Tuesday 27 February 2018

Making the radio 1 breakfast show

What are the different responsibilities of presenters and producers?Need to ensure they ask the best possible questions to the person they are interviewing to interest the audience, being entertaining. Producers need to make sure tasks or games suit the person. Guests need to be briefed, radio callers need to be spoken to so they knwo what todo. Everyone on the show needs to be told not to swear, mention certain brands etc.


What preperation goes into each programme?
The day before is usually when they decide the routine for the show, e.g. questions they'll ask the person being interviewed and timings. The timings are flexible so they are able to change what they speak about, meaning that they can speak about more recent interesting things if something new breaks. Due to the target audience and people who are being interviewed, they do not need to spend alot of time in creating long in depth questions, instead they need to ensure that the 10 questions they ask, are the best questions they can ask. Constant preperation through their Whatsapp group chat about up coming news. Every morning when the producers come in they need to check social media and news sites to check that they are going to cover everything that needs covering.


Whats most challenging and most enjoyable about working on the show?
Enjoyable- working together as a team, as a 'disfunctional family'. Also finding things that you find funny that could be spoken about on the radio. Being able to play new music, be informative creating a good show. Being able to chose who the people who come on so that they can interview them.
Challenging- meeting the stats and figures of listeners etc. Having difficult guests, e.g. boring with closed answers.


What are the team dynamics like?
The team have to work close together and communicate alot in order for everyone to create the best show for the millions of listeners. Working in a small studio working close together, so everyone has to know what eachother are like (likes and dislikes). Producers ask each other questions to learn new things and new ideas. New producers makes people want to learn new things, in order to make the show better. Music team so that the same music isn't repeated.


How can you break into radio?
Go to your local radio station to get used to how it all works, and to get used to the environment. Contacting people in the radio industry directly, asking for experience without caring about rejection. Taking part in student radio, to get used to it and it can also promote you so that you meet other people who are in the radio industry to give you chances and to allow you to get experience in a range of things. 

Radio 1 Breakfast show

Minecraft Essay

Minecraft was created by Markus Persson in 2009 and was developed by the Swedish production company ‘Mojang’. It was created in the summer of 2009, over only one weekend and to begin with only costed around £8 to download and play, it is now sold at around £25 due to its popularity. It was first published on a forum, and its first mode of advertisement was word of mouth, whereas now millions of pounds goes into the advertisement for the computer game. 

It began only selling 40 copies of the game on its first weekend of sales, whereas now it has sold around 125 million copies overall proving its success across the gaming industry and on its platform of game. It is a sandbox computer game, which means that it is a building and construction game. This means that the player is free to play it without specific things such as Wi-Fi or on a computer. Due to the games freedom, it gives the player chance to build and express themselves within the game, which is one of the reasons it is so popular with the younger generation. Since its release it has sold 125 million copies across the world, its success is down to the fact it has adapted and developed since its release as it started as a ‘blocky-looking game’ and is now used for gamers to create their own world out of blocks, independently or with other people and other activities in the game include exploration and combat to target a larger demographic.

Since the release of Minecraft in 2009, it has been a commercial success. It is estimated that 55 million people play Minecraft every month, and is therefore the second best-selling game ever made, coming after Tetris. The company is worth around £1.09 billion, as it was brought out by Mojang in 2014. There are many reasons as to why it has become such a commercial success, including its popularity; Minecraft is played all around the world, in around 8 different countries including the US, Norway and Australia. This means high volume sales, which could be due to its availability and easy accessibility. Continuing from this, another reason that Minecraft is so commercially successful is due to its spread onto different platforms. These include, Xbox, Windows 10, Windows phones, Nintendo Wii U, PlayStation and Android phones. This makes it more easily accessible for a wider audience meaning more people are able to play, therefore resulting in more sales and then higher revenue from sales. Finally, another reason that is credible for the commercial success, is the spin off games and merchandise created since the release of Minecraft. Spin off games include ‘Minecraft; story mode’ and ‘Minecraft; Education Edition’. Both of these games will appeal to a specific demographic, which will commercially benefit the business as they are targeting a wider audience, rather than just focusing on the original demographic targeted by the original Minecraft game. The merchandise that is created and sold across the world, will catch the eye of gamers, and also promotes and advertises the game when people wear the merchandise, which will increase profit which makes it commercially successful.

