LO4: Evaluation of Radio Show

Evaluation

I think our radio show meets the majority of the points of the brief that we received. I also think it effectively targets the demographic we set out to reach; below I will analyse the sections of our radio programme to explain why.

Content ("Latest Fixtures" & "Transfer Rumours")

Although we tried to follow the codes and conventions of a typical sports radio show; we tried to convey our content in a more professional manner to distinguish it from other radio shows like TalkSport and Total Football. This meant that there was slightly less "back and forth" conversation between the presenters, however, I would argue that we managed to find a good balance of giving a slightly longer analysis of the matches and keeping a good overall flow to our radio show. We felt this allowed us to better address our target audience as it meant that more of the show was focused explicitly on the facts of football and not just the presenters opinions.

News

The news section was the shortest of the dialogue sections featured on Onside FM. This is because we tried to focus the show explicitly on the football as that was the main purpose of our radio show. We believed that this would allow us to better address our target audience. Although Onside FM was to be broadcast on a local station, we felt it would be more appropriate to give a concise overview of the national headlines as this way our listeners would be well informed of all the day's major events without distracting too much from the main focus of the show, the football. 

Use Of Music

I feel that the music we used in our show represents the target audience well as we played a mixture of indie and Brit-pop music like Oasis and Blur. Our target audience will most likely have grown up listening to music like this so it could even offer a sense of nostalgia which may make listeners think of our radio show in a more positive light. Even if listeners didn't grow up listening to the music we featured I would argue that it is still relevant to them as there is a strong link between football casual culture and the music genres of indie and Brit-pop. 

Changes or amendments

Changes and amendments were made to the show throughout its production; improving its quality to get it to a professional standard was an ongoing task. The main issue was the tone of voice used in the radio show. Both presenters mumbled some of the sentences in the match analysis section of the show as the text that the presenters had to read wasn't worded very well. This resulted in us having to re-record certain sections of the radio show. Another of the larger amendments came in the editing stage of our radio show. We had to adjust the "gain" of the audio clips we used as some of the audio peaked too high and was not consistent throughout the broadcast so we had to ensure that all of the audio peaks were normalised to ensure that the volume of the show was consistent throughout. In the first draft of our radio show, it came to our attention that in certain places the bedding track (crowd background noise) was too loud in parts which sometimes made it difficult to understand what the presenters were saying. As a result of this, we had to split the bedding track into sections and fade its volume in places where it got too loud or the presenters' voices became quieter. Making these changes allowed us to produce a radio show that was consistent throughout its duration, leading to it both following the guidelines of the brief and the codes and conventions of a traditional talk/sports radio show. 

LO4: Producing the Radio Show

Production Schedule

Offline Edit
Our offline edit shows what we were creating and proves that it is important to have a plan to work to when creating a final product. As we did multiple takes of our radio show,  I will have to select the version of each line which I want to use and then put them all in order on Garage Band in order to produce the offline edit. Seeing what issues there are in a raw version of the show with no added effects or audio editing will make it clear what parts need to be edited in the final version to ensure that it meets a professional standard.

Setting up Equipment & Recording

Final Version

LO3: Codes & Conventions of the Genre of Planned Show

The codes and conventions of a sports (particularly a football) show are to be very upbeat in the approach and the presenters should aim to communicate this and enforce the ideal partner/ideal self. The show must be energetic as many fans will still be buzzing from the atmosphere of the football matches they have attended. We should aim to keep this energy to give the show positive connotations to the listener.  In my lo 1 research, i noticed that a lot of radio shows have funny talking segments which are based on everyday life. Sports shows will also always play music to keep the sense of excitement their listeners have gained from watching the football going. I also noticed that they often have listener call in to give their opinions on recent football matches/rumours, this helps to get the audience involved in the show. I have also noticed that in the conventions of a talk/sports show there is a great deal of back and forth conversation between the presenters; this keeps the audience engaged and l allows for anecdotes and content to be communicated seamlessly.

LO3: Legal & Ethical Issues Associated with Planned Show

OFCOM Broadcasting Code Guidance

Section 1: Protecting under 18's and Offensive language on the Radio 

All content of the radio station should be suitable for under 18's. This means swearing, crude comments and other inappropriate content should be kept off the show. Adhering to this section is crucial as people under the age of eighteen may listen to our radio programme. The script has been checked to make sure that any comments that could be seen as inappropriate are not included in the final broadcast.

