Radio

Radio Audience

LNWH Facts:

• Based off Woman’s Hour, first broadcast 1946
• LNWH first broadcast in 2015
• PBS broadcasting - public service broadcasting
• BBC radio 4, then podcasted on BBC sounds 
• BBC is not reliant on advertising but is funded through licence fee
• Used to air weekly on Thursday and Friday at 11pm
• (now its frequency is sporadic)
• Used to be hosted by Lauren Lavergne 
• Now hosted by Emma Barnet
• A magazine show that covers many different topics
• BBC radio 4 targets a middle aged middle class audience 
• LNWH target a slightly younger audience and has a more explicit mode of address suitable for a later time slot 
• Formal mode of address

How can audiences interpret Late Night Woman's hour in different ways (8)

Audiences can interpret LNWH in a variety of different ways. Although it targets a niche and straightforward target audience.

Plan:

Escapism

Reception Theory

Preferred, Oppositional, negotiated

Van Zoonen - feminism

Mode of Address

Henry Jenkins

Small, Niche audience

Older audience

Cultivation theory

Stereotypes

Position

Middle class

'A vagina is a self cleaning oven' - potentially objectifying

Pick and mix theory

End of audience

Podcasting

Broadcasting

Podcasting on BBC Sounds

Definition:

Audiences can have many different interpretations of the same media product based on their background involving age, social class, gender, etc. I shall argue that audiences can interpret Late Night Woman’s Hour (LNWH) in a variety of different ways, although this programme tends to encourage both overwhelmingly positive and negative responses. LNTH is a spinoff of Woman’s Hour and designed to a appeal to a slightly younger middle class female demographic.

Paragraph - Point, evidence, argument.

Some audiences may take an oppositional reading of the show, and may take displeasure at the use of middle class female stereotypes. One of the presenters discusses her mug collection…

Preferred reading = to find the mode of address relatable, and to take pleasure in the discussion

of stereotypically middle class topics. Clearly it is middle aged middle class women that this predominantly appeals to 

The relatable mode of address also provides audiences with the gratification of escapism

While the content encourages a passive listening experience, it also encourages and cultivates a parasocial relationship that ensures that audiences listen week after week 

The vast majority of audience responses are negotiated, where they agree with some ideological aspects, yet reject others. Potentially some audience members may find the discussion of vaginas as being distasteful, yet may take pleasure in the middle of the road discussion of pockets being added to dresses

This approach to media production is pluralistic, as it appeals to many niche audiences rather than a single mass market audience ,which is indicative of the principal ideology of the BBC as a PBS.

A stereotypically constative ,male audience may take an oppositional response to the discussion of frank  sexual matters, as it does not conform to traditional hegemonic gender stereotypes. However the niche nature of the show, combined with it’s late night scheduling and it’s specifics subject ,matter means that the show is very unlikely to be subject to complaints and criticisms

Bonus Radio Question Industry:

How have technological changes affected production and distribution in the radio industry? Make reference to LNWH to support your point (8)

Digitally convergent technologies have allowed digital streaming services such as BBC sounds to exist

Streaming podcasted versions of radio has many adtages over live radio broadcasts, as audiences can pause, cue, download and schedule podcasts with ease

The BBC sounds webportal is conveniently and attractively categorised by genre, which allows listeners of LNWH to find this show quickly and easily. Livingstone and Lunt argue that the regulation of media industries has become largely ineffective due to digitally convergent technologies.  With less stringent regulation, the BBC are able to distribute their content to a wider audience with no restrictions or little risk of recourse. The BBC is broadly self regulated, and benefits from a lax system of regulation

Curran and seaton argue that the media industries are dicted by power and profit. BBC sounds allows the BBC to target multiple audiences through it’s diverse and pluralistic approach to content creation, which ultimately means that more more potential audiences are likely to subscribe to the TV licence.

As technology has changed over time, traditional broadcast radio ahas narraowed in terms of it’s audience and predominantly targets an older audience. However BBC Sounds allows the BBC to target a younger audience through it’s relatability and accsivilty.