LO1: Business Report

Comparison of Audio Media Products

Introduction

For my research into each different audio media product, I found examples for each of the following; a podcast, music talk show, audio book, a jingle and a radio drama. The five examples I found and listened to include ‘Toby Foster at Breakfast’, ‘Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds’, ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ and the Hallam FM jingle. For each of these, I listened to them and carried out an individual analysis identifying and stating the purpose, form and style, content, meaning, genre, target audience, frequency and production processes for each audio media product. I then analysed a further two audio media products relating to the product I would like to produce at the end of this unit. These further two analysis were ‘The Modcast’ and the ‘Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show’. I chose these because I would like to produce my own original podcast at the end of this unit, and both of these audio media products are available to consume in the format of podcasts.

Purpose

For my research, I identified the purpose of each audio media product. To begin with, ‘Toby Foster at Breakfast’ has a purpose of entertaining the audience as the podcast consists of an informal structure, a conversational style with a well-known presenter, Toby Foster, who is funny and who local people can relate to. The purpose of this audio media product could be debated however, as Toby regularly provides listeners with a light-hearted rundown of local and national news events which could class this podcast as informative, as well as entertaining.

Similarly, ‘Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds’ is locally broadcasted and has a purpose of entertaining the audience, but in contrast to ‘Toby Foster at Breakfast’; this audio media product is a music talk show instead of a podcast. I know this is the purpose of this product as its presenter, Fat Piggy MC, is local and informal and plays music throughout the show to entertain the audience. His music playlists consist of mainly ska and scooter sounds, as this is appropriate for the show’s audience. Likewise to Toby Foster’s podcast, Fat Piggy MC regularly updates listeners with news on local events; scooter meet-ups, ride outs and upcoming gigs the audience might be interested in. This means that the show also has a purpose to inform. Comparably, the third audio media product I analyzed, a Hallam FM jingle, shares this same purpose. I know the purpose of this product is to inform because it is used regularly throughout each Hallam FM broadcast, reinforcing the name of the station the listeners are tuning in to and to remind the listeners who have only just tuned in as to what station they are listening to.

Alternatively, the second audio media product I analyzed was the audio book ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ which’s sole purpose is to entertain the audience. I know this because as an audio book, it is recording of a narrator, Stephen Fry in this case, reading a book to the listener. It is a product that merely requires the audience to put the CD in and listen to it, so as it isn’t informative it isn’t very taxing for the listener. Almost in a parallel sense to the audio book, the radio drama I analyzed also has a sole purpose to entertain the audience. The audio book I analyzed was ‘The Archers’ and I know it is for this purpose because it is an informal fictional soap opera and features numerous different actors and plotlines to keep the broadcast fresh and exciting.

Form & Style

During my research I also discovered the form and style of each audio media product I analyzed. All of the products have contrasting formats however I have been able to draw some similarities between them. Firstly, the audio product ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ is presented in the form of an audio book. I know this because it consists of a recording of Stephen Fry reading J.K Rowling’s novel of the same name. The style of this audio product is informal and the effect this creates is the narrator reading to the audience who is listening to them. The format of this audio book means that it has been pre-recorded.

Similarly, in the sense that it is pre-recorded before broadcast, is ‘The Archers’. This audio media product is presented in the format of a radio drama. I know this because it is broadcasted on the radio and exists as a soap opera. The style employed by this audio product is informal and conversational, as it depicts dialogue between characters within the narrative. On the other hand is ‘Toby Foster at Breakfast’ – a podcast recording of a live radio show. I know that this audio media product belongs to this format because it is available to listen to for a limited time on BBC iPlayer and can be paused and played at will.

Likewise, ‘Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds’ is originally recorded live. The form of this audio media product is a radio show. The presenter, Fat Piggy MC, is incredibly laid back on-air and adopts an informal tone and style when speaking to both guests and the listeners. Whereas, the ‘Hallam FM’ audio media product is in the form of a radio jingle and the style employed by this product is informal, friendly and a musical theme is adopted. This audio product will be regularly played on the radio station Hallam FM and its informal style is a common convention of an effective jingle as it invites the listener to carry on tuning in.

Content and Meaning

To begin with, on the podcast 'Toby Foster at Breakfast' the presenter Toby Foster delivers a range of informative and entertaining items including the news, discussions and opinions on topical subjects such as recent programs on television, news items and local events. Due to the fact that Toby Foster is local and has a regional Yorkshire accent this connotes familiarity and a friendly atmosphere. 'Toby Foster at Breakfast' is made available through BBC Radio Sheffield which is a commercial radio station, but as it is funded by the tax payer, there are no adverts in the content of the podcast. In contrast, in the audio book 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' the audio product delivers a narration of the Harry Potter book by J.K.Rowling 'The Goblet of Fire', read by Stephen Fry. Fry reads all thirty seven chapters of the book and the meaning of this is that Stephen Fry has a recognizable voice, therefore he is a suitable narrator for the target audience; children and teenagers.

