Monday, 23 March 2015
Sunday, 22 March 2015
LO1: Task 2: Analysis of Radio Station
a). Programme Types – What is Sheffield Live!’s ethos? Who owns the station? What programmes do they produce and why to do they do this? Name at least three different programmes on the station.
Established in 2003 by the Community Media Association, Sheffield Live! 93.2 FM is an independent community radio station. Sheffield Live is owned by 'Commedia Sheffield Ltd' and is run by Sangita Busudev. According to broadcasting regulator Ofcom, community radio stations like Sheffield Live! are "small scale, not for profit radio stations operated for the good of the members of the public, or of particular communities, in order to deliver social gain". Sheffield Live! broadcasts a plethora of community-orientated programmes to appeal to the widest possible demographic. The shows vary from programmes covering sport to music and local community debate. Three programmes broadcasted by Sheffield Live are 'Talking Balls'; a "tongue in cheek sports chat show looking at the latest sports news and stories with both interviews, previews and competitions", 'Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds'; "showcasing the eclectic scene that is scootering, plus the diversity of punks, mods, soulies, skinheads and scooter boys and everything in between", and finally 'Aaj Ki Shaam'; "local community issues, light topics, humour, literature including poetry, chit chat and much more".
b). Genres – What genres of programme does Sheffield Live! broadcast? Why? Give at least three examples.
The genres of Sheffield Live's musical output varies greatly and includes a diverse mix of styles. Music broadcasted includes; chart, indie, pop, rhythm & blues, dance, Latin, African, Asian, jungle, ragga, reggae, ska, rock, scooter and Mod. Examples of these programmes include 'Latino Times'; "a programme that introduces all different styles of Latin music from its roots and at the same time inform the audience of the latest issues in Latin America, also interviews with artists visiting the City (not necessarily South American)", "the very best in R&B/Reggae music past and present" with 'Da Beat Down' and finally 'Soul Casino' playing "60 minutes of Rare, Northern and Classic Soul". Sheffield Live! broadcasts such a wide variety of genres in order to gain the highest audience reach possible.
c). Audience Profile/s – Who is their main target audience or do they cater for a range of audiences with their products? Complete a moodboard and written profile of one of their target audience groups. Please put ABC1s etc. in.
Sheffield Live caters for a range of audiences with their diverse broadcasting schedule. Their content is primarily aimed at underserved people who reside in central Sheffield, Nether Edge, Broomhill, Crookes, Walkley, Burngreave, Manor Top, Arbourthorne, Gleadless and Darnall. These people are typically working class individuals of the D/C RAJA categories.
d). Production Process - How do different parts of the company operate to work together to produce and promote products? How do the different areas of the production team work together to produce products?
Different parts of the company work together to produce and promote products by executing different tasks and playing different roles. Sheffield Live provides recording facilities for people to create their shows, and it pays for the PRS license for all of the shows who play commercial music.
e). Market Share – who are the main competitors to Sheffield Live? Why are they considered competitors based on the products the company makes? How does the organisation stand out from the competitors? What is there official share of radio audience? TSA?
The main competitor to Sheffield Live is the radio station Hallam FM. It is a commercial radio station and therefore has profit to spend on its shows. However, Hallam FM targets a wider demographic and has a larger audience reach. Sheffield Live's weekly audience reach is 11%, which means around 32,000 adults tune in to the station every week.
Established in 2003 by the Community Media Association, Sheffield Live! 93.2 FM is an independent community radio station. Sheffield Live is owned by 'Commedia Sheffield Ltd' and is run by Sangita Busudev. According to broadcasting regulator Ofcom, community radio stations like Sheffield Live! are "small scale, not for profit radio stations operated for the good of the members of the public, or of particular communities, in order to deliver social gain". Sheffield Live! broadcasts a plethora of community-orientated programmes to appeal to the widest possible demographic. The shows vary from programmes covering sport to music and local community debate. Three programmes broadcasted by Sheffield Live are 'Talking Balls'; a "tongue in cheek sports chat show looking at the latest sports news and stories with both interviews, previews and competitions", 'Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds'; "showcasing the eclectic scene that is scootering, plus the diversity of punks, mods, soulies, skinheads and scooter boys and everything in between", and finally 'Aaj Ki Shaam'; "local community issues, light topics, humour, literature including poetry, chit chat and much more".
b). Genres – What genres of programme does Sheffield Live! broadcast? Why? Give at least three examples.
