Summer Project: Coursework Planning

Research: Lifestyle TV Adverts

1)

Nike: Nothing Beats a Londoner

Narrative:

The story of this advert begins with the man at the start whose friend was supposed to meet him but now wants the man to cycle to his location instead. As he complains about cycling it is then followed by a number of people comparing their struggles with one another suggesting what they have to do is much harder than the previous person that said something

Audience:

This advert suggests that people that use this product or brand are hardworking and go to the very extreme being the toughest of the tough. It also suggests that mainly athletic people use the product rather than less active people.

Representation:

In this advert young people are represented as being strong and capable of doing many difficult tasks. Though some may look intimidating they aren't represented as being violent apart from the person who had to 'fight' in order to play basketball in which he meant in a game.

Publix: Graduation

Narrative:

The story of this advert tells about the life of a young boy and his parents who watched him from day 1 to his graduation day. It begins with the picture that his Dad took of him when he was young which he is know holding in his hand at the graduation. Throughout the years his parents always told the boy that he could do it even when he failed they still encouraged him and it was with that support that he was able to graduate from University, his Dad looking at the picture and remembering those times.

Audience:

This advert suggests that people who use this product aim to see their kids off to a good future with the food that they provide ensuring they get the best food to encourage them.

Representations:

Young people have been represented in many different ways, when the boy was much younger he instantly listened to what his parents told him to do. When he appeared to be in his teenage years he started to become more defiant and questioning asking why he even had to do the work in the first place followed by him promptly failing his test with his parents having to come into school. After this he is seen listening to his Mum throughout and when he's much older he's happy to tell his Mum that he got into University.

Lynx
Narrative:
The story of this advert is that there are many guys who seem to question if they are 'manly enough' because of common stereotypes that are said. Due to this many guys feel insecure and pressured which is perfectly depicted in this advert.

Audience:
This advert suggests that the people who use this product are most likely to be young people that question themselves a lot and need the confirmation/recognition of someone else in order to feel confident about something.

Representation:
The representation of young people in this advert is that they are actually really self-conscious about themselves and what is actually considered to be 'alright' in today's society which is an accurate reflection of society.

Apple Beats 1 Radio

Background, Industries and the impact of the Internet

1)
Our music listening habits have changed immensely from the 1960s one aspect is the fact that we don't have to primarily rely on the radio for music, as a matter of fact hardly anyone listens to the radio anymore. Additionally, the main devices we use to listen to music are mobile phones which are not only portable but can be consumed at any time rather than live. The quality of audio we have now has also greatly improved and there is a much wider variety of music for different age groups.

2)
Apple Beats 1 Radio launched in 2015 as a free live streaming global radio station deemed to be 'always on'. It is wholly owned by Apple and is believed to work across genres but has a main focal point on rap and indie music.

3)
iTunes acts as a virtual record store and as an efficient digital library for all kinds of media (music, TV shows, movies etc) which allows user to personally own these different media. iTunes itself is pre-installed on all Apple devices but can also be downloaded for free on non-Apple devices not requiring a subscription fee. Apple Music however is about streaming in order to gain access to Apple Music's entire music selection you must first pay a fee which doesn't however mean that you own the music you listen to. Beats 1 Radio is an internet-based worldwide radio station.

4)
Apple was so keen to enter the online music world to compete with Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer (and others) because they wanted to gain more control over the streaming market. As Apple is already a well known company with just as loyal and substantial customers through iTunes and their products Apple Beats 1 Radio was merely a method of keeping Apple customers away from their competitors.

5)
I think that Apple chose the three selected DJs for launch as they each have quite a lot of experience along with large fan bases that are likely to listen to Apple Beats because of them. Additionally, the fact that they are focused on different genres and areas of the world also makes for a unique and diverse launch. Finally, they each have a good reputation with their audiences which can also help to boost/improve the reputation of Apple.

6)
The use of DJs differs from Spotify, Amazon Music and other streaming services as Apple Beats 1 is more focused on the quality of the DJs as audiences can build Personal Relationships with them inn order to become emotionally invested in the Radio.

7)
The content of the Julie Adenuga show differs from Radio 1 as her show is much more casual, informal and unplanned making it seem more natural and similar to the conversations young people would normally have which is the target audience.

8)
Beats 1 Radio gives Apple the power to make or break new artists because Apple already has such a large number of consumers which are likely to listen to Beats 1 Radio. Beats 1 Radio therefore has a big platform that are going to listen to what the DJs with high reputations have to say but as a result of some artists having partnerships with Apple there will be more preference over them. Due to this, the artists that are partnered with Apple are more likely to have their music shared more than artist that aren't and have more things to say in order to promote those artists. I think that this is bad for the music industry because those that aren't partnered with Apple but still have good music won't have an opportunity to get their names out there compared to those who are partnered with Apple.

