codes and conventions of not only radio dramas but television soap operas as well.
At the beginning of each episode of "The Archers" a radio presenter announces the show with a short line about what happens within the episode, this is a convention of Radio Dramas as it gives an overview to the episode. I will include this at the beginning of my own radio drama, I feel that this will be especially important when it comes to my show as the episode I am creating is the first episode and by having this line it will encourage people to want to listen.
An important feature of a radio drama is the theme music, this is something which will make my show recognisable. The piece of music which "The Archers" uses is called "Barwick Green" and is something that most people would be able to recognise as being the theme music for the show. In order to fit with this convention, I will create my own recognisable brand through the use of music and sound effects. As my radio drama is called "The School Pick-up", I think that using a school bell noise would create a really recognisable branding. I think that combining this sound effect with some music will help me to create a piece of theme music which is recognisable so that when people hear the music they will automatically know that it is the music that for "The School Pick-up". I will also use the bell effect throughout the show in order to split up the scenes as this will make it obvious when each scene starts and finishes. It will also further develop my branding.
Dramatisation is prominent within "The Archers" and is also something which will be included within my own radio drama. The school playground is a place where people visit day to day but not much happens. By adding dramatisation to my programme it will make the topic more interesting. This is done by using voice actors and wild sounds in order to create more excitement on a otherwise boring subject. The use of wild sounds within a radio drama are very important as there are no visuals so this is what establishes the scene. This means that within my radio show, I would need to make sure that these sounds were strong to really make the audience picture the scene.
When doing my research I noticed that "The Archers" had a large cast of voice actors, with all of them having different plots but also fitting into the same storyline and interacting with each other. This is what I wanted to do within my radio drama as I believe that this will keep my audience engaged and fit with the codes and conventions of not only radio dramas but television soap operas as well.
At the beginning of each episode of "The Archers" a radio presenter announces the show with a short line about what happens within the episode, this is a convention of Radio Dramas as it gives an overview to the episode. I will include this at the beginning of my own radio drama, I feel that this will be especially important when it comes to my show as the episode I am creating is the first episode and by having this line it will encourage people to want to listen.
LO3: Legal and Ethical Issues associated with my radio show
OFCOM BROADCASTING CODE
It is very important that the legal and ethical issues that come with creating a radio drama are took into consideration before production. Ofcom has a broadcasting code which lays out the practices that need to be followed by broadcasters.
PROTECTING THE UNDER 18s
Within this section, it is outlined how to protect under 18 year olds as well as children (people aged under 15). This is something important for me to consider as my target audience is 16 to 19 year olds. The section of the code discusses about scheduling and content that is in the radio show, with anything being harmful to the development of people under the age of 18 must be broadcast after watershed which is 9pm to 5:30am. It is important to think about the nature of the content which is being broadcast. As my radio show is a drama, the content is important as I need to make sure that narrative of the drama is not inappropriate for my target audience.
HARM AND OFFENCE
Within this section, it is made clear that there is protection in place so that the public is protected agains the inclusion of harmful or offensive material within the radio show. When I am creating my show I need to take this into account as the plot of the drama cannot contain any material that is harmful or offensive to the public. I need to have this in mind when writing my script.
CRIME, DISORDER, HATRED AND ABUSE
Within this section, it is made apparent that the material which is included in the show must not lead to criminal activity or disorder. Hate speech is also not allowed. I don't think that this will be an issue within my show as although it is a radio drama, there will be no crime included within the plot of the show.
RELIGION
Within this section, it is outlined that broadcasters need to respect the content of religious programmes. As my show is a drama which will be on a community radio station, I will try and represent different religious groups within the community, however making sure that no hate or negative comments are made about the religious groups. I think it would be interesting to add characters of different backgrounds, if the right research was done as this could strengthen the community.
COPYRIGHT
It is important that I make sure that any sound effects in my show are royalty free or created for the show order to make sure that there are no copyrights agains anything that is included. To play music on radio, the station needs a PRS license, this is the same with my radio drama as there are some clips of music throughout such as in the car scene.
It is very important that the legal and ethical issues that come with creating a radio drama are took into consideration before production. Ofcom has a broadcasting code which lays out the practices that need to be followed by broadcasters.
