AS Media Studies G322 Institutions and Audiences: Radio

Lesson

Content

Introduction
Audience
survey

Time

Learning and assessment opportunities

Resources

Teacher to introduce this aspect of the unit, which is about contemporary media PowerPoint
institutions, as well as the nature of audience consumption and the relationships Whiteboard
between audiences and institutions; and outline the requirements of the unit as set
out in the specifications:
Candidates should be prepared to understand and discuss the processes of
production, distribution, marketing and exchange as they relate to contemporary
media institutions, as well as the nature of audience consumption and the
relationships between audiences and institutions. In addition, candidates should
be familiar with:
the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice;
the importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production,
distribution and marketing;
the technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of
production, distribution, marketing and exchange;
the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and
audiences;
the importance of technological convergence for institutions and
audiences;
the issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences
(specifically, British) by international or global institutions;
the ways in which the candidates own experiences of media consumption
illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour.
We will be focusing on the industry of radio. Teacher to reinforce that we will be
focusing on specific case studies which must be referred to throughout their
answer in the exam. The specifics we will cover as outlined in the specifications
are:
A study of a particular station or media group within the contemporary radio
industry that targets a British audience, examining its various production,
distribution and exhibition practices, as well as audience consumption. This should
be accompanied by study of the impact of DAB and internet broadcasting on radio
production practices, marketing and (British) audience consumption.
(taken from specification)

The case study we will be undertaking is BBC Radio and specifically Radio 5 Live
but we will also be looking at commercial radio stations for comparison and a
community radio station.
Teacher to explain that as well as the case study students will need to refer to
audience research which will be conducted as a survey of radio listening habits.
Working individually, students to make a list of their radio listening habits, listing:
What the stations and programmes they listen to
When they listen
Where they are when theyre listening
Why they listen
What they listen to the radio on
How many radios they have in their home
How many DAB radios they have
Teacher to co-ordinate feedback writing results on the board which students write
down, so every student has a complete survey of the radio listening habits of the
class.
Teacher to co-ordinate class discussion about the results of the survey.
Teacher to take the class through types of media consumption: primary,
secondary and tertiary and apply to radio.
2

Radio as a
medium

Working in groups, students to discuss and make notes on what advantages the Whiteboard
medium of radio has over television. Teacher to co-ordinate class feedback using PC
the whiteboard and students make notes.
Teacher to outline Uses and Gratifications theory, using radio as examples to
illustrate the theory.
Teacher to play 15 minute episode of a radio drama and while listening students
should write down what pictures it creates in their minds, such as how the
characters look and dress and what the locations look like being as detailed as
possible.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0507lh4#auto

After the episode has played teacher to co-ordinate feedback and to explain how
this exercise illustrates the concept of radio being theatre of the mind; and define
the concept.
HOMEWORK
Teacher should give out the handout on War Of The Worlds and the BBC.
Students should listen to the production for homework. Teacher to stress the
quote from Dorothy Thompson is important as it perfectly illustrates the power of
theatre of the mind. Students could use part of this as a quote in the exam.
They should then research the history of the BBC, with the main focus being
developments in radio, using the timeline on the BBC website
They should make notes of key events in the history of radio and the BBC
www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/zxqc4wx

Public Service
Broadcasting

Teacher to take class through the concept of Public Service Broadcasting:

Definition and principles
Reithian philosophy
Funding via licence fee
Give students the handout on Public Service Broadcasting
Using the internet students should research the structure and output of BBC radio:
National radio stations, their output and audiences
Local radio network
How can BBC radio stations be accessed by audiences?
Teacher to co-ordinate feedback so students have a complete picture of the BBC
radio network and how output can be accessed by audiences.

Convergence
DAB
Narrowcasting
and audience
fragmentation

Students to be given a copy of the convergence handout.

They should work in small groups and brainstorm all the different things which we
can now do on a PC.
Teacher to co-ordinate feedback which is written up on the board and students add
to their sheets in a spidergram format. Teacher to then give students a definition
of convergence which they write in the space on the handout (notes are on

teacher copy of the handout) and to emphasise how important convergence is as

a concept in terms of new media technologies.
Whiteboard
In small groups students should discuss the implications of this convergence for Handouts on PSB
media industries and audiences. Teacher to co-ordinate feedback writing points PCs
on the board which students write down. (One key point is how it has given the
audience access to the means of production and a potential audience for their
own media products.)
Teacher to give out handout on DAB and ensure students understand the
principles of the technology.
Teacher to use the digital radio to illustrate the range of stations available to
audiences.
Using the internet, students research examples of DAB stations, their target
audiences and output.
Teacher to co-ordinate class feedback of examples of DAB stations and to pose
the question: what are the implications of DAB for radio broadcasters and
audiences?
Convergence handout
DAB handout
Students consider the question in small groups, making notes.
Digital radio
Teacher to co-ordinate feedback and discussion writing key points on the PCs
whiteboard.
Handouts: DAB Radio, Media
Institutions and Audiences
Teacher to explain the terms NARROWCASTING and AUDIENCE
FRAGMENTATION, applying them to radio and students make notes.
Teacher to give students log in details so that they can access the online textbook.