Section 5: Due Impartiality and Due Accuracy and Undue Prominence of Views and Opinions

It is of utmost importance that all information on our radio show is factually correct at the time of recording to avoid being prosecuted for slander. For our radio show, this includes news updates, transfer rumours, opinions and interviews. It is important that we adhere to this information as misinforming our listenership could result in a damaged reputation for any persons mentioned during a broadcast.

Section 8: Privacy 

During the broadcast of Onside FM, the presenters (myself and Josh) must ensure that they do not release any information that was given to them in confidence that would make a person feel uncomfortable. This applies to our player interviews more than any other part of our show. We must ensure that unless information comes directly from the player himself, we have permission to talk about certain comments on the advert. Failure to do so could result in a negative backlash and possibly legal issues.

LO2: Production Technologies

Whether its a public service broadcaster like the BBC or a commercial broadcaster like Kerrang FM or Hallam FM, all radio stations use similar, if not the same equipment. The quality of equipment might vary depending on the how successful the broadcaster is or who it is owned by as a radio station owned by a conglomerate is highly likely to have a good amount of funding. For example, a national and public funded broadcaster like the BBC will have state of the art equipment whereas a smaller, regional broadcaster like Sheffield Live will not.

Microphone

This is the most vital piece of equipment used for creating a radio programme as it allows the presenters to record what they are saying. A microphone processor will also be used to control the volume of the microphone. The processor is what connects the microphone to a computer, allowing it to be digitally manipulated into a digital file (.mp3, .WAV etc).

Mixing Desk

An audio desk is used in all radio productions that have some sort of a budget. It allows for the volume of different audio channels to be controlled quickly. An audio desk is very large and expensive and many of the functions that it was created to perform can be done on a computer for most radio shows. 

Computer

A computer is arguably one of the most important pieces of technology to have when creating a modern, cost-efficient radio programme. Technological convergence has allowed for many of the tasks that would usually be completed on a larger, more expensive piece to be performed by software such as Adobe Audition. 

Phone Talkback System

Some radio shows feature call-ins from their listeners; a phone talkback system allows for the call to be broadcast directly into the main microphone on the show so that listeners can hear what the caller is saying live. The devices often come with echo cancelling technology so the calls are easy to hear.

LO2: Distribution of Radio in the UK

In the 1920's, AM radio was the most common form of radio when it became widely available to everyday people. In the 1950's, FM radio became available to the public. This change was made as AM radio is more prone to interference, although FM radio can still be interrupted by physical factors (e.g. when a car radio stops working as it goes through a tunnel). FM radio also offered a higher definition sound. 

In modern times there are a number of ways people can access the radio, not just the previousley mentioned traditional analogue ways. The most common would be digital radio, which allows people to listen to the radio using the internet. This has lead to a reduction in people owning physical radios as the overwhelming majority of homes in the UK have access to the internet. Methods of accessing the radio digitally are very accessible thanks to technological convergence. Many companies, like the BBC for example, have smartphone applications that can be used to access the radio digitally; this has added a portability element to radio usage. Mobile applications like BBC Iplayer allow people to catch-up on things they have missed. This could be particularly useful for people who listen to radio soap operas like "The Archers" as it means people don't have to have a set time for when they listen to it, they can watch it at their convenience. 

As well as digital radio, some of the UK's most popular radio stations like BBC 1 and Capital FM have made their radio broadcasts avaliable over television. Technological convergence has also allowed for the size of many radio components to become smaller and easier to make cheaply. This means that many devices now can access radio stations such as cars, phones and headphones.  

In conclusion, the distribution has changed drastically over the last century. This has gone some way to stop the platform from becoming entirely obsolete; however, with the increasing popularity of streaming services like Spotify, it is only a matter of time until radio stops existing in its current form at least. 

LO1: Analysis of a Radio Programme

Analysis of TalkSPORT - The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast

Purpose

The purpose of this talk show is mainly to entertain as Alan Brazil could be described as quite a lively character. We can assume the purpose is to entertain primarily because of the host. Alan Brazil is a boisterous character that brings an element of humour to everything he does. The show's purpose is also to inform as Alan Brazil discusses all the latest sports information from the last 24 hours. The show also features an hourly news segment that lasts for a few minutes. The show is aired on weekday mornings between 06:00 am and 10:00 am.