Overall I believe that Minecraft has been a critical success since its release as it has influenced popular culture, meaning that many clones of the game have been created by game developers, the most famous being ‘Terraria’ which since 2017 has had 20 million accounts created. I believe that is has critical success because it is an open-ended video game, which means the goals of the game are up to each individual player. You can play in creative mode and ‘build whatever you can dream of’ or you can play in survival mode and ‘gather materials from the environment to build shelter’. This shows that it is a critical success as players can do exactly what the mission statement for Minecraft was. In conclusion, Minecraft is a successful game commercially and critically, as its popularity has proven this, by high sales volumes and therefore high amounts of revenue for the company.

video game terminology

Minecraft timeline

17th may 2009 – First release of the game
21st may 2009 – Accounts can now be registered 
24th may 2009 - Official Minecraft forum is opened 
8th June 2009 -  Multiplayer released 
20th October 2009 – Beginning of survival test 
29th January 2010 – Introduction of crafting system. 
17th June 2010 – Minecraft passes 20,000 sales
22nd July 2010 – First over internet test of survival mode multiplayer
16th October 2010 – Mojang is founded
22nd December 2010 – Minecraft beta version is created
12th Jan 2011 – Minecraft reaches a million sales
1st July 2011 – Minecraft passes 10 million registered users 
16th August 2011 – Minecraft pocket edition released for Xperia play only
17th November 2011 – Pocket edition released on IOS
9th May 2012 – Released on Xbox 360
25th October 2013 – Java update 1.7.2 released ‘the update that changed the world.’
13th December 2013 – Minecraft for Java surpasses 13 million sales.
4th September 2014 – PlayStation 4 edition released.
5th September 2014 – Minecraft Xbox 1 edition released.
10th December 2014 – Pocket edition released for Windows phone
30th June 2015 – Minecraft for Java Surpasses 20 million sales.
13th October 2015 – Minecraft Story mode released.
17th December 2015 – Minecraft Wii U edition released 
2nd June 2016 – Minecraft sold over 100 million times over all platforms, makes 2nd bestselling game.
27th June 2016 – Minecraft announces release of Minecraft the movie for May 24th 2019
1st November 2016 – Minecraft education edition released
19th December 2016 – Minecraft pocket edition released on Amazon fire TV and Apple TV.
May 11th 2017 – Minecraft Nintendo Switch edition released 
13th September 2017 – Minecraft released on Nintendo 3DS
December 2017 – Minecraft hits 74 million active players and 144 million total 

Friday 23 February 2018

BBC 1 Radio facts



ACTS

-Radio remains resilient
- 90% adults tune in on a weekly basis
-Time spent listening to radio has increased since 2015
-UK adults spend majority of time spent listening to any audio is accounted for by live radio (71%)
- 16 to 24 year olds spend similar amounts of time with live radio (29%), personal digital audio (26%) and streaming services (25%)
-Overall commercial stations increased their revenue in 2015, with overall growth to 1.4% to £519 million, as national advertising offset overall declines in local advertising revenue
-In 2015, over 40% of all reported radio listening was via a digital device
-A second national DAB network of transmitters was switched on in March 2016, bringing 15 unique radio services to 75% of the UKs population

NEW TECHNOLOGY

-New technology has helped the radio industry evolve and increase in popularity
-A huge increase in the number of people downloading podcasts and streaming internet radio
-Studio webcams and social media have changed the audience relationship with radio by making listeners feel more connected to the presenters
-This type of media convergence is achieved through the use of blogs and forums on radio websites
-BBC u.s.p is introducing new brands
-Highest paid: breakfast show/ afternoon drive

PSB broadcasters have to achieve a mix of education, information and entertainment

Different remits for different channels
-The BBC has 100% PSB remit
-ITV has a smaller PSB remit
-Channel 4 has a large,but slightly different PSB remit (mostly tackled through its enforced aim of showing lots of niche programming
-Channel 5 has a tiny PSB remit (basically news) and all digital channels have no PSB remit

OFCOM is in charge of ensuring broadcasters keep to their PSB remit

RAJAR is how they regulate to the audience and market figures


Radio production and distribution




Chris Price is head of music for Radio 1 and 1Xtra, he's responsible for all the music across both stations, his main focus is on the playlist. After 7pm Radio 1 goes specialist and the music is picked by the DJs and show teams. The Radio 1 Playlist makes up the majority of the songs that are played before that in the daytime. Most radio stations have a set playlist, however Chris Price says Radio 1's is unique because it introduces brand new artists right alongside established pop acts.