PROTECTING THE UNDER 18s
Within this section, it is outlined how to protect under 18 year olds as well as children (people aged under 15). This is something important for me to consider as my target audience is 16 to 19 year olds. The section of the code discusses about scheduling and content that is in the radio show, with anything being harmful to the development of people under the age of 18 must be broadcast after watershed which is 9pm to 5:30am. It is important to think about the nature of the content which is being broadcast. As my radio show is a drama, the content is important as I need to make sure that narrative of the drama is not inappropriate for my target audience.
HARM AND OFFENCE
Within this section, it is made clear that there is protection in place so that the public is protected agains the inclusion of harmful or offensive material within the radio show. When I am creating my show I need to take this into account as the plot of the drama cannot contain any material that is harmful or offensive to the public. I need to have this in mind when writing my script.
CRIME, DISORDER, HATRED AND ABUSE
Within this section, it is made apparent that the material which is included in the show must not lead to criminal activity or disorder. Hate speech is also not allowed. I don't think that this will be an issue within my show as although it is a radio drama, there will be no crime included within the plot of the show.
RELIGION
Within this section, it is outlined that broadcasters need to respect the content of religious programmes. As my show is a drama which will be on a community radio station, I will try and represent different religious groups within the community, however making sure that no hate or negative comments are made about the religious groups. I think it would be interesting to add characters of different backgrounds, if the right research was done as this could strengthen the community.
COPYRIGHT
It is important that I make sure that any sound effects in my show are royalty free or created for the show order to make sure that there are no copyrights agains anything that is included. To play music on radio, the station needs a PRS license, this is the same with my radio drama as there are some clips of music throughout such as in the car scene.
LO3: Planning a radio show
MINDMAP OF IDEAS
From researching different radio programmes, I decided that I was most inspired by "The Archers", a radio drama so therefore when mindmapping ideas that would fit into the genre.
MOODBOARD
MEDIUM
The platform that I intent to use in order to follow the brief which I have been set is Radio.
From researching different radio programmes, I decided that I was most inspired by "The Archers", a radio drama so therefore when mindmapping ideas that would fit into the genre.
MOODBOARD
MEDIUM
The platform that I intent to use in order to follow the brief which I have been set is Radio.
TITLE OF SHOW
My show is going to be called "The School Pick-up". I chose this as the name of my programme as this links to the content which the narrative of my radio show is going to follow. The name is a play on words as "Pick-up" can be interpreted as just collecting the children but also growing a romance along the way.
TYPE OF PROGRAMME
The programme that I am creating is a radio drama, this is because after listening to different radio shows I found this sort of programme the most interesting and would like to create a radio programme which followed a narrative with voice actors rather than the likes of a breakfast show. Radio dramas have no visuals so there is much emphasis on the narrative, dialogue, music and sound effects chosen to be in the programme.
PROPOSED CONTENT
As my radio programme is going to be a drama, the proposed content will be the script or narrative for my radio show. The narrative of the programme is as follows. Rebecca and Lewis are teenagers who pick their siblings up from primary school each day, they do not know each other however this is to change as one day Rebecca is running late. She bumps into Lewis and then later sees him at the coffee shop that he works at which sparks something special between them. The radio drama will follow the growth of the relationship between these two characters and what they get up to. Will they end up together or be saved by the bell?. Real life events will be reflected within the episodes of the programme such as an episode which includes characters revising when it is around exam time so that my target audience will be able to relate to the characters within the show.
RUNNING ORDER
As my radio programme is a drama, the running order is to follow the story. There will be different scenes which hop between characters and follow the line of narrative.
SCHEDULING
My radio show is to be broadcasted every Wednesday at 5pm. I have chosen this time as it is when teenagers will have spare time to listen to my radio show. As it is a drama, each episode can be listen to instead of watching TV which is what most teens do in their spare time. My target audience will have returned home from school or college at this time and therefore I believe that tuning into the episode will provide them with a way to relax. After listening to one episode of my show, I feel that people will look forwards each week to listening as each episode will include the same characters but the plot will develop. The programme will also be available to be dowloaded as a podcast by Thurday morning as they are digital natives and will therefore be able to listen on the go.
LAUNCH DATE
The launch date of my radio drama will be the start of may. I have decided to choose this time as the programme could be a way of relieving my target audience from stress towards the end of the school year. I chose not to release my programme later as during summer people may be away so therefore they would not be able to tune into the episodes.
