Digital Radio Assignment
I will be answering the following question on Digital Radio.
With reference to specific stations, how has digital radio changed the audience experience, for listeners to both public service and commercial radio in the UK?
DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting Systems) I think, has changed the experience for audiences rapidly. Since DAB was invented, it has had a huge impact on how we listen to radio. It has clearer signal than the FM or AM signals which were originally off putting and had rather poor signal, unless of course you are in a town or city but with DAB, you can listen to clear radio where ever you are, or nearly.
Britain, at present has DAB broadcasting right now to around 80% - 90% of the country. Even now, radio stations are working together to get that percentage higher by installing more transmitters and building new websites.
By having DAB, listeners are able to listen to more music, shows, comedy and more news, sport and weather updates. However it’s not just adults they want to attract, its kids as well. They want to introduce more Children’s shows, which in my opinion will get kids listening to the radio more often than watching the telly.
It’s not just stand alone radios that have DAB now, you can have portable radio or music players which can receive DAB transmission which makes it accessible for all audiences who maybe don’t have DAB on their radio. If you can’t receive DAB, you can buy DAB adaptors which plug into your music player or iPod giving yet again more accessibility to more people around the country. By looking at this, I think that the UK’s audience has been taken seriously to make sure that DAB is accessible to as many listeners as possible.
Radio 1 and 2 for example has DAB transmitting throughout the country. These two stations are the most listened to in the UK, and by having DAB, people can listen without having to listen to crackling all the time, especially for people who are driving to and from work in their cars, newer cars are starting to have DAB, which I forgot to mention earlier. However the only disadvantage with DAB is, if by any chance you do lose signal, which is rare, then you lose signal completely maybe for a few seconds or minutes, where as with FM you only partially lose signal, which results in a bit of crackling but it least you can just still make out what they are saying.
I don’t think that there are any stations now that don’t transmit DAB, from what I’ve seen anyway. On my DAB radio, I can pick up radio 1, 1 extra, 2, 3, 4, 5 live, 6 music, 7, world service, Asian. Others I can pick up are, Planet Rock, Classic FM, Virgin, used to be able to pick up Jazz, birdsong (not worth listening to) and more. When I’m at college I can pick up Wyvern FM, BBC Hereford and Worcester as well as all the stations I have mentioned so far. When I’m at home I can pick up all my local stations as well as all the stations I have mentioned so far apart from BBC Hereford and Worcester and Wyvern FM.
All in all, I think that radio has gone up a level for the UK and for many other countries that are developing their own stations to transmit DAB. I think that now DAB is here, more and more people will listen to DAB now that radio has improved, quite a lot.
05/12/2008
02/12/2008
Media 02/12/08
Christmas is coming soon, and so are exams. I have an AS Media exam mid Januarary and i am almost certain that it will go well, i hope. For my exam i will have a radio play played to me, but only the first five minutes or so. I will not be able to take notes the first time round but it will be played again and it is only then that i will be able to take notes. I will then have to answer the question which relates to that play which could be about anything. It could be about how sound and speech is used or anything like that.
The situation as it stands is i am up to date on all of my assignments which you will find on my previous posts and i am running smoothly on my radio project although i will need to get the main part of the recording done very soon, which is the interview with my guest speaker. Other than that, i seem to be on task.
My only outstanding assignment is the one i am still working on, but it should be on between now and Friday 5th of December at the latest, which is the deadline.
The situation as it stands is i am up to date on all of my assignments which you will find on my previous posts and i am running smoothly on my radio project although i will need to get the main part of the recording done very soon, which is the interview with my guest speaker. Other than that, i seem to be on task.
My only outstanding assignment is the one i am still working on, but it should be on between now and Friday 5th of December at the latest, which is the deadline.
28/11/2008
Media 28/11/08
This assignment is purely based on a radio show called ‘The Broadcaster’. I have to write an analysis of the show with a minimum of 500 words.
My analysis has to explain:
The use of speech.
The use of music.
The use of sound.
The use of editing.
The realism of the play, in other words, how realistic is it?
The Broadcaster.
Speech
The Language of the play is relatively easy to understand, it’s English and the actors are well spoken so that you can understand what they are saying. The storyline in my opinion is quite awkward to get to grips with but I guess it’s like that with any play for the first few minutes. It is also a very strange storyline. It’s about a presenter who works in a normal radio station. He becomes very isolated in the studio by himself and he suddenly realises he gets smaller and smaller until he can climb up his own clothes towards the end of the play. I still don’t fully understand what the play is actually trying to say, even after listening to it lots of times. To be honest, I don’t really like it because I can’t understand it well enough to take interest in it. The accents of the actors sound North American, the narrator as well. The narrator in the play explains what is happening quite well, I found it easy to understand what was going on but I think that the narrating needed more explanations towards the beginning as to what the story is about.
Music
Some of the music in this I thought was quite catchy. The first track that is played in the studio was quite good and it kept me listening. Although there isn’t a lot of music that is played throughout the play. The majority of the play is speech talking about the presenter and the presenter talking about himself. I like the choice of music that was put into the play, some how it fits in quite nicely.
Sound
The sound that is used in the play in my opinion sets the scene. It is used to suggest movement, it suggests activity and it suggests that there is space. For example:
Movement – People walking down a corridor.
Activity – The presenter playing with the Decks
Space – People who talk from one on of the room to another, or down the phone.
These three could have been distorted or filtered to give the desired sound effect. Talking down the phone is a good example of filtering. It works really effectively and is easily believable. I think that all of the sound effects in this play are very good for the time it was made. Fade and silence can be used as an effect to some degree. A fade may be used to signify the start or the end of a play, where as silence can be used to signify a change of scene. In some cases, silence can be used for suspense but for this play, suspense isn't interpreted.