When picking songs as part of the playlist the team will research and look into the YouTube views, Soundcloud hits, Shazam ratings, Twitter followers and Facebook likes to evaluate the popularity and success. They sometimes feel they need to play certain 'upcoming bands' music as they otherwise feel they are "pulling the carpet from under their feet". However Radio 1 has a lot of power when helping artists break through by giving them the exposure they need.



In order for Radio 1 to know what to play for 15-29 year olds: 
"We've got a panel of thousands of young people from the age of 12 to 29 in our overall research group, and we pay a research company to test 400 of them every week. We play them the hooks of 25 current songs, most of which we've played over 100 times,

 


From 6am-10am Nick Grimshaws breakfast show includes special guests which are current and up to date swell as the latest charts music and prizes to win. This is aimed at the younger demographic to keep them interested on their way to school or work. From 10am-12am is the 'live lounge' which includes


Artists that the station has been late to play, such as Drake has been " because their songs are not suitable for daytime radio play", although for the younger demographic this he is one of the biggest trends. In the late 2000s the 'BBC Trust' criticised the station for having too old an audience and said it must focus on getting the average age down to under 30. The Trust promised to monitor Radio 1's listening figures among the 15-29-year-old demographic over the coming years. But despite introducing younger presenters, the average age of a Radio 1 listener is still 32. "Today's 30- to 50-year-olds have lived through just about every genre of music that's ever existed, from the most hardcore metal to hip-hop to dance and house."




more urban 'rap' music which is shown to be played when younger children are in school grabbing a different audience. 12am-1pm is the newsbeat show aimed at an older audience which is usually around the time they are on lunch break at work. Throughout the day the schedule changes to suit the demographic listening at that moment based around their everyday lifestyle.




Monday 5 February 2018

Industry Key Words

BARB - The Broadcasters' Audience Research Board is the organisation that compiles audience measurement and television ratings in the United Kingdom. BARB is owned by BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, SkyB and the IPA and collects information from BARB panel members such as what they do for media consumption and provide this info to broadcasters and advertising companies.

WEBCASTING LICENSE - If you operate a service that streams sound recordings online, then you will need a Webcasting License. Webcasting involves two exclusive rights of copyright owners: the reproduction of the sound recording for the purpose of creating the webcast program and the communication of those sound recordings over the internet.

TECHNOLOGICAL CONVERGENCE – is when new technologies are created that take over from past technologies and perform the same tasks but in an advanced manner. For example people used to listen to music via radio now due to technological convergence people listen to music typically through their phones.

WEB 3.0 OR SEMANTIC WEB - The Semantic Web is an extension of the Web where data is given explicit meaning. This allows the data to be integrated, processed, shared, and filtered with much greater ease than before.

INTERNET OF THINGS - Is the network of physical devices, vehicles, home appliances and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity which enables these objects to connect and exchange data.

BINGE-VIEWING - Binge-watching or marathon-viewing, is the practice of watching television for a long time span, usually a single television show. For example watching six episodes from a series on Netflix typically without stopping.

DAB – otherwise known as digital audio broadcasting is audio broadcasting in which analog audio is converted into a digital signal and transmitted on an assigned channel. For example the breakfast show on BBC radio 1.

TRADITIONAL MEDIA – is any form of mass communication before digital media was introduced. These were things such like television, radio, newspapers, books, magazines etc.

GOOGLE ANALYTICS- Google Analytics is a freemium web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google launched the service in November 2005 after acquiring Urchin. Google Analytics is now the most widely used web analytics service on the Internet.

RAJAR - Radio Joint Audience Research and is the official body in charge of measuring radio audiences in the UK. It is jointly owned by the BBC and the Radio Centre on behalf of the commercial sector.



NRS - The National Readership Survey is a joint venture company in the UK between the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, the Newspaper Publishers Association and the Periodical Publishers Association.