9)
From reading the BBC feature on the launch on Apple Beats 1 Radio I think that some industry experts thought it would be successful and others thought it would be unsuccessful. I believe that some thought it would e successful as Apple is already such a big company with lots of people that use their products which is likely to bring them into listening to Apple Beats 1 Radio as well. The reason why others thought it would be unsuccessful is because rather than targeting mainstream audiences Apple Beats 1 decided to target niche audiences instead which in turn excludes a large amount of possible consumers.

10)
Beats 1 could potentially become a threat to traditional media industries due to the fact that not only do they have a large number of customers but they also own devices which can be used to access the radio rather than going out to buy records. The fact that Beats 1 has such well known DJs means that listeners will not only listen to the music played but also to build a personal relationship with the DJs which may not be able to be developed by other radio stations causing them to lose listeners. Additionally, the only place that listeners will be buying music from is Apple which could pose as a problem for other online music retailers as people will no longer be buying their music. Beats 1 could also become a threat for radio stations that only play music such as 1Xtra and Kiss as they are all only focused on Music but with a company as big as Apple doing the same thing it wouldn't be surprising for all their listeners to start listening to Beats 1 instead.

Beats 1 may not pose as a threat to traditional media industries as the fact remains that they are only just starting out and although they may be exceptional at creating mobile devices who is to say they can produce a good enough radio station. This is due to the fact that Beats 1 is simply riding off the fame of Apple and if not for Apple no one might have even heard of Beats 1. Although, Apple is a well known company, radio stations that have been around for years are not going to be brought down buy a new radio station even if it is made by the likes of Apple. Apple may have money but they don't have the years of trust in their radio that other radio stations have. Radio stations that aren't focused on music and actually give information on the news will not be threatened by Beats 1 as they have other content besides music that audiences listen to the radio for.

Audience

1)
The target audience for Beats 1 and Julie Adenuga in particular are teenagers and young adults from ages 14-29 of both genders. The location of the audience would be the USA and mainly the UK as that is roughly where the 3 launch DJs were located. Julie Adenuga's audience could consist of people from BAME groups as she is associated with UK rap and grime which is quite commonly linked to these groups. The audience is also likely to be an Explorer as they are always looking for new things and are usually quite young in nature which is perfect for what Beats 1 is offering.


2)
People listen to Beats 1 because it is made by such a big company that is relatively known worldwide and so as a vast majority of people actually own Apple devices it's more convenient for them to listen to Beats 1. Additionally, the fact that some equally well known DJs are also working for Beats 1 is sure to interest a lot of people which will make them listen to Beats 1 especially for the popular artist that are partnered with Apple such as Taylor Swift herself. Another reason why people listen to Beat 1 is because it actually gives out information about emerging artists and new songs created by other artists keeping you updated with what's going on in the Music community. People can also identify with the DJs who aren't too formal which makes them feel distant but rather informal so much so that it feels as though you are having a casual conversation with them yourself allowing you to relate to them. Finally, Beats 1 also provides entertainment with the music being played and also with guest appearances that may be happening which allows audiences to escape into the world of those people rather than themselves. 

3)
The audience can actively interact with the Apple Beats 1 Radio via their Twitter account that allows audiences to make requests for songs. Along with this there is also a Mixtape segment where audiences can submit their own songs which they themselves have created which in turn supports the creativity of the audiences. Also, it is the audience that buys the music you hear rather than it being offered to them to listen to. Finally, it is audiences (prosumers) that can make playlists for other audiences (customers) which makes it more personalised and based on an actual opinion rather than songs that are made by artists partnered with Apple (producers). It could also be argued that the audience is slightly passive due to the fact that they are simply listening to what the DJs are playing as the DJs won't always follow up on requests made by the audience. Additionally, the Twitter account only has 565k so the likeliness of them actually listening to the requests is quite low.

4)
Apple Beats 1 is actually aimed at niche audiences despite the fact that it claims to cover all genres when the main focus for Beats 1 is Hip Hop and Rap. This greatly differs from Radio 1 which is made to suit mainstream audiences and follows up on being able to cover all genres like Apple Beats 1 claims to do. 

5)
Apple Beats 1 would have been popular with young people back in the 1960s as a free radio and could have rivalled Radio 1 but with such quality streaming services being available to young now I don't think that Beats 1 will become popular among anyone really. This is because although it is made by a company as big and well known as Apple the idea of radio itself is something that just isn't popular among young people anymore no matter what stance it takes I believe that radio will always have the same view of being outdated. Not only this but YouTube has also been around for such a longtime and has always been a streaming service that almost everyone uses worldwide compare to Apple who wants to have control of almost every area which isn't going to happen. Streaming services are the future of audio based media and not even a company like Apple can change this no matter how big they are.

End of Year 1: Learner Response

GCSE Media Studies Year 1: Learner Response

1)

I am relatively pleased with my End of Year 1 exam results.

2)

I am quite happy with the fact that I got a Grade 7 in the first paper but am a bit disappointed that my Grade was brought down by my second paper. Despite this, I thought it went very well and I am alright with what I got.