Editing
Editing is an important part of creating a play, if you have a time slot of say, 30 minutes, then it is good to delete or add scenes. For this play, it could have been much longer, maybe up to 50 – 60 minutes which isn’t any good if you want it to last for 30 minutes, which is what the running time for this play is. So it is good to edit the play and get rid of the material that you think wouldn't be any good.
For this play, it was impossible to tell whether there was any editing which is a good thing if you are the producer, you want a play to run smoothly without any glitches a ¼ ½ or ¾ of the way through the play. So I think that the use of editing has been used to its full advantage.
Realism
In my opinion, the play is half realistic and half non-realistic. The first half of the play is realistic but the second half begins to become a fantasy play when the presenter starts to shrink physically and then he becomes so small, the other presenters are able to put him inside the wall of his studio.
17/11/2008
Media 17/11/08
For this assignment, I have to make a list of drama slots that have been on previously. I then have to listen to one play and comment on it. The main radio stations I will be focusing on will be BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 7.
BBC drama slots.
BBC Radio 3.
Plays that are played weekly on BBC Radio Three.
14/09/2008 : Blue Wonder.
21/09/2008 : A Disappearing Number.
28/09/2008 : Season of Migration to the North.
05/10/2008 : Tulips in Winter.
12/10/2008 : The Duchess of Malfi.
19/10/2008 : Black Watch.
26/10/2008 : Caligari.
02/11/2008 : Free Thinking.
09/11/2008 : All Quiet on the Western Front.
16/11/2008 : Tamburlaine, Shadow of God.
BBC Radio 4.
The Afternoon Play (Daily).
10/11/2008 : Brief Lives.
11/11/2008 : The Singer.
12/11/2008 : Keep your Pantheon.
13/11/2008 : Quartet.
14/11/2008 :Operation Charlie.
BBC Radio 7.
BBC Radio 7’s play, ‘The world as we know it’. Episodes are as follows.
05/11/2008 : The End.
06/11/2008 : The End.
12/11/2008 : The Election.
13/11/2008 : The Election.
The Play.
The play that I have chosen to listen to is ‘The Singer’ on BBC Radio 4.
I found this play very hard to follow at first and had started to lose interest very quickly. In my opinion it took quite a while for it to get going. The scenes were too close together so you couldn’t tell the first from the next scene. Although as it went on, it began getting easier to understand. I think that the sound effects where very convincing. I liked the fact that in every scene they have used some sort of background effects rather than just have silence. For example: the scene is set in a living room of a house or flat of some sort and rather than just having silence, they have the BBC News on in the background which I’m presuming is on the telly. I thought that was quite clever.
I thought the acting was good but not brilliant. I’m not an actor but it sounds to me as if they were trying too hard and when you try too hard at something it doesn’t always turn out as you expect it to. The arguments, for example: They didn’t sound that realistic. Normally, with arguments, you would get shouting in most cases certainly with relationships and affairs which was partly what this play was about. If I could put the arguments into one word, I would say they were blunt, only because in my opinion the voices didn’t have enough power, they just got to a certain level and stopped at that level, almost as if they couldn’t get any louder or any stronger. In terms of accents I thought that was really good. The accents fit in with the storyline which is set in Manchester, so most of the actors have northern accents, whether that was acting or real I don’t know but it is good how they have taken that into consideration.
Over all, I thought the play was good. I don’t normally listen to radio plays that much mainly because I lose interest and then switch over to another station but this was interesting, once it got into it.
BBC drama slots.
BBC Radio 3.
Plays that are played weekly on BBC Radio Three.
14/09/2008 : Blue Wonder.
21/09/2008 : A Disappearing Number.
28/09/2008 : Season of Migration to the North.
05/10/2008 : Tulips in Winter.
12/10/2008 : The Duchess of Malfi.
19/10/2008 : Black Watch.
26/10/2008 : Caligari.
02/11/2008 : Free Thinking.
09/11/2008 : All Quiet on the Western Front.
16/11/2008 : Tamburlaine, Shadow of God.
BBC Radio 4.
The Afternoon Play (Daily).
10/11/2008 : Brief Lives.
11/11/2008 : The Singer.
12/11/2008 : Keep your Pantheon.
13/11/2008 : Quartet.
14/11/2008 :Operation Charlie.
BBC Radio 7.
BBC Radio 7’s play, ‘The world as we know it’. Episodes are as follows.
05/11/2008 : The End.
06/11/2008 : The End.
12/11/2008 : The Election.
13/11/2008 : The Election.
The Play.
The play that I have chosen to listen to is ‘The Singer’ on BBC Radio 4.
I found this play very hard to follow at first and had started to lose interest very quickly. In my opinion it took quite a while for it to get going. The scenes were too close together so you couldn’t tell the first from the next scene. Although as it went on, it began getting easier to understand. I think that the sound effects where very convincing. I liked the fact that in every scene they have used some sort of background effects rather than just have silence. For example: the scene is set in a living room of a house or flat of some sort and rather than just having silence, they have the BBC News on in the background which I’m presuming is on the telly. I thought that was quite clever.
I thought the acting was good but not brilliant. I’m not an actor but it sounds to me as if they were trying too hard and when you try too hard at something it doesn’t always turn out as you expect it to. The arguments, for example: They didn’t sound that realistic. Normally, with arguments, you would get shouting in most cases certainly with relationships and affairs which was partly what this play was about. If I could put the arguments into one word, I would say they were blunt, only because in my opinion the voices didn’t have enough power, they just got to a certain level and stopped at that level, almost as if they couldn’t get any louder or any stronger. In terms of accents I thought that was really good. The accents fit in with the storyline which is set in Manchester, so most of the actors have northern accents, whether that was acting or real I don’t know but it is good how they have taken that into consideration.
Over all, I thought the play was good. I don’t normally listen to radio plays that much mainly because I lose interest and then switch over to another station but this was interesting, once it got into it.