Income

TalkSport is owned by
The main advertiser is Ford (particularly transit vans),  a car company that has a similar target audience to the radio show. Other advertisers include Selco builders warehouse and Paddypower. All of these companies could be said to cater specifically to people from the C2DE categories of the NRS social scale. As football is traditionally considered a working-class sport; I would say that these sponsors/advertisers are very appropriate as Ford Transit vans, for example, are primarily used by tradesmen and women who would mostly belong to the same C2DE brackets of the NRS social scale that would listen to The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast or any other TalkSport show.

Scheduling

As stated in the title of the show; the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast is broadcast in the morning. Other TalkSPORT shows are broadcast after the regular kick-off games have finished (5pm) or during some Tuesday Night games.

Content

In terms of content, the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast discusses a plethora of sports, not just football like the majority of the shows. There is a 60-second news bulletin every half an hour. This show doesn't feature any "phone-ins" however other shows that take place after live football matches usually do.

Staff & Resources

The main presenter is of the programme is Alan Brazil. I believe he is a good choice for the presenter as he is loud and talkative. This works well for the programme as it enables him to put more passion into his football discussions. As the show is broadcast in a morning, his boisterous tone probably helps wake people up a bit too.

LO3: Planning a Radio Show

Initial Ideas

1. Onside FM, Touchline FM, Football First. We have chosen these names as they are all related to football (Onside is a football term, the touchline is the white line all round the pitch)
2. Stay onside for the latest football news (uses the term from the name of the program in the slogan - catchy), The latest news on the beautiful game, Putting football first (Directly using the name of the program).
3. Our programme would be aired from 5pm every Saturday and occasionally late on Tuesdays if there have been any weekday matches. 5pm would be an ideal time to Broadcast on a Saturday as this is just after all the football matches will have finished so people will likely be driving home in their cars which is where people listen to radio the most. 
4. The genre will be football/general sport
5. Press conferences, post-match interview, live commentary, fan opinions
6. Ian Wright, Lee Dixon, Lynsey Hipgrave
7. As our average listener is around 30 years old we will play 90's music and some indie rock (e.g. Step On - Happy Mondays, The Only One I Know - Charlatans, Supersonic - Oasis, Disco 2000 - Pulp)
8. 
   
9. Nike, Adidas, Puma, Lucozade, Trainline (as fans will use trains to travel to away games)

Scheduling & Justification

Our programme would be aired from 5pm every Saturday and occasionally late on Tuesdays if there have been any weekday matches. 5pm would be an ideal time to Broadcast on a Saturday as this is just after all the football matches will have finished so people will likely be driving home in their cars which is where people listen to radio the most. 

Content

As we are creating a football-talk radio show, the majority of the content will be filled with a talk segment.  The age range of our show is 26-40 and our content will reflect that as our show will feature mature discussions about the footballing world. The music we play will also relate to our target audience. There is a strong link between football casual culture and the indie/brit pop scene and as our target audience will have grown up listening to bands like Oasis and Blur, it makes sense to include these in our radio show. 

Jingles

The jingles for our show should relate to the theme of football. We could use the sound of a referee's whistle, a cheering crowd or a ball being kicked. The jingle should also include the name of the show to help reinforce the brand we are trying to create. Any bedding music used in the jingle should follow the same theme as the music played on the show (indie, brit pop etc.).

News Section

A fire at a care home for the elderly in Chingford, North-East London has seen one of the residents tragically lose their life.  Eight residents and four carers managed to get out of the three-storey block before fire fighters arrived at the scene. When crews arrived, two floors and the roof of the building were alight, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said. Paramedics treated the woman but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Plastic straws and cotton buds could be banned in England as part of the government's bid to cut plastic waste. Ministers pointed to one estimate that 8.5bn plastic straws were thrown away in the UK every year. The prime minister said plastic waste was "one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world". And Theresa May will urge leaders at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which began earlier, to follow the UK's lead in tackling the problem.

Prime Minister Theresa May clashed with the leader of the opposition Jeremy Corbyn at PMQ’s this week. In reference to the Windrush furore, Jeremy Corbyn accused Theresa May of having run a "heartless and hopeless" Home Office and now being in charge of a "callous and incompetent" government. But the prime minister told him that she initiated the Race Disparity Audit, and would not take accusations of being "callous" from a man who "allows anti-Semitism to run rife in his party" You are now up to date with the latest news headlines, let's get back to the show.