Similarly, the content of the radio drama 'The Archers' is all about telling a story, but in this audio media product there are multiple actors contributing. This audio product features a radio soap opera, sometimes described as a 'contemporary drama in a rural setting'. The majority of the narrative follows the title family, the Archers, a middle class family who own and manage Brookfield Farm. Similarly to Toby Foster's podcast, 'The Archers' is broadcasted via a BBC radio station, BBC Radio 4, and therefore does not contain adverts in its content.

Alternatively the content of the Hallam FM jingle features a up-tempo pop tune with a woman singing the station's slogan "Your station, your music - Hallam FM". It delivers and denotes a catchy, sing song approach to a jingle, much like the music that Hallam FM plays. The connotations of this are that the station is friendly and plays pop music mainly featuring female artists and this means the jingle is appropriate for the station as it delivers a similar style to the music played. This audio media product belongs to the commercial radio station Hallam FM, and is played in conjunction with adverts, but as this product is a jingle there are no adverts in its content.

In contrast, the content of the radio music talk show 'Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds' is based around Fat Piggy MC talking about the latest scooter, mod and ska events in Sheffield and the surrounding area and scooter club meet up dates. The show also contains prerecorded informal interviews with influential people on the scenes such as Buster Bloodvessle of ska legends Bad Manners. Fat Piggy plays a lot of music and often does requests and sometimes does live mixes. The music Fat Piggy plays ranges from well-known classics to fresh new tunes from upcoming bands. The connotations of the content of this audio media product are that the show is very laid back and informal and exists for the entertainment of people who enjoy ska and scooter sounds. This radio music talk show is broadcasted via the community radio station Sheffield Live! which means it does contain adverts between each show but belongs to a non profit organization.

Genre

Another element I used to analyze and compare the different audio media products was the genres. Initially I looked at ‘Toby Foster at Breakfast’. This audio media product belongs to the genre of an entertaining chat show because the entire show is informal and the presenters create entertaining content by discussing interesting items and talking about their opinions. It is also entertaining because it engages the audience by asking them to call in or interact with the show via social media platforms. Similarly, ‘Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds’ could be described as having a similar genre to Toby Foster’s podcast as the presenter; Fat Piggy MC, spends a portion of the show chatting to the listeners and special guests. However, Fat Piggy MC also plays a lot of music on his radio show, so the genre of this product is music talk show, focusing on the ska and scooter subcultures.

In the same way, the ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ audio media product also belongs to the genre of it’s content, which in this case consists of a fantasy fiction story read by narrator Stephen Fry. As an audio book, the genre is the same as the original text because the same story is being told, simply through a different media. The Hallam FM audio media product belongs to the genre of pop because it features a chorus singing the radio station’s promotional slogan in an up-tempo pop style. This reflects the purpose of the show. Alternatively, the genre of the audio media product ‘The Archers’ is a radio soap opera drama. I know this because the content of the product is fictional and features dramatic storylines associated with family life.  

Target Audience

For this report I also looked into the varying demographics targeted by each audio media product I analyzed. I found that in the majority of cases, no similarities were identified by myself as the audio media products targeted a wide range of people. The audio book ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ has an audience generally consisting of children and teens, both genders, approximately aged between 10 – 15 years old. However, this specific format makes the book more accessible to younger children who feel more comfortable being read to by a narrator rather than reading the physical text themselves. Alternatively, the radio drama, ‘The Archers’, although aimed at both genders just like the audio book, is aimed at a much wider age range, from approximately 30 – 80 years old. This is because the show originally started over 60 years ago, has life long fans and reflects its audience in its characters, who are mainly middle-aged to elderly residents of Ambridge, the fictional village.

In contrast, the ‘Hallam FM’ jingle is aimed at young adults to middle-aged adults approximately between the ages of 20 – 45 years old of both genders (although slightly more women than men according to Hallam FM's RAJAR figures). This jingle reflects the product’s audience by using a young woman’s voice to promote the station by singing their slogan. Similarly, the podcast ‘Toby Foster at Breakfast’ has a target audience under the target demographic of males and females aged approximately 20 – 45 years old. Toby Foster at Breakfast is broadcasted at 7:00am until 9:00am in the morning so these people are probably tunes into the show on their way to work or when dropping children off at school. The RAJAR data of the demographic shows that they are probably around the C1 status. Alternatively, the target audience of the audio product 'Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds' are specifically fans of scooter and ska music. They are mainly, but not exclusively, male between the ages of 20 – 55 years old. This is because Fat Piggy MC plays what he describes as 'boys' and in contrast 'girls' music which he assigns to different songs, and older people are more likely to be aware of the subcultures and the music and therefore listen to this radio show.

