P1: Describe the different radio industry operations
and
P2: Describe the focus of a chosen radio station
and
P2: Describe the focus of a chosen radio station
Due to their similarities, I decided to merge P1 and P2 together into one.
Job Roles in the Radio Industry:
There are many jobs within the radio industry, some are more famous than others as they are the first that would come into mind, some are big, some are small, but they are all just as important as each other, as nothing could work properly if even one of these job roles was not there. Here are a few examples of them below:
Radio Producer:
When it comes to a radio producer, there are a lot of different types of roles a producer could have in production, and there are usually a few different producers on set, each with a different job. The Radio Producer is in charge of overseeing the making of a radio show. Content producers or executive producers oversee and orchestrate a radio show or feature. The content producer might organise music choices, guests and callers for a talk radio show, or competitions, timings, and overall show content
Radio Presenter:
A radio presenter is the introductory voice of the broadcast and also keeps the show flowing in order to entertain an audience. The role as a presenter can range from conducting an interviewing, introducing a radio show or soundtrack, reading news and sport, informing the listeners about the weather or creating and controlling the conversation.
Commercial Production Manager:
A commercial production manager is responsible for creating the advertisements and other promotional materials for a commercial radio station, this means they must have skills in radio production and must be able to think creatively as well as being able to manage finance well, to be able to pay for the adverts without going over the budget limits.
Radio Broadcast Assistant:
Broadcast assistants, known in the industry as BAs, work in a supportive role alongside radio presenters and producers. The job is varied with many different tasks, including operating studio equipment, manning the phones, interviewing guests and researching programmes
Radio Producer:
When it comes to a radio producer, there are a lot of different types of roles a producer could have in production, and there are usually a few different producers on set, each with a different job. The Radio Producer is in charge of overseeing the making of a radio show. Content producers or executive producers oversee and orchestrate a radio show or feature. The content producer might organise music choices, guests and callers for a talk radio show, or competitions, timings, and overall show content
Radio Presenter:
A radio presenter is the introductory voice of the broadcast and also keeps the show flowing in order to entertain an audience. The role as a presenter can range from conducting an interviewing, introducing a radio show or soundtrack, reading news and sport, informing the listeners about the weather or creating and controlling the conversation.
Commercial Production Manager:
A commercial production manager is responsible for creating the advertisements and other promotional materials for a commercial radio station, this means they must have skills in radio production and must be able to think creatively as well as being able to manage finance well, to be able to pay for the adverts without going over the budget limits.
Radio Broadcast Assistant:
Broadcast assistants, known in the industry as BAs, work in a supportive role alongside radio presenters and producers. The job is varied with many different tasks, including operating studio equipment, manning the phones, interviewing guests and researching programmes
Different Radio stations
Here I will be researching 2 different radio companies: a national and public service radio (BBC Radio 1), and a community radio (Cambridge 105).
BBC Radio 1
Tony Blackburn opened BBC Radio 1 on 30 September 1967 at 7.00 am, with Robin Scott, the Controller of BBC Radio 1 standing over him. The station set out with a blank sheet of paper to create a new style of radio, a ‘DJ style’, by that time heard only on the pirate radio stations, which had recently been forced to close. Blackburn played ‘Flowers in the Rain’ by The Move as the first track. |
BBC Radio 1 is a radio provider that specialises in music based content and is a radio company that supports new emerging talents. BBC Radio 1 is one of the most popular radio stations in the UK, being home to the UK's official chart, which is the top 40 singles (songs by solo artists) in the UK, and is updated regularly. BBC Radio 1 is a public service, as well as a national broadcaster, which means it broadcasts all over the UK as well as for public benefit rather than to serve purely commercial interests, this is the same for all BBC radio stations and TV channels, and they are funded by the Licence Fee (an annual fee, used to finance the BBC, which is payable by each household in which television programmes are watched.) Even though the radio stations do not charge or affect the licence fee, they are still funded by the TV licence fee.