Assets Required for Production

Referee Whistle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da_M2crWscM

Crowd Noise: http://www.mediafire.com/file/ni75bfkb9uy5hx0/small+football+crowd+by+FNC.mp3

Ball Kick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-XcRTSstu8

Blur - Parklife: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSuHrTfcikU

Oasis - Cigarettes & Alcohol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaeLKhRnkhQ

Script 

JINGLE: 00:00 – 00:04	You’re listening to Onside FM; stay onside for the latest news.
Presenter 1: 00:04 - 00	The final whistle may have blown on today’s football league fixtures but we’re just kicking off here at Onside FM.
Presenter 2:	That’s right, coming up on todays show we’ll be discussing the results of todays big games as well as all of next weeks important fixtures including the Champions League and Europa League games.
Presenter 1:	We also have a transfer special where we’ll be discussing all the latest transfer rumours.
Presenter 2:	It’s certainly going to be a great show; first lets kick it off with a 90’s classic, this is Blur with Parklife.
Sound:	Song plays Blur – Park Life, Duration 3:23
JINGLE:	You’re listening to Onside FM; stay onside for the latest news.
Presenter 1:	That was Blur with Parklife, now lets get straight into todays results
Presenter 2:	In arguably todays biggest fixture; Manchester City have beaten Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 at Wembley to edge closer to the Premier League title. Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, Ilkay Gundogan made it 2-0 3 minutes later after calmly slotting away a penalty and Christian Eriksen got one back for the hosts before half time. The second half was fairly uneventful until Raheem Sterling put City out of sight by adding a third to the blues total. This result means that if West Brom beat Manchester United tomorrow then the red devils will be mathematically unable to catch City meaning they will claim the Premier League this season.
Presenter 1:	It was a tighter affair down at the bottom end of the table as Crystal Palace beat Brighton in a five-goal thriller that finished 3-2 to the hosts. Surprisingly, all five goals were scored in the first 35 minutes of the match thanks to a series of early goals from Wilfred Zaha and James Tomkins.
Presenter 2:	In todays most important mid-table clash, Burnley beat Leicester City to edge closer to the possibility of European football next season. Chris wood netted the opener for the home side with Kevin Long heading in a quick second in the 9th minute. Leicester didn’t get back into the game until star striker and England international Jamie Vardy found the back of the net in the 72nd minute but it was too little too late for the former Premier League winners.
	*Sound Effect*
Presenter 1:	There was late drama at Saint Marys as Chelsea managed to beat Southampton 3-2 after being 2-0 down until the 70th minute. Tadic and Bednarek scored for the Saints in what was looking like an unexpected yet comfortable win as Chelsea were struggling in the oppositions half.
Presenter 2:	That was until Olivier Giroud came off the bench. The former arsenal striker found the net twice for the London giants with Belgian winger Eden Hazard adding an assist and a goal to his record for this season. Chelsea will be glad for the 3 points here as it keeps their hopes of Champions League qualification alive.
Presenter 1:	In todays other games; Huddersfield beat Watford 1-0, Swansea drew 1-1 with Everton and Liverpool comfortably beat Bournemouth 3-0.
Presenter 2:	We’ve got a transfer special coming up later on the show but now here are your latest news headlines.
Presenter 1:	A fire at a care home for the elderly in Chingford, North-East London has seen one of the residents tragically lose their life.  Eight residents and four carers managed to get out of the three-storey block before fire fighters arrived at the scene. When crews arrived, two floors and the roof of the building were alight, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said. Paramedics treated the woman but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Presenter 2:	Plastic straws and cotton buds could be banned in England as part of the government's bid to cut plastic waste. Ministers pointed to one estimate that 8.5bn plastic straws were thrown away in the UK every year. The prime minister said plastic waste was "one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the world". And Theresa May will urge leaders at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which began earlier, to follow the UK's lead in tackling the problem.
Presenter 1:	Prime Minister Theresa May clashed with the leader of the opposition Jeremy Corbyn at PMQ’s this week. In reference to the windrush furore, Jeremy Corbyn accused Theresa May of having run a "heartless and hopeless" Home Office and now being in charge of a "callous and incompetent" government. But the prime minister told him that she initiated the Race Disparity Audit, and would not take accusations of being "callous" from a man who "allows anti-Semitism to run rife in his party" You are now up to date with the latest news headlines, lets get back to the show.
*Jingle*
Presenter 2:	On to transfer rumours now, always a very interesting topic. Our rumour of the week this week is Anthony Martial to Atletico Madrid and Antoine Griezmann going the other way.
Presenter 1:	Very interesting, I feel that this could realistically happen; both still young, Martial’s only 22, Griezmann is 27 so shouldn’t be reaching his peak or in his peak currently. Still got plenty of years left in them both however, obviously Martial is a huge young talent who hasn’t really seen the game time he’d have liked but when he’s been playing he’s really performed hasn’t he?
Presenter 2:	Yes, I can’t really understand why Mourinho hasn’t been playing him much this season, I know they’ve got a lot of forward talent at Man United but still, he’s an outstanding player, maybe he’ll want Griezmann as a more proven player, even though he hasn’t proved it in the Premier league he is still undoubtedly a great player. Griezmann has scored 26 goals and notched up 13 assists in 42 games this season. Martial has scored 11 goals and assisted ten time in 41 appearances this season, lots of which have been as a substitute. I think this transfer will happen. Maybe not Griezmann to United but Martial to Athletico I feel is a great move.
Presenter 1:	I agree. I’d have Martial over Griezmann to be fair. He’s got a lot of potential, room to improve and he’s a signing for the future. Griezmann is more a signing for here and now and at the minute, I feel they need more than Griezmann to catch up with Man City, but what do you think let us know on Twitter its @OnsideFMTR. Jacob, what other rumours you got?
Presenter 2:	Well, there are rumours circulating about Sergio Aguero wanting to leave City when his contract is over.
Presenter 1:	I think this one is guaranteed.
Presenter 2:	Really?
Presenter 1:	Yeah, he’s been at City for a long time know, he’s their top scorer now, he’s won the league numerous times with them. I just think he’ll want a change of scenery.
Presenter 2:	But he’s loved at City. You think he’d want to move away from a club with fans that love him?
Presenter 1:	No and that’s why I think he’ll go back to Athletico as well.
Presenter 2:	Now that’s interesting, him and Martial playing for the same team, Costa’s still there. They’ll be a force to be reckoned with. However, his contract isn’t up for another year, you’ll still have him for another season City fans, but what do you think. Where does Aguero’s future lie, let us know again its @OnsideFMTR. Let’s cut to a song while we’re waiting for you guys to get in touch. Here’s Oasis with Cigarettes & Alcohol.
Presenter 1:	That’s all from me and Jacob today; don’t forget to tune in to our late show on Tuesday night where we’ll be discussing the results from the midweek fixtures.