11/11/2008
Media 11/11/08
For the time being, we have left our radio projects until further notice as we have had a rather important assignment to complete. This assignment is based on radio industry with my main case study as BBC Hereford and Worcester, Please read on.
The ratio of local to national news is maybe 2:1. I’m not that excellent on ratios but that’s what I believe the ratio stands as of today. The reason is because people who listen to BBC Hereford and Worcester would like to hear what’s going on in their local community which I think is top priority before national news if it’s a local radio station.
BBC Hereford and Worcester
Case Study
For this case study, I will be listening to BBC Hereford and Worcester to see how they produce their weekly show and their programmes. I will be answering the following questions.
Summarise the weekly programme schedule – who are the main presenters? What are the dominant genres of programming? Give Examples.
Monday
For BBC Hereford and Worcester, the weekly programme schedule start’s at 5am on Monday morning with Toni McDonald who plays some music and talks. Toni’s show is only on for an hour and so at 6am until 9am, Howard Bentham takes over with his show which is called ‘The best start to the day, with news, sport, travel and laughter. Then from 9am until 12pm we have Tony Fisher, with his show called, ‘Your Show, Your Life!’ Following that we have Andrew Easton for three hours with his news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This show consists of music as well, the news sport and weather is only broadcasted every 20 minutes. Then at 3pm we have Keith Gooden with the news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This is the same, this show also consists of music with news, sport and weather updates and the latest travel information every 20 minutes. This show also lasts for three hours. At 6pm until 9pm we have Mike George’s music including 80’s hour which plays music from the 80’s. Finally we have Rob underwood from 9pm until 12am on Tuesday morning with Rob with the late show. From 12am onwards BBC Hereford and Worcester join forces with BBC Radio 5 Live.
Tuesday
Tuesday starts at 5am with Toni McDonald who plays some music and talks. Toni’s show is only on for an hour and so at 6am until 9am, Howard Bentham takes over with his show which is called ‘The best start to the day, with news, sport, travel and laughter. Then from 9am until 12pm we have Tony Fisher, with his show called, ‘Your Show, Your Life!’ Following that we have Andrew Easton for three hours with his news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This show consists of music as well, the news sport and weather is only broadcasted every 20 minutes. Then at 3pm we have Keith Gooden with the news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This is the same, this show also consists of music with news, sport and weather updates and the latest travel information every 20 minutes. This show also lasts for three hours. At 6pm until 10pm we have Mike George’s music including 80’s hour which plays music from the 80’s. Finally we have Rob underwood from 9pm until 12am on Tuesday morning with Rob with the late show. From 12am onwards BBC Hereford and Worcester join forces with BBC Radio 5 Live.
Wednesday
Wednesday starts at 5am with Toni McDonald who plays some music and talks. Toni’s show is only on for an hour and so at 6am until 9am, Howard Bentham takes over with his show which is called ‘The best start to the day, with news, sport, travel and laughter. Then from 9am until 12pm we have Tony Fisher, with his show called, ‘Your Show, Your Life!’ Following that we have Andrew Easton for three hours with his news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This show consists of music as well, the news sport and weather is only broadcasted every 20 minutes. Then at 3pm we have Keith Gooden with the news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This is the same, this show also consists of music with news, sport and weather updates and the latest travel information every 20 minutes. This show also lasts for three hours. At 6pm until 9pm we have Mike George’s music including Soul Hour. Finally we have Rob Underwood from 9pm until 12am on Tuesday morning with Rob with the late show. From 12am onwards BBC Hereford and Worcester join forces with BBC Radio 5 Live.
Thursday
Thursday starts at 5am with Toni McDonald who plays some music and talks. Toni’s show is only on for an hour and so at 6am until 9am, Howard Bentham takes over with his show which is called ‘The best start to the day, with news, sport, travel and laughter. Then from 9am until 12pm we have Tony Fisher, with his show called, ‘Your Show, Your Life!’ Following that we have Andrew Easton for three hours with his news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This show consists of music as well, the news sport and weather is only broadcasted every 20 minutes. Then at 3pm we have Keith Gooden with the news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This is the same, this show also consists of music with news, sport and weather updates and the latest travel information every 20 minutes. This show also lasts for three hours. At 6pm until 9pm we have Mike George’s music including Cool Jazz Hour. Finally we have Rob Underwood from 9pm until 12am on Tuesday morning with Rob with the late show. From 12am onwards BBC Hereford and Worcester join forces with BBC Radio 5 Live.
Friday
Friday starts at 5am with Toni McDonald who plays some music and talks. Toni’s show is only on for an hour and so at 6am until 9am, Howard Bentham takes over with his show which is called ‘The best start to the day, with news, sport, travel and laughter. Then from 9am until 12pm we have Tony Fisher, with his show called, ‘Your Show, Your Life!’ Following that we have Andrew Easton for three hours with his news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This show consists of music as well, the news sport and weather is only broadcasted every 20 minutes. Then at 3pm we have Keith Gooden with the news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This is the same, this show also consists of music with news, sport and weather updates and the latest travel information every 20 minutes. This show also lasts for three hours. At 7pm until 9pm we have Andrew Marston with The Friday Session introducing 100 percent local music. Finally we have Rob Underwood from 9pm until 12am on Tuesday morning with Rob with the late show. From 12am onwards BBC Hereford and Worcester join forces with BBC Radio 5 Live.