The genres of Sheffield Live's musical output varies greatly and includes a diverse mix of styles. Music broadcasted includes; chart, indie, pop, rhythm & blues, dance, Latin, African, Asian, jungle, ragga, reggae, ska, rock, scooter and Mod. Examples of these programmes include 'Latino Times'; "a programme that introduces all different styles of Latin music from its roots and at the same time inform the audience of the latest issues in Latin America, also interviews with artists visiting the City (not necessarily South American)", "the very best in R&B/Reggae music past and present" with 'Da Beat Down' and finally 'Soul Casino' playing "60 minutes of Rare, Northern and Classic Soul". Sheffield Live! broadcasts such a wide variety of genres in order to gain the highest audience reach possible.
c). Audience Profile/s – Who is their main target audience or do they cater for a range of audiences with their products? Complete a moodboard and written profile of one of their target audience groups. Please put ABC1s etc. in.
Sheffield Live caters for a range of audiences with their diverse broadcasting schedule. Their content is primarily aimed at underserved people who reside in central Sheffield, Nether Edge, Broomhill, Crookes, Walkley, Burngreave, Manor Top, Arbourthorne, Gleadless and Darnall. These people are typically working class individuals of the D/C RAJA categories.
d). Production Process - How do different parts of the company operate to work together to produce and promote products? How do the different areas of the production team work together to produce products?
Different parts of the company work together to produce and promote products by executing different tasks and playing different roles. Sheffield Live provides recording facilities for people to create their shows, and it pays for the PRS license for all of the shows who play commercial music.
e). Market Share – who are the main competitors to Sheffield Live? Why are they considered competitors based on the products the company makes? How does the organisation stand out from the competitors? What is there official share of radio audience? TSA?
The main competitor to Sheffield Live is the radio station Hallam FM. It is a commercial radio station and therefore has profit to spend on its shows. However, Hallam FM targets a wider demographic and has a larger audience reach. Sheffield Live's weekly audience reach is 11%, which means around 32,000 adults tune in to the station every week.
Saturday, 21 March 2015
LO1: Task 1: Analysing a Radio Show
a). Running order – purpose of running order: for instance when the music, jingle/s, presenter etc. will appear in the programme and in what order. Is this for familiarity? Is it for advertisers?
b). DJs/Presenters – what is their style, what is the mode of address (e.g. how to they ‘speak’ to the audience and get their attention), formal/informal programming.
Jamie 'Fat Piggy MC' is the sole presenter of 'Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds'. He adopts a very informal style and speaks to the listeners as if in a conversation with them. His mode of address is peer to peer, as although he is providing the audience with information, he is speaking to them in an informal, conversational style.
c). Content – use of music tracks (what do the sounds connote? How is this used to help understand genre), interviews, news, weather, debates, phone-ins, competitions.
In contrast, the content of the radio music talk show 'Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds' is based around Fat Piggy MC talking about the latest scooter, mod and ska events in Sheffield and the surrounding area and scooter club meet up dates. The show also contains prerecorded informal interviews with influential people on the scenes such as Buster Bloodvessle of ska legends Bad Manners. Fat Piggy plays a lot of music and often does requests and sometimes does live mixes. The music Fat Piggy plays ranges from well-known classics to fresh new tunes from upcoming bands. The connotations of the content of this audio media product are that the show is very laid back and informal and exists for the entertainment of people who enjoy ska and scooter sounds. This radio music talk show is broadcasted via the community radio station Sheffield Live! which means it does contain adverts between each show but belongs to a non profit organisation.
d). Audience – Who is the audience? Age, gender, demographics, interests, lifestyle – how does the show reach out and appeal to them. Do a moodboard (may be that you have done this for Task 1 if you decide to analyse the same talk and music radio show). Put a link to the one of the show’s podcasts on your blog/rip it from the internet and take snippets.
The target audience of the music talk show 'Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds' are specifically fans of scooter and ska music. They are mainly, but not exclusively, male between the ages of 20 – 55 years old. This is because Fat Piggy MC plays what he describes as 'boys' and in contrast 'girls' music which he assigns to different songs, and older people are more likely to be aware of the subcultures and the music and therefore listen to this radio show.
Link to Podcast: http://www.sheffieldlive.org/podcasts/sheffield-meltdown-02-03-2015-at-1500/
Similarly, ‘Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds’ is locally broadcasted and has a purpose of entertaining the audience, but in contrast to ‘Toby Foster at Breakfast’; this audio media product is a music talk show instead of a podcast. I know this is the purpose of this product as its presenter, Fat Piggy MC, is local and informal and plays music throughout the show to entertain the audience. His music playlists consist of mainly ska and scooter sounds, as this is appropriate for the show’s audience. Likewise to Toby Foster’s podcast, Fat Piggy MC regularly updates listeners with news on local events; scooter meet-ups, ride outs and upcoming gigs the audience might be interested in. This means that the show also has a purpose to inform.
The usic talk radio show, 'Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds' is broadcasted weekly every Monday from 3 pm until 5 pm. The frequency of the show is important because it delivers regular doses of music and updates. It gives Fat Piggy enough time to write new material, collect information about events and decide which bands to feature and songs to play on the show.