Frequency

The frequency of each audio media product is significant as it indicates how often the product is available for consumption, how quickly the production team can turnaround each episode and how much demand there is for the product. Firstly, the radio drama 'The Archers' has a high frequency. This audio media product is broadcasted six times a week and runs for twelve minutes with an additional seventy-five minute omnibus. To date there have been 17,461 episodes of the show. The frequency of this audio product is significant because it is broadcasted almost daily and has an episodic structure. Each episode is long enough to contain a good chunk of storyline, whereas each episode is also short enough to leave the listener hanging on for more. The significance of this is that the product has found the perfect length and frequency in order to maintain an eager audience. 

Similarly to this radio drama, the podcast 'Toby Foster at Breakfast' also has a high frequency as it is available for consumption frequently in the form of a radio show every weekday (Monday to Friday) for two hours from 7am – 9am. The podcast format of this audio product is made available daily and are made available on the following platforms: iTunes, Yahoo and RSS. Alternatively, the audio book 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' has a very low frequency. This audio product is available as a one-off purchase. The individual chapters are collected together in one volume 'The Goblet of Fire'. The frequency is insignificant as the product is not updated or broadcasted regularly - it is simply a finished product that is available in one purchase and is to be played at the leisure of the listener.

On the other hand, the radio show, 'Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds' is broadcasted weekly every Monday from 3 pm until 5 pm. The frequency of the show is important because it delivers regular doses of music and updates. It gives Fat Piggy enough time to write new material, collect information about events and decide which bands to feature and songs to play on the show. In comparison, due to its format of a jingle, the 'Hallam FM' jingle has a high frequency. This audio product is used frequently during each radio show on Hallam FM. The frequency is significant because it is used to remind the listeners that Hallam FM is the station they are listening to. Being used often, the jingle can become catchy or irritating, depending on the listener.

Production Processes

There are three types of production processes when making an audio media product; pre production (planning the content), production (creating and recording the content) and post-production (editing the content ready for broadcast/release). There are a lot of things that need to be considered during these processes. Although none of these audio media products are broadcasted after 9pm, the audio book 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' and the podcast 'Toby Foster at Breakfast' can be accessed at any time, therefore the producers have to ensure no offensive material is broadcasted. Offensive material includes sexism, racism, homophobia and profanity. This content must be removed in order to comply with the industry regulator Ofcom's regulations. Ethically, the audio media product should avoid broadcasting slanderous material or will face legal proceedings.

The podcast ‘Toby Foster at Breakfast’ is produced by BBC Radio Sheffield and is recorded live in the building. Before broadcasting anything, the BBC must check the content for compliance with guidelines. The video is made available for consumption via the radio on the frequency 88.6 FM and the podcast is free. This podcast will have been planned for in the pre-production process and the script will have been produced by Toby Foster prior to recording. During the production process, the show is recorded live and is then made available as a podcast during the post-production process via BBC iPlayer.

Opposed to this is the audio book 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'. As this audio product was not broadcasted live, there was a lot of opportunity to plan and edit during the pre-production, production and post-production processes to perfect the product for release. However, this does not mean to say it could not be broadcasted on radio after completion; it would just be a very impractical product to record and broadcast live as there is a lot of opportunity for error. Similarly is the radio drama, 'The Archers', which is broadcasted on via the radio station BBC Radio 4. This audio product is not broadcasted live therefore it can be fine tuned during the pre-production, production and post production processes. It is made available for consumption at 7:00 pm every weekday on BBC Radio 4 and can be listened to at your leisure on BBC iPlayer Radio.

Whereas, there is the radio jingle for Hallam FM. This audio product has been produced during the pre-production and production processes. Due to the fact the product will be broadcasted frequently and isn't a live recording, it will have had the opportunity to be perfected during these processes before broadcast. This jingle will be played by using a cart wall.

Alternatively, there is the radio music talk show 'Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds'. A lot of pre-production will go into the making of this audio product as it is broadcasted live. Fat Piggy will have had to plan the structure of the show, pre-recorded interviews with guests, found information on gigs and decided which songs to play. The radio show is made available for consumption on the Sheffield Live radio on 93.2 FM.

All of these audio media products will have been reviewed during the pre-production processes and in production meetings in order to assess whether the content is appropriate before the watershed and complies with Ofcom regulations. The producers of the products would have to consider the use of sexism, racism, profanity, sexual content and anything that would be deemed offensive. Ethical considerations must be thought about, and these include avoiding defamation and slanderous material, as the use of these could leave the product vulnerable to facing legal proceedings. For commercial stations, the live interviews, script and budget and copyright permissions (such as music content) will be addressed during the production meetings. These things will also be discussed in production meetings for community radio stations, however they will be slightly different as these local companies are non-profit and are run by volunteers for a specific, niche audience. 

Technologies used during the production processes of these audio media products include computer programmes such as Cubase, playservers and cartwalls to create jingles and play music. All of the products I have analysed will use these programmes to create, assemble and broadcast their content.