Saturday
The weekend schedule runs much more differently. On Saturday, BBC Hereford and Worcester starts broadcasting at 6am with Jason Harold with Saturday Breakfast which lasts until 9am. At 9am we move on to The Saturday Gardening Show, with Mike George and Reg Moule, the running time for this is 2 hours. From 11am until 2pm we have Ellie Targett with Targett’s Top Tens where Ellie looks back at the music and stories of Yesteryear. From 2pm until 6pm we have Trevor Owens with all the local and national sport including reports on Hereford United, Worcester City and Redditch United’s games. From 6pm until 8pm we have Mary Fox with her Youth Club Classics. Following that we have John Helling with his show Big Bands, following the bands and singers from the 1940’s until this present day with live music listings, this show runs from 8pm until 10pm where we join Keith Middleton with music to take you into the early hours until 1am Sunday morning where BBC Hereford and Worcester join BBC Radio 5 Live.
Sunday
From 6am until 9am we have Andrew Easton with a lively look at the issues of faith, religion and ethics. His show also includes the Sunday service which runs from 7:05am until 7:30am. From 9am until 12pm we have Malcolm Boyden with fun and music for a Sunday morning. From 12pm until 3pm we have Toni McDonald with music and chat. We have Mike Wyer from 3pm until 6pm with music and entertainment. From 6pm until 8pm we have Jim Hawkins with Sunday night rock. Following that we have Genevieve Tudor with the finest selection of folk music from around the midlands and beyond, this show lasts from 8pm until 10pm where we join Keith Middleton to take you through to midnight with his selection of Music. Then from midnight onwards BBC Hereford and Worcester join BBC Radio 5 Live.
I would say that the main presenter is Mike George. I think this because judging by his work hours he is the only presenter that has more hours than any of the other presenters.
The dominant genres of programming I would say are mainly the talk shows, such as: Howard Bentham with ‘news, sport, travel and laughter’ and Tony Fisher with ‘Your show, Your life’.
Summarise the music policy – what are the dominant genres of music? Give examples.
I don’t think there is any particular genre of music to be honest. I think that BBC Hereford and Worcester is like any other radio station which plays all types of music ranging from old to new and from classical to modern.
What is the balance of speech to music?
The balance of speech to music is a difficult one, on the basis of the whole week, I would say that speech is more commonly used than music but is still very close to call in terms of balance.
What is the balance of live to pre-recorded material?
The balance of live to pre-recorded material is that in my opinion, live broadcasting is used more often than pre-recorded material. I think that pre-recorded material is only used for the news, sport and weather if no news or weather has come in by the time they come to broadcasting the slot of the news, sport and weather.
How does the station promote it’s self?
The station promotes it’s self by giving out a jingle every so often, maybe after the news and weather updates. It also promotes it’s self via the web. You can listen to BBC Hereford and Worcester online on BBC’s website which gives you links to guide you through to listen to the radio station. BBC Hereford and Worcester also provide information on the BBC website as to what sort of shows they do, what presenters are on and all the types of genres they play over their weekly schedule.
On the basis of what you have heard, what sort of audience is listening?
The sort of audience which I think were listening were people either at work or college in the weekdays. On the weekend I think that the older generation 60+ were listening due to the fact that there is a religion show, a gardening show and even a Sunday service for 25 minutes which I think would of attracted the more older people rather than the young people.
How does the station serve the BBC’s “Public Service” mission – refer to website as well as programmes.
In my opinion the station serve’s the BBC’s ‘Public Service’ mission by providing complete and up to date information of what’s going on in the county such is news and sport as well as the weather.
Analyse balance and coverage of news via listening and website – what is the ratio of local to national news?
Case Study
For this case study, I will be listening to BBC Hereford and Worcester to see how they produce their weekly show and their programmes. I will be answering the following questions.
Summarise the weekly programme schedule – who are the main presenters? What are the dominant genres of programming? Give Examples.
Monday
For BBC Hereford and Worcester, the weekly programme schedule start’s at 5am on Monday morning with Toni McDonald who plays some music and talks. Toni’s show is only on for an hour and so at 6am until 9am, Howard Bentham takes over with his show which is called ‘The best start to the day, with news, sport, travel and laughter. Then from 9am until 12pm we have Tony Fisher, with his show called, ‘Your Show, Your Life!’ Following that we have Andrew Easton for three hours with his news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This show consists of music as well, the news sport and weather is only broadcasted every 20 minutes. Then at 3pm we have Keith Gooden with the news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This is the same, this show also consists of music with news, sport and weather updates and the latest travel information every 20 minutes. This show also lasts for three hours. At 6pm until 9pm we have Mike George’s music including 80’s hour which plays music from the 80’s. Finally we have Rob underwood from 9pm until 12am on Tuesday morning with Rob with the late show. From 12am onwards BBC Hereford and Worcester join forces with BBC Radio 5 Live.
Tuesday
Tuesday starts at 5am with Toni McDonald who plays some music and talks. Toni’s show is only on for an hour and so at 6am until 9am, Howard Bentham takes over with his show which is called ‘The best start to the day, with news, sport, travel and laughter. Then from 9am until 12pm we have Tony Fisher, with his show called, ‘Your Show, Your Life!’ Following that we have Andrew Easton for three hours with his news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This show consists of music as well, the news sport and weather is only broadcasted every 20 minutes. Then at 3pm we have Keith Gooden with the news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This is the same, this show also consists of music with news, sport and weather updates and the latest travel information every 20 minutes. This show also lasts for three hours. At 6pm until 10pm we have Mike George’s music including 80’s hour which plays music from the 80’s. Finally we have Rob underwood from 9pm until 12am on Tuesday morning with Rob with the late show. From 12am onwards BBC Hereford and Worcester join forces with BBC Radio 5 Live.
Wednesday
Wednesday starts at 5am with Toni McDonald who plays some music and talks. Toni’s show is only on for an hour and so at 6am until 9am, Howard Bentham takes over with his show which is called ‘The best start to the day, with news, sport, travel and laughter. Then from 9am until 12pm we have Tony Fisher, with his show called, ‘Your Show, Your Life!’ Following that we have Andrew Easton for three hours with his news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This show consists of music as well, the news sport and weather is only broadcasted every 20 minutes. Then at 3pm we have Keith Gooden with the news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This is the same, this show also consists of music with news, sport and weather updates and the latest travel information every 20 minutes. This show also lasts for three hours. At 6pm until 9pm we have Mike George’s music including Soul Hour. Finally we have Rob Underwood from 9pm until 12am on Tuesday morning with Rob with the late show. From 12am onwards BBC Hereford and Worcester join forces with BBC Radio 5 Live.