TARGET AUDIENCE
My radio drama will appeal to all ages as it could be said to be a family show however the target audience will be a teenage audience of 16-19 year olds are these are the people that will relate most to the content of each episode of the radio drama. A typical listener to my programme would be Ellie, she is a 17 year old female who is in her first year of sixth form. In her spare time she enjoys watching shows on Netflix such as Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars. She has an interest in shopping and boys, always enjoying herself and going out with friends.
KEY PERSONNEL
The key personnel within my radio show will be voice actors to narrate the voices of the characters within the radio show. I will pay a key part as script writer and editor and will also act as a foley artist recording audio of different everyday things which need to be included to strengthen the narrative of my show. As there is no visuals because my drama is on radio, the audio needs to be very strong to make the listeners imagine they are actually in the place which the characters are.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
When recording the audio for my radio show, health and safety for my actors is key. The recording studio needs to be made safe and precautions taken. I will make sure that all leads which are connected to things such as microphones are taped down so therefore they are not a tripping hazard. Drinks will not be allowed near any of the recording equipment to minimise accidents with my voice actors will take regular breaks in order to be able to perform to the best of their ability and not strain their voices.
AUDIO ASSETS
I will include sounds in my radio show which reflect those within the narrative of the script. When making my radio show I will have a folder of audio assets, some of these sounds will include a school bell, car horn and phone call. There will also be foley sound and bedding music.
FUNDING
As my radio drama is going to be on Sheffield Live! which is an independent radio station so therefore the show will not generate a profit. The money needed to create the radio show will be gained through funding which comes from grants which they get annually from organisations such as Ofcom as well as some money from adverts and sponsorships.
My show is going to be called "The School Pick-up". I chose this as the name of my programme as this links to the content which the narrative of my radio show is going to follow. The name is a play on words as "Pick-up" can be interpreted as just collecting the children but also growing a romance along the way.
TYPE OF PROGRAMME
The programme that I am creating is a radio drama, this is because after listening to different radio shows I found this sort of programme the most interesting and would like to create a radio programme which followed a narrative with voice actors rather than the likes of a breakfast show. Radio dramas have no visuals so there is much emphasis on the narrative, dialogue, music and sound effects chosen to be in the programme.
PROPOSED CONTENT
As my radio programme is going to be a drama, the proposed content will be the script or narrative for my radio show. The narrative of the programme is as follows. Rebecca and Lewis are teenagers who pick their siblings up from primary school each day, they do not know each other however this is to change as one day Rebecca is running late. She bumps into Lewis and then later sees him at the coffee shop that he works at which sparks something special between them. The radio drama will follow the growth of the relationship between these two characters and what they get up to. Will they end up together or be saved by the bell?. Real life events will be reflected within the episodes of the programme such as an episode which includes characters revising when it is around exam time so that my target audience will be able to relate to the characters within the show.
RUNNING ORDER
As my radio programme is a drama, the running order is to follow the story. There will be different scenes which hop between characters and follow the line of narrative.
SCHEDULING
My radio show is to be broadcasted every Wednesday at 5pm. I have chosen this time as it is when teenagers will have spare time to listen to my radio show. As it is a drama, each episode can be listen to instead of watching TV which is what most teens do in their spare time. My target audience will have returned home from school or college at this time and therefore I believe that tuning into the episode will provide them with a way to relax. After listening to one episode of my show, I feel that people will look forwards each week to listening as each episode will include the same characters but the plot will develop. The programme will also be available to be dowloaded as a podcast by Thurday morning as they are digital natives and will therefore be able to listen on the go.
LAUNCH DATE
The launch date of my radio drama will be the start of may. I have decided to choose this time as the programme could be a way of relieving my target audience from stress towards the end of the school year. I chose not to release my programme later as during summer people may be away so therefore they would not be able to tune into the episodes.
TARGET AUDIENCE
My radio drama will appeal to all ages as it could be said to be a family show however the target audience will be a teenage audience of 16-19 year olds are these are the people that will relate most to the content of each episode of the radio drama. A typical listener to my programme would be Ellie, she is a 17 year old female who is in her first year of sixth form. In her spare time she enjoys watching shows on Netflix such as Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars. She has an interest in shopping and boys, always enjoying herself and going out with friends.
