Big John @ Breakfast has an impact on its audience by influencing them via the content of the show. If a group of people listen to the show regularly enough they start to adopt some of the presenters ideologies and enforce them in their lives because the presenters have become familiar and a strong relationship has been forged. Also the competitions and adverts used on the broadcasting channel try to appeal to a more female audience such as the subway advert promoting healthy eating.
Another thing that needs to be understood about audiences is that there an audience member can be one of two things, either active or passive. There are two theories that support audiences being passive or active.
The Reception theory is one of them where an audience have a basic acceptance when they share a cultural background and interpret the product in similar ways meaning that they are actively involved with the product. The presenters also help to enforce the Reception Theory as the more heritage they share with their audience (ability to relate) the more the audience can interpret the product in the way it was intended to come across by decoding it properly rather than aberrantly decode. If the presenter and audience share the same heritage the audience can decode the preferred meanings and they can understand each other better.
The second one is the Hypodermic Syringe Theory, which demonstrates the audience being passive rather than active. The Hypodermic Syringe Theory is all about an audience fully accepting information and passively seeing the information as fact. As the name of the theory suggests it is all about a direct and powerful input of information that the audience accept and so the information has a powerful effect on its audiences. Another way of describing this is the audience being spoon fed by the media and the information is unquestioned. For example during the Big John broadcast the subway advert as mentioned above would be received by an active audience as people care for their health and would be more likely to act upon hearing the advert and consider buying a healthy subway unlike the Hampton and Hughes personal solicitors advert receiving a passive audience response as less people can relate to it and so more people will just absently mindedly listen to the advert.
All in all I would say Hallam FM's audience supports the Reception theory more over the hypodermic syringe theory due to the overwhelming influence they have on the show and direct contact with the presenters through the competitions etc.
2) How the product represents individuals (and the audience?) - Outline basic stereotypes and representations used by the show. GIVE EXAMPLES. Use the PPT to help. Outline some of the theory (Mulvey/Hall).
The product (the show) represents the audience through its presenters, as the discussion topics are relevant to the audience. The conversations usually depict family life and general local events. For example the presenters might talk about what happened on the television recently like discussing the Britain's Got Talent auditions / or talk about how fast their children are growing up. These discussions help to represent their audience as the main target for Hallam FM are mothers - even the branding colours pink and black are used to represent a female audience matching up to the female stereotype. The show times are also relevant to the mothers as Big John @ Breakfast is broadcast during the school run and work commute.
There are two theories associated with individuals representation in products the Male Gaze Theory and the Encoding and Decoding model of communication. The Male Gaze Theory is about how women are perceived and stereotyped, with females being seen as objects of desire rather than equal people. Encoding and Decoding is the way in which people interpret information. Encoding is how presenters try and make information work in their favour and manipulate it to come across in a certain way. Decoding is the receiving end of encoding and is how the audience understand encoded information. Hallam FM does not support the Male Glaze Theory as the show has female presenters and they are treated equally like Janine on the Big John @ Breakfast show.
3) legal and ethical issues (performing rights, copyright, royalties and PRS) Outline what copyright a radio show needs to abide by (PRS etc). GIVE EXAMPLES from the show
Radio serves the purpose of entertaining people and they main way they do this is is music. All music on the radio is protected by copyright laws meaning that the radio station has to get permission to broadcast the artists songs. Copyright laws allow the creator of the content to control the ways their music is used. In addition to respecting the creator’s wishes the radio station also has to pay royalties to them, which means they of paying to use their material and for the permission to broadcast it. For example Lorde's song royals was played on Big John @ Breakfast and Hallam would have paid her record company, Universal Music, royalties for the permission to play the song on air.
4) role of regulatory bodies (broadcasting codes) - Regulatory bodies. Include the main broadcasting codes for the content (non-adverts like interviews and vox pops, topics, presenter led) from the show outlined by Ofcom. GIVE EXAMPLES from your show. Include the main ASA/BCAP codes for the content of adverts. GIVE EXAMPLES that show some of your adverts apply to these main ones.