Thursday
Thursday starts at 5am with Toni McDonald who plays some music and talks. Toni’s show is only on for an hour and so at 6am until 9am, Howard Bentham takes over with his show which is called ‘The best start to the day, with news, sport, travel and laughter. Then from 9am until 12pm we have Tony Fisher, with his show called, ‘Your Show, Your Life!’ Following that we have Andrew Easton for three hours with his news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This show consists of music as well, the news sport and weather is only broadcasted every 20 minutes. Then at 3pm we have Keith Gooden with the news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This is the same, this show also consists of music with news, sport and weather updates and the latest travel information every 20 minutes. This show also lasts for three hours. At 6pm until 9pm we have Mike George’s music including Cool Jazz Hour. Finally we have Rob Underwood from 9pm until 12am on Tuesday morning with Rob with the late show. From 12am onwards BBC Hereford and Worcester join forces with BBC Radio 5 Live.
Friday
Friday starts at 5am with Toni McDonald who plays some music and talks. Toni’s show is only on for an hour and so at 6am until 9am, Howard Bentham takes over with his show which is called ‘The best start to the day, with news, sport, travel and laughter. Then from 9am until 12pm we have Tony Fisher, with his show called, ‘Your Show, Your Life!’ Following that we have Andrew Easton for three hours with his news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This show consists of music as well, the news sport and weather is only broadcasted every 20 minutes. Then at 3pm we have Keith Gooden with the news, sport and weather updates along with the latest travel information. This is the same, this show also consists of music with news, sport and weather updates and the latest travel information every 20 minutes. This show also lasts for three hours. At 7pm until 9pm we have Andrew Marston with The Friday Session introducing 100 percent local music. Finally we have Rob Underwood from 9pm until 12am on Tuesday morning with Rob with the late show. From 12am onwards BBC Hereford and Worcester join forces with BBC Radio 5 Live.
Saturday
The weekend schedule runs much more differently. On Saturday, BBC Hereford and Worcester starts broadcasting at 6am with Jason Harold with Saturday Breakfast which lasts until 9am. At 9am we move on to The Saturday Gardening Show, with Mike George and Reg Moule, the running time for this is 2 hours. From 11am until 2pm we have Ellie Targett with Targett’s Top Tens where Ellie looks back at the music and stories of Yesteryear. From 2pm until 6pm we have Trevor Owens with all the local and national sport including reports on Hereford United, Worcester City and Redditch United’s games. From 6pm until 8pm we have Mary Fox with her Youth Club Classics. Following that we have John Helling with his show Big Bands, following the bands and singers from the 1940’s until this present day with live music listings, this show runs from 8pm until 10pm where we join Keith Middleton with music to take you into the early hours until 1am Sunday morning where BBC Hereford and Worcester join BBC Radio 5 Live.
Sunday
From 6am until 9am we have Andrew Easton with a lively look at the issues of faith, religion and ethics. His show also includes the Sunday service which runs from 7:05am until 7:30am. From 9am until 12pm we have Malcolm Boyden with fun and music for a Sunday morning. From 12pm until 3pm we have Toni McDonald with music and chat. We have Mike Wyer from 3pm until 6pm with music and entertainment. From 6pm until 8pm we have Jim Hawkins with Sunday night rock. Following that we have Genevieve Tudor with the finest selection of folk music from around the midlands and beyond, this show lasts from 8pm until 10pm where we join Keith Middleton to take you through to midnight with his selection of Music. Then from midnight onwards BBC Hereford and Worcester join BBC Radio 5 Live.
I would say that the main presenter is Mike George. I think this because judging by his work hours he is the only presenter that has more hours than any of the other presenters.
The dominant genres of programming I would say are mainly the talk shows, such as: Howard Bentham with ‘news, sport, travel and laughter’ and Tony Fisher with ‘Your show, Your life’.
Summarise the music policy – what are the dominant genres of music? Give examples.
I don’t think there is any particular genre of music to be honest. I think that BBC Hereford and Worcester is like any other radio station which plays all types of music ranging from old to new and from classical to modern.
What is the balance of speech to music?
The balance of speech to music is a difficult one, on the basis of the whole week, I would say that speech is more commonly used than music but is still very close to call in terms of balance.
What is the balance of live to pre-recorded material?
The balance of live to pre-recorded material is that in my opinion, live broadcasting is used more often than pre-recorded material. I think that pre-recorded material is only used for the news, sport and weather if no news or weather has come in by the time they come to broadcasting the slot of the news, sport and weather.
How does the station promote it’s self?
The station promotes it’s self by giving out a jingle every so often, maybe after the news and weather updates. It also promotes it’s self via the web. You can listen to BBC Hereford and Worcester online on BBC’s website which gives you links to guide you through to listen to the radio station. BBC Hereford and Worcester also provide information on the BBC website as to what sort of shows they do, what presenters are on and all the types of genres they play over their weekly schedule.
On the basis of what you have heard, what sort of audience is listening?
The sort of audience which I think were listening were people either at work or college in the weekdays. On the weekend I think that the older generation 60+ were listening due to the fact that there is a religion show, a gardening show and even a Sunday service for 25 minutes which I think would of attracted the more older people rather than the young people.
How does the station serve the BBC’s “Public Service” mission – refer to website as well as programmes.
In my opinion the station serve’s the BBC’s ‘Public Service’ mission by providing complete and up to date information of what’s going on in the county such is news and sport as well as the weather.
