Showing posts with label radio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label radio. Show all posts

Monday, 16 September 2019

NEA 2020 RADIO brief

be Slothful...
See this post for useful examples/analysis to help inspire your ideas. I added a video/points on hiphop DJ Charlie Sloth on 29th Sept 2019 which I think you will find useful!


exam board detail on what audio ISN'T allowed
I asked the exam board to clarify some of the rules for your radio coursework which were ambiguous/unclear from the written instructions. ... this is the full reply: 
In response to question 1, the audio used must be original which means that clips from online videos or games cannot be used. Sound effects from sound libraries (question 2) with programmes may be used, providing they are really short, only 1-2 seconds at most. 
For question 3, as long as there are at least 2 minutes and 30 seconds of speech (if this were measured as a continuous sound source), any amount of other sounds can be used, including as music beds or sound effects under the speech. The gaps between the speech sections, whether these be for music, jingles or whatever, should not total more than 30 seconds.The key focus of the audio should be to convey representation through the voices, through tone, language, volume and pace.

here's the brief:



And further guidance on what to be thinking about:


breakdown of what to hand in for coursework:


here's a detailed breakdown of the marking criteria


...

Saturday, 16 March 2019

RADIO TRAILS plugging your show

A common feature of shows, including the 1967 R1 launch show with Tony Blackburn, is trails for other, upcoming shows. Radio stations are always hoping fans of 1 show/DJ might be persuaded to tune in for more, boosting ratings.

Like everything else, there are some recognisable conventions:

  • state the name of the show and presenter/s
  • usually incorporates the station name and frequency (eg 96.1 FM) or other means of access (eg listen now on the iPlayer; or catch up now on radio1.com)
  • crucially, features short snippets of multiple bits of 1 or more shows - which means multiple voices (co-presenter/s; callers; interviews/studio guests) [some similarities to a film trailer - it uses clips from throughout the film]
    • obviously you'll hear the DJ's voice too with these!
  • use of music, and some wild tracks
  • a clear sense of style and content/topics (music/wild tracks will reflect the brand)
  • brisk pace; trails are rarely over 60secs
Here are some examples + useful guides:

Multiple examples of trails from a call-in talk show:


Radio 1 trails

Wednesday, 6 March 2019

RADIO jingle hells, essential branding

THE MEDIA LANGUAGE OF RADIO

A FAST WORD ON DJ SLOTH
I'm going to add this to the post, but please note: there is 1 bit of swearing just after 11mins, and more in the last few mins; some of the comments on vaping should be considered in the light of new evidence (the video is from 2017) that e-cigs/vaping are causing deaths through cancer. He moved recently from Radio 1xtra to Beats Radio.

WHY post this then?!?
  • multiple examples of catchphrases/jingle slogans
  • an illustration of the ongoing fame/celebrity status of music radio DJs
  • ...so for any coursework you consider claiming a zeitgeisty, youth-friendly online celebrity like Sean Evans of Hot Ones as a guest (speaking about whatever topic you've been set)
  • the DJ, Radio 1xtra's hiphop/grime king Charlie Sloth (so, kind of comparable to Beats Radio's Julie Adenuga - he moved to Beats in 2019!) is a stereotype: fat and jolly (he describes himself as morbidly obese) BUT directly urges viewers/listeners to embrace their body shape, celebrate it (as he does through his Insta vids and pics), so is arguably a countertype of the slim hipster? Simply using the word 'big' in a presenter's name brings up an area of representation, whether counter/stereotyped (or a bit of both)
  • his accent and use of street slang likewise raise useful representation issues: stereotypically working-class, though also more commonly associated with BAME youth (this was central to the joke/satire of Ali G)
  • at the very end when he gives his pitch, note how many platforms or modes of distribution he mentions - and that he explicitly states his show is accessible online to people outside of the UK




And here you can get a great example of the use of wild tracks, and branding a specific regular segment (NB: some limited strong language once the rapping begins), the autoplay vid on his channel when I looked it up (29.9.19):


DRAFT JINGLES

IN THIS POST:
  • Satires (Smashie & Nicey; Alan Partridge; Frasier)
  • Jingles: examples (Downtown Radio; 'legendary' comp; 80s Radio 1; Tommy Vance incl new UGC/fan-made; Partridge)
  • jingles: conventions
  • Intros + TV on the radio: learn techniques from Fluff + Vance
  • Your suggestions

SMASHING STUFF - NOT 'ALF MUSIC LOVERS
As I note further down, this satire was based on actual DJs and their often bizarre patter, the self-aware, highly ironic Alan 'Fluff' Freeman being a key example...

See more Smashie and Nicey here.

Here's another legendary satire, Alan Partridge.

Sunday, 3 March 2019

RADIO1 Breakfast Show

NOV 2020 OFCOM SAYS YOUNG IGNORE BBC IPLAYER
Lot of detail here, but that 1967  launch as BBC were failing to serve the youth audience; the disgrace of binning BBC3 on to online only (didn't help Class!!?); ... has ANYTHING really changed???

OfCom renewed their assault on the BBC's failure to properly serve the youth audience, noting a shocking 22% drop in the 16-34 audience in just 3 years. Guardian.