The remit of BBC Radio 1 is to entertain and engage a broad range of young listeners with a distinctive mix of contemporary music and speech. Its target audience is 15-29 year olds and it should also provide some programming for younger teenagers. BBC Radio 1's broadcasting has currently reached and covered 54,752,000 of the population (adults 15+). There are quite a few presenters on BBC Radio 1, and they all have scheduled hours, some hosting for 3 hours in the morning, some hosting a news show called "Newsbeat" for 15 minutes at different points in the afternoon, and lots of other shows and music going on in this radio station. This means that they are all responsible for their own segment, each lasting their own amount of time without a specific transition between each presenter. With a range of shows, podcasts and music, there will always be something for a listener to engage with and enjoy, whether it is the Radio 1 breakfast with Greg James, The afternoon Newsbeats, or even Radio 1's Indie show with Jack Saunders. Most of the presenters on BBC Radio 1 are within the target audience age range, to appeal to the target audience more, by having confident presenters that people can relate to.
The remit of BBC Radio 1 is to entertain and engage a broad range of young listeners with a distinctive mix of contemporary music and speech. Its target audience is 15-29 year olds and it should also provide some programming for younger teenagers. BBC Radio 1's broadcasting has currently reached and covered 54,752,000 of the population (adults 15+). There are quite a few presenters on BBC Radio 1, and they all have scheduled hours, some hosting for 3 hours in the morning, some hosting a news show called "Newsbeat" for 15 minutes at different points in the afternoon, and lots of other shows and music going on in this radio station. This means that they are all responsible for their own segment, each lasting their own amount of time without a specific transition between each presenter. With a range of shows, podcasts and music, there will always be something for a listener to engage with and enjoy, whether it is the Radio 1 breakfast with Greg James, The afternoon Newsbeats, or even Radio 1's Indie show with Jack Saunders. Most of the presenters on BBC Radio 1 are within the target audience age range, to appeal to the target audience more, by having confident presenters that people can relate to.
The remit of BBC Radio 1 is to entertain and engage a broad range of young listeners with a distinctive mix of contemporary music and speech. Its target audience is 15-29 year olds and it should also provide some programming for younger teenagers. It should offer a range of new music, support emerging artists - especially those from the UK - and provide a platform for live music. News, documentaries and advice campaigns should cover areas of relevance to young adults.
Source: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/regulatory_framework/service_licences/radio/2016/radio1_apr16.pdf
BBC Radio 1 is managed by several presenters and Djs,
Source: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/regulatory_framework/service_licences/radio/2016/radio1_apr16.pdf
BBC Radio 1 is managed by several presenters and Djs,
Cambridge 105
Cambridge 105 is a community broadcaster that primarily focuses on music as well as covering over shows such as film and book reviews, the arts, food and drink, and more. Cambridge 105 is a non-profit radio as it is run by volunteers, which means it is not owned by any company, their community radio is independent. |
The fact that Cambridge 105 isn't run by a company and consists of volunteers, means that it doesn't have to have consistent presenters and timescales, it has free rein to do what they want, not having to keep to a schedule provided by someone higher up in the company. This also means that anyone can get involved with their productions and work, as there is no strict schedule to keep to. Which means if it was to have a 5 minute movie review, but the discussion went over, it wouldn't be too much of a big deal.
Cambridge 105 follows guidelines set by Ofcom, which means all regulations they follow have to be strictly kept to and followed as The Office of Communications (Ofcom) is the UK government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers across the television, radio, telecoms and postal sectors. This means that if they do not follow the guidelines they could face a lawsuit that could end up shutting down the radio station altogether. Some of the techniques and conventions they seem to have used are; Jingles, trails, interviews, discussions, as well as presenters with positive attitudes and a clear voice, etc.
Cambridge 105 follows guidelines set by Ofcom, which means all regulations they follow have to be strictly kept to and followed as The Office of Communications (Ofcom) is the UK government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers across the television, radio, telecoms and postal sectors. This means that if they do not follow the guidelines they could face a lawsuit that could end up shutting down the radio station altogether. Some of the techniques and conventions they seem to have used are; Jingles, trails, interviews, discussions, as well as presenters with positive attitudes and a clear voice, etc.
Differences between the radio stations
- The biggest differences here is obviously the fact that BBC Radio one broadcasts all over Britain, while Cambridge 105 only uploads in the Cambridge region.
- Because Radio 1 is a big radio company, they are easily able to get permission to broadcast the latest hits and singles on the radio, this would be more challenging for Cambridge 105, being not a true company, their main source of music, is older music that doesn't require as much permission as the newer songs, Cambridge 105 only sometimes uses newer music, it is not often.
- Another difference is that while Radio 1 mainly focuses on music, news and other lifestyle and documentary radio, Cambridge 105 focuses on covering film reviews and the arts as well as music, making it mainly lifestyle and music.