Analyse balance and coverage of news via listening and website – what is the ratio of local to national news?
The ratio of local to national news is maybe 2:1. I’m not that excellent on ratios but that’s what I believe the ratio stands as of today. The reason is because people who listen to BBC Hereford and Worcester would like to hear what’s going on in their local community which I think is top priority before national news if it’s a local radio station.
Compare BBC Hereford and Worcester with Wyvern FM.
In comparison With Wyvern FM, i don't think the two stations are much different from each other. I have heard Wyvern FM on various occassions and to me it just sounds the same as BBC Hereford and Worcester.
Compare BBC Hereford and Worcester to Radio Two and to Radio Four.
This is a big comparison between the two stations. To begin with, BBC Radio Two and Four both play lots more music. They do alot of talk shows and do the national news and the national weather rather than local news and the local weather, mainly because it is for the whole country to hear. Where as BBC Hereford and Worcester is just for Hereford and Worcester and anyh surrounding towns and villages within the county.
Compile list of questions for reporter’s visit on November 11.
What is it like being a reporter?
How hard is it being a reporter?
Do you encounter any problems whilst doing your job?
Have you had any major stories which have interested you in the past?
21/10/2008
Media 21/10/08
As i discussed in the previous post, my aim was to finish editing and add the edited audio clip to my Jingle.
I am pleased to say that i did that with not much difficulty, in fact hardly any difficulty. Firstly, i had to finish editing my final voice clip which i had to do today because i tried to do it over the weekend and it didn't come up with the software via the terminal.
I began by finishing my editing and moved on to pick one which i liked the most, i did this by listening through them a couple of times, it turned out to be the first one i had done. I split it into two part's: one part says "You are now tuned into....." and the other part says "You are now tuned into.....BASE FM". Just for writing purposes i will name the first part i mentioned part 1 and the other part 2.
Part 1 (You are now tuned into.....").
Part 2 (You are now tuned unto.....BASE FM").
Once these were split, i was then able to save them to the N drive on Windows XP. I them moved over to the Apple Mac and connected to the N drive from that computer. I placed the two parts onto the desktop of the Apple Mac, this saved alot of time and it was easy to find. I opened up Garage Band which is a podcast creator, along with my Jingle and played it through once, just so i was familiar with it again, although i made slight changes to it. I made it shorter by deleting a few themes which would have just taken more time. Also i think if you do too much then it ruins it and thats the feeling i got. Anyway, i opened Garage Band and placed both parts 1 and 2 into it. I placed part 1 just before thr rewinding starts and i placed part 2 where the rewinding ends. I thought the outcome was ok, but Pauls first word was "extrodanary". For those who don't know Paul, he is my lecturer for A-level Media. Once listening through my finished Jingle he advised me on a small thing which he thought needed changing, so i took that into consideration. He said that the edited voice clips weren't that understandable and they needed to be a bit clearer, and i think it was because i had too much base on my voice. So i went back to the Windows XP computer and started editing again, but this time, my new one doesn't have loads of echo and deepness in it, it is still deep at the end but it's not so deep that you can't understand it. I then saved it in My Documents and transferred it via memory stick. The reason why is because the Apple Mac wasn't showing the N drive even though it said it was 'Mounted', this means it's connected.
So it was back to the Mac for the second time, and again, i put the new audio clips onto the desktop. I deleted the old ones from my Jingle and inserted the new ones as before. Part 1 before the rewinding effect starts and part 2 after the rewinding effect ends. If i'm being honest, then i would say that the outcome was unexpected but in a good way. Some how the volume matched the volume of my jingle which it didnt before and also it is easier and clearer to understand.
I now have a good jingle and in my opinion, i think i am ready for the next stage which is scripting my presenting, as long as i have the all clear from Paul.
If so then i would say my aim by the end of my next lecture would be to have my script done, or if not then at least started but as i say, this is as long as Paul is happy with what i have done and as long as there isn't anything else that needs doing first.
Just to let you know my next Blog will be in November as half term is coming up next week and also because November is when i have my first Media lecture after half term. I would have Media this Friday but Friday is a travel day for us here at college.
See you next month.
I am pleased to say that i did that with not much difficulty, in fact hardly any difficulty. Firstly, i had to finish editing my final voice clip which i had to do today because i tried to do it over the weekend and it didn't come up with the software via the terminal.
I began by finishing my editing and moved on to pick one which i liked the most, i did this by listening through them a couple of times, it turned out to be the first one i had done. I split it into two part's: one part says "You are now tuned into....." and the other part says "You are now tuned into.....BASE FM". Just for writing purposes i will name the first part i mentioned part 1 and the other part 2.
Part 1 (You are now tuned into.....").
Part 2 (You are now tuned unto.....BASE FM").
Once these were split, i was then able to save them to the N drive on Windows XP. I them moved over to the Apple Mac and connected to the N drive from that computer. I placed the two parts onto the desktop of the Apple Mac, this saved alot of time and it was easy to find. I opened up Garage Band which is a podcast creator, along with my Jingle and played it through once, just so i was familiar with it again, although i made slight changes to it. I made it shorter by deleting a few themes which would have just taken more time. Also i think if you do too much then it ruins it and thats the feeling i got. Anyway, i opened Garage Band and placed both parts 1 and 2 into it. I placed part 1 just before thr rewinding starts and i placed part 2 where the rewinding ends. I thought the outcome was ok, but Pauls first word was "extrodanary". For those who don't know Paul, he is my lecturer for A-level Media. Once listening through my finished Jingle he advised me on a small thing which he thought needed changing, so i took that into consideration. He said that the edited voice clips weren't that understandable and they needed to be a bit clearer, and i think it was because i had too much base on my voice. So i went back to the Windows XP computer and started editing again, but this time, my new one doesn't have loads of echo and deepness in it, it is still deep at the end but it's not so deep that you can't understand it. I then saved it in My Documents and transferred it via memory stick. The reason why is because the Apple Mac wasn't showing the N drive even though it said it was 'Mounted', this means it's connected.