LO1: Investigation of the Radio Industry

Kerrang! Radio or Kerrang! 105.2 is a specialist rock music radio station currently broadcasting to London on DAB and across the United Kingdom on Freeview and various online platforms. It is part of the Bauer Passion Portfolio. This means that Bauer Media is the conglomerate behind the entire Kerrang! brand (Radio Station, Magazine). 70% of Kerrang!'s listeners are between the ages of 15 and 24; in comparison to Hallam FM (the number one radio station for South Yorkshire and the North Midlands) whose listeners tend to be between the ages of 25 and 45. As well as being broadcast locally on 105.2 FM in the West Midlands, Kerrang! is broadcast nationally on DAB. This reflects its young target audience as most young people are more likely to listen to the radio on the internet than through traditional sources. In comparison to Hallam Fm whose main focus is to bring radio to people across South Yorkshire (however it does also broadcast online). As only 37 % of Hallam FM's audience fall into the ABC1 category of the NRS social scale, you could say that it is targeted more towards working class people; this is shown by the topics of conversation on shows like "Big John at Breakfast" and by the places where the station is advertised (Sheffield Wednesday/United football grounds, Ponds Forge Leisure centre etc.). In comparison to the listeners of Kerrang!, over half of whom would fall into the ABC1 categories of the NRS social scale. In terms of how Kerrang! is actually broadcasted, Bauer shares a multiplex with Capital Radio. In each area (e.g. London, Birmingham) a number of stations are broadcast together in something called a multiplex. The operator of the multiplex contracts with multiple radio stations so they can broadcast on the platform. In comparison with Hallam FM which is broadcast on analogue transmission which broadcasts one channel per wavelength.