MIDAS - Midas Media is a specialist PPC Advertising Agency. Key media partners you would find on Google, Bing etc
CULTURAL IMPERIALISM - Comprises the cultural aspects of imperialismImperialism refers to the unequal relationships between civilizations; favoring the more powerful civilization, e.g the western world. Said that non-Western cultures, particularly from the Third World, will lose their traditional values and lose their cultural identities when they are solely exposed to Western media.
DEMOCRATISATION OF THE MASS MEDIA - A media democracy focuses on using information technologies to empower individual people and promote democratic ideals through the spread of information. Specifically used through the 'Big Six' as they use their hierarchy to promote ideas through radio, TV, billboards.
EFFECTS OF PIRACY - The losses suffered as a result of software piracy affect the profitability of the software industry. Also, software publishers, developers and vendors are take actions to protect their revenue, using pirated software is also risky for users. Commonly occurs for films being published on illegal websites were users can watch the latest films for free resulting in companies losing out on profit.
HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION - The process of a company increasing production of goods/ services at the same part of the supply chain. When Disney were looking to to grow its market share, strengthen its product line, reduce its competition and access new markets therefore Disney acquired Pixar Studios.
VERTICAL INTEGRATION - The combination in one firm of two or more stages of production normally operated by separate firms. Apple buys Star Wars mothon-capture company Faceshift
DIVERSIFICATION -The process of a company enlarging or varying its range of products or field of operation.Companies can produce a new film with the new film being the core product but in addition to this the company can produce merchandise etc to go along side tomato extra revenue.
ALTERNATIVE MEDIA AND INDEPENDENT MEDIA -Alternative media are media that differ from established types of media in terms of their content, production, or distribution, they take many forms including print, audio, video, Internet etc. Independent media refers to any form of media such as radio, television, newspapers or the Internet, that is free of influence by government or corporate interests. An independent form of media would include Buzzfeed and an alternative form of media would be the publication of controversial stories in newspapers.
CONGLOMERATE - A company that owns numerous companies involved in mass media enterprises, such as television, radio, publishing, motion pictures, theme parks, or the Internet. Includes 20th Century Fox, Disney, Time Warner etc
GRA - W.R. Grace and Company is an American chemical conglomerate, Grace is divided into three business segments; Grace Catalysts Technologies, Grace Materials Technologies, and Grace Construction Products. Uses diversification to branch in all areas.
PEGI - Stands for Pan European Game Information. It is a European video game content rating system established to help European consumers make informed decisions on buying computer games. For example, PEGI officially rates Call of Duty suitable for people who are 18 or over.
MEDIA WATCH UK - Mediawatch-UK. Formerly known as the national Viewers’ and listeners’ association, is a pressure group in the UK. They campaign against the publication and broadcast of media content that is harmful and offensive.For example, Mediawatch-UK has responded to Home office consultation on the regulation of R18 videos.
IPSO - IPSO (Independent Press Standards Organisations) issues new information for the public on court reporting; reporting of deaths and inquests and how journalists can use information in media. For example, all magazines and newspapers will be reviewed if an issue arises that journalists or editors have not met the code of practice.
WATERSHED - In broadcasting, the watershed or safe harbour is one or more dayparts during which it is appropriate to broadcast programming aimed towards mature or adult audiences. For example, Durex adverts will only be televised after a certain time in the evening.
OFCOM - Ofcom is the communications regulator in the UK. They regulate the TV, radio, mobiles and postal services. They stop scams and sharp practices from occurring. Ofcom works closely with stakeholders, politicians and media companies. 
BBC CHARTER - The royal charter is the constitutional basis for the BBC. It sets out the public purposes of the BBC, guarantees its dependence and outlines the duties of the trust and the executive board.
SYNERGY - Synergy is the term used to describe a situation where different entities cooperate advantageously for a final outcome. For example, a film will not only exploit itself but also exploit the soundtrack and a linked videogame.
PSB - PSB stands for Public service broadcasting. It Is used for public benefit rather than to serve purely commercial interests. For example, all of BBC’s television and radio stations have a public service remit, including those that broadcast digitally.
 BROADCAST CODE - The Ofcom broadcasting code is the UK code of broadcast advertising which applies to all advertisements and programme sponsorship credits on radio and television services licenced by Ofcom. For example, teleshopping, self-promotional television channels and interactive tv ads also must keep to the code.
IWF - The internet watch foundation is a registered charity based I Cambridgeshire. It states to ‘minimise the availability of potential criminal internet content’. For example, internet content, specifically images of child sexual abuse is strictly patrolled.