Alternatively, there is the radio music talk show 'Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds'. A lot of pre-production will go into the making of this audio product as it is broadcasted live. Fat Piggy will have had to plan the structure of the show, pre-recorded interviews with guests, found information on gigs and decided which songs to play. The radio show is made available for consumption on the Sheffield Live radio on 93.2 FM.
Jamie 'Fat Piggy MC' is the sole presenter of 'Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds'. He adopts a very informal style and speaks to the listeners as if in a conversation with them. His mode of address is peer to peer, as although he is providing the audience with information, he is speaking to them in an informal, conversational style.
c). Content – use of music tracks (what do the sounds connote? How is this used to help understand genre), interviews, news, weather, debates, phone-ins, competitions.
In contrast, the content of the radio music talk show 'Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds' is based around Fat Piggy MC talking about the latest scooter, mod and ska events in Sheffield and the surrounding area and scooter club meet up dates. The show also contains prerecorded informal interviews with influential people on the scenes such as Buster Bloodvessle of ska legends Bad Manners. Fat Piggy plays a lot of music and often does requests and sometimes does live mixes. The music Fat Piggy plays ranges from well-known classics to fresh new tunes from upcoming bands. The connotations of the content of this audio media product are that the show is very laid back and informal and exists for the entertainment of people who enjoy ska and scooter sounds. This radio music talk show is broadcasted via the community radio station Sheffield Live! which means it does contain adverts between each show but belongs to a non profit organisation.
d). Audience – Who is the audience? Age, gender, demographics, interests, lifestyle – how does the show reach out and appeal to them. Do a moodboard (may be that you have done this for Task 1 if you decide to analyse the same talk and music radio show). Put a link to the one of the show’s podcasts on your blog/rip it from the internet and take snippets.
The target audience of the music talk show 'Sheffield Meltdown Scooter Sounds' are specifically fans of scooter and ska music. They are mainly, but not exclusively, male between the ages of 20 – 55 years old. This is because Fat Piggy MC plays what he describes as 'boys' and in contrast 'girls' music which he assigns to different songs, and older people are more likely to be aware of the subcultures and the music and therefore listen to this radio show.
Link to Podcast: http://www.sheffieldlive.org/podcasts/sheffield-meltdown-02-03-2015-at-1500/
Sunday, 15 March 2015
LO2: Planning Documents
Radio Programming Proposal
Sheffield Underground Sounds
Written by Becky Jackson
Name or Title of Programme:
We will pre-record our show in order to make sure that the program is perfectly and professionally edited before broadcast. By pre-recording the show, we can remove and re-record any mistakes made during the process. We can also ensure interviews with bands are appropriate for broadcast and don't contain any profanity.
Resources Required
Will your program use advertising to make a profit? Yes ✓No Maybe
Sheffield Underground Sounds
Written by Becky Jackson
These are not the final terms of the agreement between you and Sheffield Live! ALL aspects are negotiable. Both parties will agree upon the final terms. If interested, Sheffield Live! will contact you to schedule a formal meeting.
Client: Sheffield Live!
Names: Becky Jackson & Danielle Baggaley
Client: Sheffield Live!
Names: Becky Jackson & Danielle Baggaley
Section 1: General Information
Name or Title of Programme:
The name of our music talk show will be "Sheffield Underground Sounds". This name is appropriate as the majority of the bands featured on the show will be local; from Sheffield and South Yorkshire, and the show will be broadcasted on Sheffield Live! 93.2 FM. The "Underground Sounds" part of the name implies that the product will revolve around fresh, new, previously unheard of bands and artists. I made sure the name had not previously been used or copyrighted during my research so that we don't experience any legal issues.
Length of Show:
The show will be two hours long and will run from 7:00pm – 9:00pm in the evening every Friday. This is because this is the time when our target audience are most likely to be free and available to listen to the show as they won't be at school or college at this time.
Genre or Type of Programme:
Our audio media product will be in the format of a music talk show. The genre of our product will be indie music, as this is the type of music we will be playing and the type of bands we will be featuring and interviewing will belong to this genre.
Brief Description/Synopsis:
Sheffield Underground Sounds revolves around the Sheffield and wider South Yorkshire music scenes. It will give listeners the opportunity to experience new music from lesser known local bands, hear exciting, in-depth, inspiring interviews with the musicians themselves and give them the chance to contribute to topics debated on the show by using social media.
Production Method: Live ✓Recorded Both
We will pre-record our show in order to make sure that the program is perfectly and professionally edited before broadcast. By pre-recording the show, we can remove and re-record any mistakes made during the process. We can also ensure interviews with bands are appropriate for broadcast and don't contain any profanity.