Thee BBC just can't win, with a right-wing press and government both keen to see it either privatised or so weakened (eg the government decriminalised licence fee non-payment which is now soaring) that scrapping the license fee seems inevitable. OfCom had attacked the BBC for failing to serve the youth audience ... Now it's investigating the Beeb for ... serving the youth audience!!!
The Sounds app brings together all BBC radio, and has proven a success, with a new Radio 1 Dance channel being launched through the app to further boost their youth appeal. But now commercial (ad-funded or subsidised like Times Radio and Beats/Apple Music 1 by conglomerates) companies are complaining that the BBC is taking their audience! Read more here.

The station increased its audience by more than 100,000 a week to 8.9 million at the end of March. The BBC says Radio 1 still remains relevant to a youth audience in the digital age, with 24 being the most common age of a listener. It pointed out that its YouTube and Vevo channels attracted more than 2 million views a day.----Zoe Ball's BBC Radio 2 show loses a million listeners




Toast and jams: the Radio 1 breakfast​ ​show through the ages https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/may/31/radio-1-breakfast-show-nick-grimshaw-bbc?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Blogger




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Boat That Rocked Wiki.

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Listen to the full 1967 launch show on Mixcloud. On BBC.
Rip from Mixcloud.

BBC radio history: 1967 launch. More.
BBC Radio 1 history.
BBC values.
BBC Reith.
BBC the pirate stations.

Dazed - history of pirate radio and why its still here.
Radio Luxembourg Wiki.
Fantazia - timeline of UK pirate scene [contains swearing]
UK pirate radio Wiki.

Radio 1 breakfast show Wiki.
Guardian history of the R1 breakfast show.

Needle time Wiki.

OfCom
- 2006 OfCom warn BBC over Chris Moyles swearing
- 2008 BBC radio fined record 400k for fake comps
2016 R1 apologises for Lady Gaga swearing ... and 5pm play of Flume song with swearing
- 2018 OfCom slam BBC's poor service for youth

Here's a very detailed Ppt which gives an overview of R1 from its history to the present day, focussing on the breakfast show...




Sunday, 9 December 2018

RADIO INDUSTRY

IN THIS POST...
Lots of general links/docs/resources to broaden your knowledge and understanding AFTER some contemporary news updates, especially around the regulation of radio and disruption of online, converged devices...

JAN 2023: BAUER BECOMING RADIO FORCE
Guardian. Local radio is in flux with both commercial chains & the BBC cutting local output. Bauer have bought many local stations and then rebranded them with a national station like GHR, Greatest Hits Radio. They also own Magic and Absolute Radio, which has multiple niche brands itself. The article also compares the audience demographics of BBC R2 and GHR.

SEPT 2022: INDIE RADIO CRASHING UNDER WEIGHT OF ENERGY BILLS
Guardian. Ara would be the Luxembourg equivalent of the UK Indies. This article features a range of stations I hadn't heard of myself. The comments are interesting too - like some others I wonder if they can make subscription work like so many podcasters have.

OCT 2021: BBC WARNS ALEXA etc KILLING RADIO, DEMAND AD BAN
Guardian. The Beeb together with its commercial rivals has asked for a law to ban smart devices/assistants like Echo, Alexa, Siri from inserting ads into radio broadcasts. They don't currently do this ... but the strong suspicion is they will (just think of how YouTube works).
'The BBC is particularly concerned by research suggesting that when BBC material is consumed through a smart speaker or other third party device, audiences are substantially less likely to mentally associate it with the BBC. This has potentially enormous implications for the future of the licence fee and convincing audiences to pay for the BBC in the future.'
A campaign to legally guarantee that new media carry radio "free to air" parallels that to ensure the traditional PSBs get prominence on EPGs (see Guardian).
FM is set to continue until 2030 (originally to be switched off in 2015!) with many rural areas reliant on it. The government report misses the point here that the DAB signal is also patchy in urban areas too - I was able to pick up ONE station in my Yorkshire home a few years back, but the full range on FM. However, AM/MW (especially important for speech radio like R5 and Talk Radio) faces switch off in a few years.

'The British radio industry is facing a demographic timebomb. In the new report, it has renewed calls to scrap regulations that limit the ability to rebrand stations and change formats, as well as asking for continued government financial support for the Audio Content Fund to produce material for under-served audiences.

Though overall radio listenership remains high, it is much lower among younger listeners and people from ethnic minority backgrounds, many of whom feel they are not represented by existing stations and are instead switching to podcasts and streaming music services.'






RAJAR infographics (pdf); UK's most popular radio stations (YouGov); Wiki: UK radio stations; history of radio (techwholesale); BBC bitesize radio history/industry; Wiki: timeline of UK independent radio; history/development of UK radio (media.info)

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/apr/21/ronan-orahilly-pirate-radio-godfather-made-a-sea-change-in-british-pop




https://www.loudersound.com/features/why-doesnt-your-band-get-played-on-the-radio-heres-the-ugly-truth

BBC Bitesize summary is a really good overview, using multiple useful terms, in an easy-to-digest format as the name suggests!

Lengthy overview of radio 1



General overview



Case studies on how radio/social media work in synergy