http://my.dynamic-learning.co.uk/Default.aspx?cid=15297
username: ocrmedas
password: student
Homework: Students should make sure they have read the section on Institutions
and Audiences (pages 121 136) and the section on radio ( pages 184 190) by
lesson 6.
5

Internet radio

Teacher to introduce the purpose of the lesson, which is for students to realise

how much radio there is out there, both from media institutions who take
advantage of convergence to broadcast over the internet as well as internet only
radio stations, often set up by individual enthusiasts who are passionate about one
genre of music.
Students should log on to the internet and examine the following websites,
listening to some of the radio stations.
The first website lists radio stations by country, most of which are professional
media institutions.
The other two host internet-only radio stations. On the internet-radio website they
can see how many people are listening to a station at the time.
http://www.live-radio.net/info.shtml#null
www.internet-radio.com
http://www.live365.com/index.live
Students should make notes on:
What country is the station broadcast from?
Details of the radio station when it broadcasts, who owns it etc
What content is broadcast?
How they can create their own radio station/programme on Live365
Teacher to co-ordinate class feedback, and students make notes, on the range of
radio stations which are available on the internet and the implications of this for
media institutions and audiences; as well as how easy it is for anyone to create
their own radio station/programme.
6

Case Study
5 Live

Students should look at the Radio 5 Live website and make notes on:
What content is available to audiences through the website?
What types of programme are broadcast on the station?
How can audiences access the station?
How can audiences get involved with the station?

Whiteboard
PCs and internet

 What is the stations sister channel, what does it broadcast and how is it
accessed by audiences?
How are the presenters representative of UK society?
Students should then look at the Case Study panel on page 187 of the online
textbook and make detailed notes to answer the three questions posed at the end
of the case study.
Teacher to co-ordinate class feedback and discussion using the whiteboard and
students make detailed notes.
Key points to draw out are:

Audience interactivity and how this is a crucial aspect of the stations output.
(the stations slogan used to be Now Were Talking)

Commercial
radio

How the station takes advantage of convergence e.g. televising the broadcasts on
the internet
The shift of radio from a push to a pull medium (same is true of television today)

Teacher to introduce the topic which is to look at two case studies of independent
commercial radio stations.

Whiteboard
Students should research Real Radio and Radio City looking at the two stations PCs and internet
Handout on Media Institutions and
websites:
Audiences (given out in lesson 4)
www.realradio.co.uk
http://www.wirefm.com/
They should make notes in answer to the following questions for each station:
Who is its audience?
What types of programme are broadcast?
How can audiences access the station?
How can audiences get involved with the station?
What content is available through the website?
Who owns the station and what else do they own?
They should then make notes in answer to the question: what are the similarities
and differences between these stations and Radio 5Live?
8

Community
Radio

Teacher to co-ordinate class feedback. Key issues to draw out are cross-media
ownership and synergy

Students should look at the website for our local community radio station
http://radiowarrington.co.uk/

Consolidation
of learning

They will also need to use the internet to research answers to the following PCs
questions:
What is a community radio station?
How is a community radio station different to commercial and public
service radio stations?
Who is the audience of Radio Warrington?
What types of programme are broadcast on Radio Warrington?
How can audiences access the station?
How can audiences get involved with the station?
What content is available through the website?
Who owns the station?
Teacher to co-ordinate feedback and discussion and students make notes.
Teacher to explain that we have covered everything related to the topic for the
exam. Students now need to understand how everything we have covered relates
to the key areas set out in the exam board specifications.
Teacher to co-ordinate class discussion about each of the key areas below writing
notes on the board and students make notes:
1. the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice;
2. the importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production,
PCs
distribution and marketing;
3. the technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of Whiteboard
production, distribution, marketing and exchange;
4. the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and
audiences;
5. the importance of technological convergence for institutions and
audiences;
6. the issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences
(specifically, British) by international or global institutions;
7. the ways in which the candidates own experiences of media consumption
illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour.
8. the impact of DAB and internet broadcasting on radio production practices,
marketing and (British) audience consumption
NOTE: Point 6 is the only one we havent covered directly. This is because it isnt really
relevant because the content of broadcasting is governed by national and local

10

Exam practice

needs/interests. However we could mention that UK radio is influenced somewhat by

Hollywood and TV in the respect of interviews and features.

Whiteboard

In groups, using their notes from previous lessons, students draw up an essay
plan in response to the following question:
How has your case study institution responded to the pace of change for
radio?
Teacher to co-ordinate class feedback and discussion writing up detailed exemplar
essay plan on the board and students note down.
11

Exam
Practice

Homework: Students to write the essay in 45 mins.

Teacher to give out sample exam paper and students to write their response to the
question on Media Institutions and Audiences under timed conditions (45mins)

Sample exam papers