So it was back to the Mac for the second time, and again, i put the new audio clips onto the desktop. I deleted the old ones from my Jingle and inserted the new ones as before. Part 1 before the rewinding effect starts and part 2 after the rewinding effect ends. If i'm being honest, then i would say that the outcome was unexpected but in a good way. Some how the volume matched the volume of my jingle which it didnt before and also it is easier and clearer to understand.
I now have a good jingle and in my opinion, i think i am ready for the next stage which is scripting my presenting, as long as i have the all clear from Paul.
If so then i would say my aim by the end of my next lecture would be to have my script done, or if not then at least started but as i say, this is as long as Paul is happy with what i have done and as long as there isn't anything else that needs doing first.
Just to let you know my next Blog will be in November as half term is coming up next week and also because November is when i have my first Media lecture after half term. I would have Media this Friday but Friday is a travel day for us here at college.
See you next month.
17/10/2008
Media 17/10/08
Today's media lecture was a great run through and to be honest, the time went quickly.
I achieved my goal for today which was to record the voice for my jingle, needless to say that it went better than expected. I used the recording studio, (Studio 6) at college to record my voice, which is also used for the radio. I had quite a few attempts at this by using a programme called Sound Forge, which is owned by Sony. I spoke through a microphone quite a few times and by the end, i must have had seven attempts to play around with. I tried recording sitting down and standing up, and i felt that standing up gave me a better tone of voice.
Paul (my lecturer for A-level Media) put them on the N-Drive for me to access in the music tech room (T14). I then listened through them and picked one and opened it in Sound Forge. Using Sound Forge, i was able to edit it in many different ways and the outcomes were very interesting. The software allows you to record your voice through a microphone and edit it. You can change the pitch to high and to low which makes your voice sound like a chipmunk or a voice box thats far too broken and deep. You can change the echo so it sounds like your in a cave and you can change the tempo to fast or slow although i think this mostly depends on how high or low you set the pitch. There are many other effects which i could explain to you but there are some which have complex names. However, one of which is the 'Bender', this is the name of the effect. It puts your voice waves onto a chart with a zig zag line going from left to right and if you drag the line in different places, then you have a voice which could go from high to low, to high and then back to low. This was an effect which i was considering to use but it didn't sound professional for my liking, so i stuck with the tempo, pitch and the echo. Another Effect which is on Sound Forge is the fader, i didn't find this very useful as it fades the voice at what ever end you want it to. For example, it starts off quiet and then gradually gets louder, or alternatively, it starts loud and gets quieter. I personally didn't think this would be any use at all so i didn't use it. I think that it is important to make your voice clear, especially for the Jingle so that the listener can identify the ID for the radio station. There was an amplitude effect which wasn't very effective, if you turn it up only slightly, it starts to crackle a bit.
Anyway, i was experimenting with these recordings and came up with four possabilities, number 5 i am still working on at this moment in time but i should have it done by Tuesday, or maybe even by the end of the weekend if i can edit it over the college terminal. I am hoping that by the time the next lecture ends on Tuesday, i should have had all the editing done and hopefully have it placed over my Jingle which would be great! It would mean i would be able to go onto the next stage.
I think that everything is going brilliantly and i am also enjoying it alot.
I achieved my goal for today which was to record the voice for my jingle, needless to say that it went better than expected. I used the recording studio, (Studio 6) at college to record my voice, which is also used for the radio. I had quite a few attempts at this by using a programme called Sound Forge, which is owned by Sony. I spoke through a microphone quite a few times and by the end, i must have had seven attempts to play around with. I tried recording sitting down and standing up, and i felt that standing up gave me a better tone of voice.
Paul (my lecturer for A-level Media) put them on the N-Drive for me to access in the music tech room (T14). I then listened through them and picked one and opened it in Sound Forge. Using Sound Forge, i was able to edit it in many different ways and the outcomes were very interesting. The software allows you to record your voice through a microphone and edit it. You can change the pitch to high and to low which makes your voice sound like a chipmunk or a voice box thats far too broken and deep. You can change the echo so it sounds like your in a cave and you can change the tempo to fast or slow although i think this mostly depends on how high or low you set the pitch. There are many other effects which i could explain to you but there are some which have complex names. However, one of which is the 'Bender', this is the name of the effect. It puts your voice waves onto a chart with a zig zag line going from left to right and if you drag the line in different places, then you have a voice which could go from high to low, to high and then back to low. This was an effect which i was considering to use but it didn't sound professional for my liking, so i stuck with the tempo, pitch and the echo. Another Effect which is on Sound Forge is the fader, i didn't find this very useful as it fades the voice at what ever end you want it to. For example, it starts off quiet and then gradually gets louder, or alternatively, it starts loud and gets quieter. I personally didn't think this would be any use at all so i didn't use it. I think that it is important to make your voice clear, especially for the Jingle so that the listener can identify the ID for the radio station. There was an amplitude effect which wasn't very effective, if you turn it up only slightly, it starts to crackle a bit.
Anyway, i was experimenting with these recordings and came up with four possabilities, number 5 i am still working on at this moment in time but i should have it done by Tuesday, or maybe even by the end of the weekend if i can edit it over the college terminal. I am hoping that by the time the next lecture ends on Tuesday, i should have had all the editing done and hopefully have it placed over my Jingle which would be great! It would mean i would be able to go onto the next stage.
I think that everything is going brilliantly and i am also enjoying it alot.
14/10/2008
Media 14/10/08
Today, i am going to write about my media Proposals for my first project on the course.