KEY PERSONNEL
The key personnel within my radio show will be voice actors to narrate the voices of the characters within the radio show. I will pay a key part as script writer and editor and will also act as a foley artist recording audio of different everyday things which need to be included to strengthen the narrative of my show. As there is no visuals because my drama is on radio, the audio needs to be very strong to make the listeners imagine they are actually in the place which the characters are.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
When recording the audio for my radio show, health and safety for my actors is key. The recording studio needs to be made safe and precautions taken. I will make sure that all leads which are connected to things such as microphones are taped down so therefore they are not a tripping hazard. Drinks will not be allowed near any of the recording equipment to minimise accidents with my voice actors will take regular breaks in order to be able to perform to the best of their ability and not strain their voices.
AUDIO ASSETS
I will include sounds in my radio show which reflect those within the narrative of the script. When making my radio show I will have a folder of audio assets, some of these sounds will include a school bell, car horn and phone call. There will also be foley sound and bedding music.
FUNDING
As my radio drama is going to be on Sheffield Live! which is an independent radio station so therefore the show will not generate a profit. The money needed to create the radio show will be gained through funding which comes from grants which they get annually from organisations such as Ofcom as well as some money from adverts and sponsorships.
SCRIPT
- Coffee being made
- General road sounds
- Sounds inside car - engine
- Cafe noises
- Car horn
- Pop music - Don't call me up by Mabel
- iPhone Ringing
- Bell from shop door
- Footsteps outside
- Chair scraping
- Door opening
- Car door opening and closing
- School bell
- Playground noises
- Seatbelt noise
LO2: Production technologies [✓]
Both community and commercial radio stations exist however they both have different purposes. Community radios are small-scale, not-for-profit radio
stations which are operated for the good of
members of the public, or of
particular communities, and in order
to deliver social gain. A lot of the time the people who broadcast on these stations are also members of the public who want to create a station which has positive representation of all in the community. A commercial radio station has a very different motive as they exist to
make profit by delivering audiences
to advertisers who pay to advertise
products on that station.
Radio stations have been altered drastically through technological convergence and the transition to digital production methods.
A DJ is a term that the majority of people will know and have heard of however they will not know what the term actually means. DJ means Disk Jockey, these are the people who present radio shows as well as introducing and playing songs. In the past they also use to produce and edit music themselves however the introduction of digital technologies and high spec equipment means that they no longer do this.
Radio production use to be dominated by analogue technologies, with songs being played on 8-track tapes or vinyl records with each song having to be cued up manually by the DJ. Analogue tape would have been used to record idents, adverts and other things such as pre-recorded packages. This tape would have been edited by manually cutting it ip and splicing it back together in the right order. In the 1980's CD or "compact discs" started to replace analogue formats due to the quality of the sound being superior and containing no scratches and hisses which differed to the analogue tapes which were previously used. Within the 1990's, mini disc and digital audio tapes were introduced. These were digital formats which made digital radio production easier. Moving into the 21st Century, the digital technology which is now available to create radio production was revolutionised.
CD players are still sometimes used within digital radio production however most radio music is now stored on computer servers called "play servers". These servers allow DJ's to have all of the songs that they need on the computer and can simply just click on the song to play it.
MICROPHONES
A microphone is used to capture sound. Microphones are generally on an arm when they are in the studio which means they can be moved and adjusted easily. There is a wind protector is attached to the front of the microphone so that there isn't wind which can be heard when pronouncing certain words. The microphones used in the studio are different to performance microphones as there isn't feedback issues.
AUDIO CONSOLE
An audio console is at the heart of every radio studio. This is what the radio announcer or panel operator uses to control what is heard on air. There are faders on the panel which can amplify different signals.
Radio stations have been altered drastically through technological convergence and the transition to digital production methods.
A DJ is a term that the majority of people will know and have heard of however they will not know what the term actually means. DJ means Disk Jockey, these are the people who present radio shows as well as introducing and playing songs. In the past they also use to produce and edit music themselves however the introduction of digital technologies and high spec equipment means that they no longer do this.
Radio production use to be dominated by analogue technologies, with songs being played on 8-track tapes or vinyl records with each song having to be cued up manually by the DJ. Analogue tape would have been used to record idents, adverts and other things such as pre-recorded packages. This tape would have been edited by manually cutting it ip and splicing it back together in the right order. In the 1980's CD or "compact discs" started to replace analogue formats due to the quality of the sound being superior and containing no scratches and hisses which differed to the analogue tapes which were previously used. Within the 1990's, mini disc and digital audio tapes were introduced. These were digital formats which made digital radio production easier. Moving into the 21st Century, the digital technology which is now available to create radio production was revolutionised.