3)

I feel that my strongest topic areas from what we've studied so far are Magazines and Advertisements as I achieved relatively high marks on questions involving these topics. I feel that my weakest topic areas from what we've studied so far are select parts of TV such as the social and cultural aspects of it which is a question I struggled with quite a bit.

4)

In the next set of mock exams in November/December I will make sure to polish my exam techniques and work more on my timing which prevents me from writing the required amount of paragraphs I need for a higher grade. I will also make sure that I really look into social and cultural context in order to get a better understanding of what the question is actually asking me.

5)

The grade I hope to achieve in GCSE Media Studies this time next year is a Grade 8 to 9 considering the fact that I was able to get a Grade 7 in paper 1.

Radio 1 Launch Case Study CSP

Historical, Social and Cultural Context

1)
The Radio stations that were offered by the BBC before 1967 were: BBC Radio Home which then became Radio 4; BBC Third which then became Radio 3; BBC Radio Light which then became Radio 1 (pop music) and Radio 2 (easy listening music entertainment).

2)
The BBC realised that the content that their audiences were paying the license fee for wasn't actually appealing to everyone. Younger people found that there was not enough content for them which led to them looking to things such as pirate radio which did appeal to them. In order to counter this and prevent it from getting any bigger the BBC decided to reorganise and rename their channels. BBC Radio 1 offers continuous 'popular' while BBC Radio 2 provides for 'easy listening'. BBC Radio 3 offers classical music and cultural programming whereas BBC Radio offers news and non-musical content like quiz shows, readings, dramas and plays.

3)
Due to the changing attitudes of young people towards music and youth culture in the early 1960s pop music was becoming more relaxed meaning that the need for a new radio outlet was imperative for a less formal presentation style which the BBC could not offer. This is how pirate radio stations came about as they could produce shows for young people however it was also beyond the control of regulators. After Needle Time was introduced it meant that only 5 hours of music could be played per day though this restriction could not be imposed on them because the law was difficult to apply off shore which only made pirate radio more popular with young people than the BBC.

4)
Pirate radio stopped broadcasting in 1967 as the Marine Broadcasting offences Act officially outlawed pirate radio stations. The Government had closed the legal loopholes that allowed pirate radio stations to broadcast music past the Needle Time. 

5)
After pirate radio stations were closed down the 10-15 million British audiences they had didn't have a choice but to listen to BBC Radio 1 if they wanted to listen to pop music. Due to the fact that the pirate radio stations did close down BBC Radio 1 employed many of them which brought their loyal listeners along with them. Commercial radio wasn't out yet and so the BBC didn't have any competition either.

6)
Needle Time was introduced out of fear from the Government as they thought the amount of music being played on radios was going to lead to no one buying records anymore. Due to this, they decided to restrict the amount of music played by the BBC per day to 5 hours this was a huge problem for the BBC as they were already losing popularity to pirate radio stations. This new restriction made them lose even more popularity which was detrimental to the BBC. 

7)

BBC Radio 1 offered content that was actually tailored to younger audiences and what they wanted to hear which was very different to the previous BBC Radio stations which were more focused on the enjoyment of the older audiences.

8)
The first presenter for BBC Radio 1 was Tony Blackburn these new Radio 1 DJs caused upset at the traditional BBC as it completely went against the traditional conservative values that the BBC stood for.

9)
Upon listening to the excerpts from the Tony Blackburn's first 1967 I think that his way of speaking was quite informal and comical much like what you would expect from younger people at the time which may have in turn appealed to some young listeners.

10)
Tony Blackburn's radio show borrowed the informality that was more associated with pirate radios which was completely different to previous BBC Radio content.

Audience and Industry

1)
The target audience of BBC Radio 1 in 1967 was 15-29 years old. However, the people that actually listened to it were far older than what the BBC had initially anticipated. 

2)
BBC Radio 1 initially struggled to attract young listeners due to the fact that generally the DJs that were broadcasting were actually far older than the young people they wanted to attract. Additionally, the fact that the BBC was associated with its conservative values and having a majority of the content targeted at older people the idea of a radio station targeted at young people might have been seen as quite mediocre.

3)
In 1967 Radio 1 offered listeners: Information through the news summary and weather forecast that was given at the start of the broadcasts along with the end; Entertainment through the liveliness of the broadcasters and the pop music being played; Relationships after listening to the same broadcaster multiple times especially when they speak informally allows for listeners to build a greater connection with the broadcasters.

4)
The BBC is funded by the mandatory license fee that you are required to pay when owning a television in the 1960s it was about £4 but across the years it has now increased to a large amount of £154.50.

5)
Applying Stuart Hall's reception theory I believe that the preferred reading of BBC Radio 1 in 1967 was that the BBC was finally making an effort to provide content that actually appealed to those who were paying the license fee. Additionally, the fact the the BBC was now something that stretched out to a wider age group and catered to the needs of young people was quite a big improvement.

The oppositional reading of BBC Radio 1 in 1967 however was that although the BBC was trying to target young people it was still attracting older people and not exactly providing what younger people wanted to hear.