For my project, i have to create a jingle along with a conversation with a guest speaker and some music. At the end of this, i should have created an opening sequence for a radio station of my choice, or it could be a fantasy radio station. This will run for approximatly 30 - 40 minutes. This show will be aimed at the younger generation, 16+ and as a result of this the show will be in an evening slot as most teens will be at school in the day time.
The theme for my radio station will be based on Drum'n'Base and my radio station will be called BASE FM, which, as far as i know, doesn't exsist so it is a fantasy radio station.
My Jingle will consist of music (Drum and Base) and speech which will give out the identity of the radio station to the Listeners. The Jingle will be set in a scenario where someone starts up a truck and tunes in the radio to BASE FM. The truck noise will then fade away as soon as the radio is in tune, leaving you with clear audio of my opening Jingle. It will then play a Drum and Base tune for roughly 5 or maybe 10 seconds and over the top of this there will be speech saying "You are tuned into...." and then there will be a rewind noise. Following that, there will be more speech saying, "You are tuned into.....BASE FM" with no music in the background.
This will be the point where the jingle ends and the presenting begins. I will present the show and introduce myself and of course the radio station. I will then give out hints as to who the guest will be, who will appear on the show. Following that i will explain what will be happening on the show and who my guest speaker is. At this point i will introduce the guest speaker and will just ask general questions on his past gigs, how he/she got into drum and base and how drum and base is actually played.
At this point i will play one or two examples of her/his music. This will then bring us to the end of the 30 - 40 minute show. i will close the show off by giving my thanks to the guest speaker and playing one final piece of music before the show actually ends.
I will construct this making the different pieces in order of sequence. So for example, the jingle scenario will be first, so i will make that first. Then i will record the opening speech that will go over the top of the Jingle that will give out the identity of the show. After that is finished i will move on to record the main part of the show and my conversions with my guest speaker, and finally. i will put in some examples of his music and finally, say my goodbyes and play the closing track for the station.
As far as my progress goes, i have already made the jingle and i am now ready to record the opening speech on friday that will go over the jingle.
All is going better than expected at this stage and i hope it carry's on that way.
For my project, i have to create a jingle along with a conversation with a guest speaker and some music. At the end of this, i should have created an opening sequence for a radio station of my choice, or it could be a fantasy radio station. This will run for approximatly 30 - 40 minutes. This show will be aimed at the younger generation, 16+ and as a result of this the show will be in an evening slot as most teens will be at school in the day time.
The theme for my radio station will be based on Drum'n'Base and my radio station will be called BASE FM, which, as far as i know, doesn't exsist so it is a fantasy radio station.
My Jingle will consist of music (Drum and Base) and speech which will give out the identity of the radio station to the Listeners. The Jingle will be set in a scenario where someone starts up a truck and tunes in the radio to BASE FM. The truck noise will then fade away as soon as the radio is in tune, leaving you with clear audio of my opening Jingle. It will then play a Drum and Base tune for roughly 5 or maybe 10 seconds and over the top of this there will be speech saying "You are tuned into...." and then there will be a rewind noise. Following that, there will be more speech saying, "You are tuned into.....BASE FM" with no music in the background.
This will be the point where the jingle ends and the presenting begins. I will present the show and introduce myself and of course the radio station. I will then give out hints as to who the guest will be, who will appear on the show. Following that i will explain what will be happening on the show and who my guest speaker is. At this point i will introduce the guest speaker and will just ask general questions on his past gigs, how he/she got into drum and base and how drum and base is actually played.
At this point i will play one or two examples of her/his music. This will then bring us to the end of the 30 - 40 minute show. i will close the show off by giving my thanks to the guest speaker and playing one final piece of music before the show actually ends.
I will construct this making the different pieces in order of sequence. So for example, the jingle scenario will be first, so i will make that first. Then i will record the opening speech that will go over the top of the Jingle that will give out the identity of the show. After that is finished i will move on to record the main part of the show and my conversions with my guest speaker, and finally. i will put in some examples of his music and finally, say my goodbyes and play the closing track for the station.
As far as my progress goes, i have already made the jingle and i am now ready to record the opening speech on friday that will go over the jingle.
All is going better than expected at this stage and i hope it carry's on that way.
10/10/2008
Media 10/10/08
Hi,
My name is Luke Mitchell. This is my first blog on Blogger.com and i would just like to take this opportunity to explain what my blogs will be all about.
Before i get started i am just going to explain a bit about myself.
I am a full time Student in the West Midlands of the UK. I am studying A-level Media, A-Level Art, ECDL Advance in ICT, GCSE English Retakes and Level 2 mathematics. In my spare time i like to play on my Nintendo DS Lite, my laptop (worms world party, The Sims 2, both of which are class games), my playstation 2 (Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, World Snooker Championship 05, Test Drive Unlimited). I also like to see friends, hang out with my girlfriend, travel to a few places, go bowling and go for a pint up my local pub.
The reason why i have set up this Blog site is so i can keep records of my progress of my media coursework throughout the accademic year.
Anyway, time for me to go and will blog back soon.
Bye for now.
Luke
My name is Luke Mitchell. This is my first blog on Blogger.com and i would just like to take this opportunity to explain what my blogs will be all about.
Before i get started i am just going to explain a bit about myself.
I am a full time Student in the West Midlands of the UK. I am studying A-level Media, A-Level Art, ECDL Advance in ICT, GCSE English Retakes and Level 2 mathematics. In my spare time i like to play on my Nintendo DS Lite, my laptop (worms world party, The Sims 2, both of which are class games), my playstation 2 (Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, World Snooker Championship 05, Test Drive Unlimited). I also like to see friends, hang out with my girlfriend, travel to a few places, go bowling and go for a pint up my local pub.
The reason why i have set up this Blog site is so i can keep records of my progress of my media coursework throughout the accademic year.
Anyway, time for me to go and will blog back soon.
Bye for now.
Luke
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