CD players are still sometimes used within digital radio production however most radio music is now stored on computer servers called "play servers". These servers allow DJ's to have all of the songs that they need on the computer and can simply just click on the song to play it.
MICROPHONES
A microphone is used to capture sound. Microphones are generally on an arm when they are in the studio which means they can be moved and adjusted easily. There is a wind protector is attached to the front of the microphone so that there isn't wind which can be heard when pronouncing certain words. The microphones used in the studio are different to performance microphones as there isn't feedback issues.
AUDIO CONSOLE
An audio console is at the heart of every radio studio. This is what the radio announcer or panel operator uses to control what is heard on air. There are faders on the panel which can amplify different signals.
PLAY SERVERS
Play servers are a computer system which plays back the music, ads, voiceovers between songs and everything else. This is what has taken over from techniques which were used within the past. The computer system allows the presenter to queue songs and play continuous audio. There are also commands which allow audio files to be played at a certain
time.
LEVEL METERS
All stations have a level meter within them. These are important for the announcer or the panel operator to see if their audio is too loud of quiet. Sometimes there will be multiple meters showing the different levels of different signals. When music is being played on radio the level meter should be between 5 and 6.
SPEAKERS
Studio monitor speakers are an easy way to hear what is going to air without needing headphones. These speakers are used as they are very high quality which means that any abnormalities in sound can be detected easily. There are also preview speakers which are a separate set of speakers which the announcers will hear all audio that isn't going to air, by having separate speakers it makes it easier to know that the preview audio isn't going to air.
HEADPHONES
The studio monitor speaks are muted automatically as soon as the microphone is turned on, this means that everyone in the studio need to wear headphones so they can hear what is going to air. The headphones used are high quality.
LO2: Distribution of radio in the UK [✓]
METHODS FOR DISTRIBUTION AND PLATFORMS FOR LISTENING
HOW TO LISTEN TO THE ARCHERS ON RADIO 4
RADIO
The Archers can be accessed by BBC Radio 4. This is the frequency 92-95FM and 103-105 or 198LW. It is broadcasted at 19:02 GMT on Sunday to Friday. The show is repeated at 14:02 the next day meaning that you can catch up with it on radio if you miss an episode. A lot of people listen to this show on radio as every car has a radio fitted into it, this is how most people access radio shows, fitting the drama's main purpose.INTERNET
The Archers can be listened to online, the radio drama is broadcast simultaneously on radio and online. Each episode can be listened to on BBC Sounds. There is also a catch up section on The Archers page, here you can listen to the last months worth of episode to catch up on them. These are all organised by dates to make it easier for you to find the episode that you have missed.PODCAST
The Archers can also be sent to your computer which allows the listener to download the episode and listen to it whenever as well as keep it. This means that you can play it from your mobile or device even if you are offline. This is useful for listeners as it means that they can listen on the go.TELEVISION
Televisions have radio channels which allow viewers to listen to radio shows. BBC Radio 4 is one of the radio stations which you can access on the TV. To access it on Freeview it is on channel 704, Sky is 0104 and Virgin is channel 904. Accessing radio on your TV is something that is really useful in the current day as everyone has a TV in their house however they might not have a radio. This means that it allows all to be able to access BBC Radio 4.THE BLACKBOX THEORY
This is a theory introduced by Harry Jenkins in 2008. Also known as technological convergence, a blackbox is a piece of technology which is in its essence a collaboration of different technologies merged together and put into one device. A smartphone is a perfect example of this as it is the combination of a phone as well as many other things such as a computer, GPS and alarm clock. This has allowed the modern day audience to access the internet on smartphone as well as meaning that cars now have radios in them so therefore people can now listen to radio with both of these things. This shows that by the way technology has developed, the way that radio is accessed has also changed.
From this, a wider audience of people can access radio, meaning that the appeal for different target audiences has changed. People can listen along to the radio whilst in the car or tune into the show their laptops. They can catch up on radio via their smartphone and save the shows to their phone through the different distribution platforms, to listen to whilst they are on the go. Technological convergence is something that has really helped shows such as "The Archers" as it means that if the listener has missed out on an episode, they can very easily catch up which is important when the show follows a plot.
LO1: Analysis of a Radio Programme [✓]
"The Archers" is a programme which is on the station BBC Radio 4. The radio programme has over 18,750 episodes making it the worlds longest running radio soap opera. The Archers is described as a "contemporary drama in a rural setting".