Production and Distribution

What are the different responsibilities of presenters an producers?

presenters have to talk about what they are going to say and what activities or questions that they are going to be asking the guests as well as what questions to ask in terms of the interviewee, they also have to see what's songs to play at what times It might also be if we’ve got a guest coming in that they need to be briefed and so producers run through it again in the morning, and we’ll figure out where the gaps are so I can see what my job can be, where to fill, what do think about.

What preparation that goes into each programme

 Fiona nearly always is the person to do that so that’s run through what we’ve been talking through on that day’s show, It’s also simple editorial things like please don’t swear, please don’t mention these brands, please don’t talk about this thing etc. first few hours of the day will be looking through what’s happened and trying our best to reflect it really. The script itself, it’s not scripted in the sense of how you might read a book or something like that with every single sentence written out


what's most challenging an most enjoyable about Working on the show

 We brief guests and they know not to swear and things like that, if a guest were to suddenly go off and rant about something, or be offensive, in some way, then if it was in a very mild manner we might sort of gently remind them, remember that you’re on the radio and people are listening to this, but if it were to be severe then we would terminate the interview and that would be the end of it and so there might be awkward situations sometimes where a person is perhaps just a little too relaxed in that live environment and we’re broadcasting obviously to the whole nation and a lot of young people are listening.

What are the team dynamics

Initially you have to treat it like a job, and then the extra bits around that you go oh actually we all get on and there’s a natural chemistry and we all kind of fit. I’ve definitely worked on shows at Radio One before, where you think oh we don’t really get on or it’s not really working Its really important to trust each other, in the team, so quite often in live broadcast there is things which happen very quickly and sometimes unexpectedly, and so you need decisions to be made quickly

How can you break into radio

try and do it as much as you can and get as much experience, as Fiona said I think it takes a little while doing radio for it not to feel weird, not to be like oh I’m speaking in a room to nobody, so student radio is be best for gaining experience in terms of skills that was just exposing myself to how those radio stations worked. Also, picking up skills of communicating with people and how to sort of express yourself, and how to sort of be organised and all that kind of stuff.

Friday 2 February 2018

BBC radio stations

BBC Radio 1

The remit of Radio 1 is to entertain and engage a broad range of young listeners with a distinctive mix of contemporary music and speech.
 
BBC Radio 2
The remit of Radio 2 is to be a distinctive mixed music and speech service, targeted at a broad audience, appealing to all age groups over 35.

BBC Radio 3
The remit of Radio 3 is to offer a mix of music and cultural programming in order to engage and entertain its audience.

BBC Radio 4
The remit of Radio 4 is to be a mixed speech service, offering in-depth news and current affairs and a wide range of other speech output including drama, readings, comedy, factual and magazine programmes.
 
The remit of BBC Radio 5 live is to provide live news and sports coverage.

BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
The remit of BBC Radio 5 live sports extra is to bring a greater choice of live action to sports fans by offering a part-time extension of BBC Radio 5 live.
 
The remit of BBC 6 Music is to entertain lovers of popular music with a service that celebrates the alternative spirit in popular music from the 1960s to the present day



 

Shirky

Shirky
2008 Election – Some concern that there may be vote suppression. Video the vote, and document the voting purposes, with citizen observations. To ensure the sanctity of the vote.
 
Innovation can happen everywhere, and in media, moving from one spot. Largest increase of expressive capability. Only 4 periods in 500yrs where media can ‘revolutionise’.
 
The Internet is the media which has native supports for individuals AND groups. Media is natively good at supporting this. All media might move to the net, and every medium is available to everyone. Groups which see/hear can talk.
 
In a way, we can build our own news story. The media used to come from many different places and sources. Now, the Internet can do all of this! Every time a new consumer joins, a producer does too. Reporting as it happened. No choice these days. The media allowed for many different sites during China’s 2008 Earthquake. The great firewall of China, and they can filter the news.


Junle Book Essay

industry Key Word

Jungle Book interview


How are different social groups represented in the sequence you have analysed?

I have analysed the series Stranger Things and they represent different social groups throughout the show. One of the ma...