Ofcom is one of the main regulatory bodies in radio broadcasting and take action under the Communications Act (2003) and the Broadcasting Act (1996). As a regulatory body they have the responsibility to check radio-broadcasting content and have the authority to enforce the consumer protection law. For example Galaxy FM had a segment of one of their shows where by a consumer would call in and ask for the presenter to end their relationship on air. This breaks many broadcasting codes on their website they state that 'When problems occur Ofcom has the powers to step in and take action for the benefit of citizens and consumers. This can involve encouraging competition or resolving regulatory disputes between communications providers. We also enforce consumer protection law, protect and manage the radio spectrum, and ensure viewers and listeners are protected from offensive and harmful material and treated fairly.' Radio has no watershed like TV and this is because radio is more widely available via apps, live steaming and a traditional radio itself. This then means that children potentially have access to radio shows and content at all times so the content has to be safe for children meaning that all radio shows have a strict code to follow when presenting. For example the use and abuse of drugs cant be discussed, referenced or implied and the same goes for sex to protect innocent minds. As well as keeping the radio safe for younger listeners Ofcom also prevent and correct any content that would be offensive. This could be the presenter being rude or incriminating towards audience members that get in touch whilst on air or the presenter discussing sensitive topics such as religion and politics sharing their bias personal opinions.
Hallam FM keep within the broadcasting rules set by Ofcom. The particular broadcast of Big John @ Breakfast that has been studied on this website even has adverts from the South Yorkshire Police advising people on how to keep safe during Christmas. Big John and his fellow presenters all keep well within the Broadcasting Act by keeping all content child safe, indiscriminate and unbiased. The conversation topics that make up the most of the content are havily based around generalised topics such as what was on the television recently.
An Example of an incident regarding Hallam FM and an Ofcom investigation:
Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin, Issue 140, 24 August 2009, 17 In Breach, Trail for Win with Sky, Hallam FM (SouthYorkshire), 22 April 2009 to 1 May 2009, various times.
Introduction
Win with Sky was a sponsored listener competition feature, broadcast daily in Hallam FM’s breakfast show from 27 April 2009 to 1 May 2009. It was promoted regularly in a programming trail from 22 April 2009. The trail lasted thirty seconds. It informed listeners that the broadcaster was conducting a competition during this or the following week, described the prize of “Sky free for a year” and ended with the following sponsorship credit:“Win with Sky – more of the TV you want, without paying for the stuff you don’t – with Big John at Breakfast on Hallam FM.” A listener disagreed with the claim, “…more of the TV you want, without paying for the stuff that you don’t”, adding that if someone wanted to watch only Sky Sports or Sky Movies, they would “still have to pay for at least 1 of … 6 entertainment packs.” Rule 9.10 of the Code requires that radio sponsorship credits are “cleared for broadcast in the same way as advertisements.” Section 1 Rule 4.6 of the BCAP Radio Advertising Standards Code (“the BCAP Code”) requires that “‘special categories’ of advertisements or sponsorship”, which include forms of UK-wide media (for example, Sky – the sponsor in this case), are approved in advance for broadcast by the Radio Advertising Clearance Centre (RACC). Ofcom sought Hallam FM’s confirmation that the sponsor credit was appropriately cleared for broadcast. We also pointed out to the broadcaster that, if the credit had
not been approved by the RACC, it must ensure that no sponsorship credits featuring the contested claim were broadcast again until central (i.e. RACC) copy clearance had been obtained.
Response
Bauer Radio, which owns Hallam FM, confirmed that RACC approval had not been obtained prior to the broadcast of the sponsor credit and apologised for its oversight concerning UK-wide media as a ‘special category’ of sponsor. Bauer said that it had taken steps to avoid recurrence, adding that it strived to comply with the Code and it intended to address the matter in its Sales and Promotions teams’ compliance training programme.
Decision
We welcomed Bauer’s apology, action and assurance. However, failure to ensure that sponsorship crediting any UK-wide media (in this case, Sky) is appropriately cleared for broadcast is a clear breach of Section 1 Rule 4.6 of the BCAP Code. The sponsor credit had not been approved by the RACC in advance of broadcast, and therefore should not have been aired and was in breach of the BCAP Code.
Breach of Rule 9.10 of the Code
Breach of Section 1 (Advertisements), Rule 4.6 (Central Copy Clearance) of the
BCAP Code
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpLryfOm2qs <-- A link to Danny Dumps