The original purpose of The Archers was to educate however this changed in 1972 and nowadays the radio programme is there to entertain its audience. There is still a form of education in the programme as it strives to reflect the real nature of rural life through research that is carried out through the programme. The genre of radio that the Archers falls into is a radio drama, through the genre alone you can see that the main purpose of the programme is to entertain. You can see this due to the storyline within the radio show. Throughout the episode there is a mention of "village gossip" which is something that is informal and what we would expect to happen in the likes of a programme such as Eastenders as the main purpose of this show is to entertain. Another place where the storyline reflects the purpose of the programme is where the character Tom asks Hannah if she wants to attend a presentation in Glasgow with him, perceived by Hannah as a date, she rejects his offer. This type of scenario is something which, as an audience, hooks us making the Archers a key source of entertainment.
Episodes of The Archers air on BBC Radio 4 at 7pm Sunday to Friday. The episodes are repeated at 2pm the next day, excluding Saturdays. The reason why the programme is scheduled to air at this time is because of the type of programme that The Archers is. As it is a radio soap opera, the programme is on in the evening as its main purpose is to entertain. 7pm is the time that most people would start to settle down and watch television, which is a form of entertainment. The audience of the archers, however, have got home from work and can listen to the short 12-minute episode as an alternative to watching TV. By the programme being repeated the next day it means that it is available to be heard by a different audience giving it more listenership, also allowing those who have missed the episode to catch up. Every episode is also available on BBC iPlayer for 30 days after they have aired meaning that if you are unable to listen due to a holiday or you just miss one episode, they are available for you to listen to. This is important for this genre of radio show as it means that you build a stronger connection with the characters and plot lines.
As The Archers is a BBC Radio 4 programme there are lots of different platforms which the show can be advertised on. The BBC is a large conglomerate which can use their different channels in order to advertise, these include the BBC website, television and other radio programmes. On their radio shows there are adverts for the different stations that could be tuned into, this means that people are diverted to listening to a variety of their content. Advertisements are not played during The Archers as they are 12 minute episodes but are heard before and after each episode. “Bunk Bed” is a radio comedy on Radio 4 which is aired at 11pm, this is something that you may hear after The Archers episode has finished. By advertising on the different platforms that the BBC own it means that they save money on advertising. As the BBC is a public service broadcaster, it means that they don’t broadcast commercial adverts. They instead are funded by public money which the government allows as long as they use their platform to educate, inform and entertain. This means that the income received by BBC Radio 4 is public money.
Content within The Archers is key due to it being a radio drama. Each episode is scripted out and includes many codes and conventions. There is a theme tune which plays to at the beginning and end of each episode, this makes the radio drama recognisable meaning that when people hear it they know that it is The Archers coming onto the radio. Radio dramas share many of the same conventions as television programmes, especially TV dramas. Dramatisation is prominent in television as well as radio soap operas, especially within The Archers. This is because the programme is based on farm and village life in “Ambridge” a dreary topic which is made very interesting by the use of dramatisation. The script is written and voice actors are used in order to create content which engages the audience
When creating a radio show, staff and resources are important but this is especially prominent when the genre of the programme is a radio drama. Unlike a normal radio show, dramas do not have a presenter but instead voice actors. There job is to make the characters within the script come alive making the audience engage and connect with each character. There is a large cast of voice actors in The Archers due to the range of different characters, the likes of characters are Jill Archer who is played by Patrica Green and Brian Aldridge paused by Charles Collingwood. Directors are there to look over the work that the voice actors are doing, to make sure that they are on task and working to the highest standard. They also look over the editor, whose job is to piece together the radio drama to make it flow, also adding in sound effects, some of which are created by a foley artist. Foley artists are there to create sounds which are needed to strengthen the narrative that the show follows. There is also a team of script writers which come up with the plot, within The Archers the script writers make sure to include events which are happening in the present within the world of Thew Archers. The person who looks over the whole production of the show is the producer, they make sure that the whole thing runs smoothly.
The audience of The Archers is aimed at 40 to 60 year old aimed at a mixed gender but more so women then men. It is expected that an ABC1 audience listen to the programme due to it being aimed more at educated professionals, with this being the target audience for Radio 4 as well. The audience is mainly aimed at white British people with there not being characters of different nationalities within the radio drama. You can tell the target audience of the show due to the characters within it as the audience will relate to many of them.
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