Section 2: Target Audience
Time of Day:
Our show will be broadcasted from 7:00pm in the evening until 9:00pm. This is because through my research I find this is the time period when our target audience are most likely to be available to listen to our show.
Day(s) of the Week:
Our show will be broadcasted every Friday evening. This is because through my research I have determined that Friday is the day when our target audience will be most likely to be available to listen to our show.
Intended Age of Audience:
Our program will be aimed at people from ages 16 years to approximately 25 years. This is because people between these ages have the most free time available to listen to our show.
Other Target Details:
The target audience of our programme will be both females and males of an equal ratio. They will most likely attend college/university in the daytime. They are incredibly music conscious and enjoy winding down by listening to music, but also . The music they listen to belongs to the indie genre, and they are constantly looking for new bands and music for inspiration. The target audience are local, live in Sheffield and are proud of their heritage. They listen to Sheffield bands including the Arctic Monkeys and Pulp. The demographic will have a spending power of B or C1, they may have part time jobs but most of the audience will still be provided for by their parents.
Our show will be broadcasted from 7:00pm in the evening until 9:00pm. This is because through my research I find this is the time period when our target audience are most likely to be available to listen to our show.
Day(s) of the Week:
Our show will be broadcasted every Friday evening. This is because through my research I have determined that Friday is the day when our target audience will be most likely to be available to listen to our show.
Intended Age of Audience:
Our program will be aimed at people from ages 16 years to approximately 25 years. This is because people between these ages have the most free time available to listen to our show.
Other Target Details:
The target audience of our programme will be both females and males of an equal ratio. They will most likely attend college/university in the daytime. They are incredibly music conscious and enjoy winding down by listening to music, but also . The music they listen to belongs to the indie genre, and they are constantly looking for new bands and music for inspiration. The target audience are local, live in Sheffield and are proud of their heritage. They listen to Sheffield bands including the Arctic Monkeys and Pulp. The demographic will have a spending power of B or C1, they may have part time jobs but most of the audience will still be provided for by their parents.
Section 3: Presentation
Number of Hosts:
There will be two regular hosts presenting our programme.This will provide continuity for the listeners, who will get used to the presenters and their personalities.
Name/Descriptions of Hosts:
There will be two regular hosts; Becky Jackson and Danielle Baggaley. We are both from South Yorkshire and have a keen interest in music generally, and the local music scene so we think we are the appropriate people to be carrying out these roles, as well as being the production team.
There will be two regular hosts presenting our programme.This will provide continuity for the listeners, who will get used to the presenters and their personalities.
Name/Descriptions of Hosts:
There will be two regular hosts; Becky Jackson and Danielle Baggaley. We are both from South Yorkshire and have a keen interest in music generally, and the local music scene so we think we are the appropriate people to be carrying out these roles, as well as being the production team.
Delivery Style:
The delivery style of the presenters will be informal and will take a conversational format because we want the show to be quite relaxed and easy to listen to.
The delivery style of the presenters will be informal and will take a conversational format because we want the show to be quite relaxed and easy to listen to.
Resources Required
Human:
The two presenters (Becky Jackson and Danielle Baggaley) will also work as editors and producers of the show who will all work together to create the product.
The two presenters (Becky Jackson and Danielle Baggaley) will also work as editors and producers of the show who will all work together to create the product.
Equipment:
I have detailed this later in the treatment.
I have detailed this later in the treatment.
Location:
The location where we record and broadcast the radio show from will be in the Sheffield Live building, as that is where the majority of the recording equipment will be there.
The location where we record and broadcast the radio show from will be in the Sheffield Live building, as that is where the majority of the recording equipment will be there.
Production Time:
Each show will take approximately two weeks to produce; it will take the production team approximately three days to plan and refine the script, two days to produce the structure and to decide which songs will be played when and two days to record and produce the content for the show. We would then have an additional seven days to edit and perfect the final product. Although the editing process shouldn't take us this long, we will allocate this time period as a contingency just in case an adjustments need making to the content (the script, structure of the show or recorded audio).
Each show will take approximately two weeks to produce; it will take the production team approximately three days to plan and refine the script, two days to produce the structure and to decide which songs will be played when and two days to record and produce the content for the show. We would then have an additional seven days to edit and perfect the final product. Although the editing process shouldn't take us this long, we will allocate this time period as a contingency just in case an adjustments need making to the content (the script, structure of the show or recorded audio).
Additional Information:
We will ensure that our product is recorded, edited and ready for broadcast the weekend before it is scheduled to go on air. We shall do this so that we know everything is ready and there is no rushing around to finish the product and to avoid the product being of a poor quality at the time of broadcast.
We will ensure that our product is recorded, edited and ready for broadcast the weekend before it is scheduled to go on air. We shall do this so that we know everything is ready and there is no rushing around to finish the product and to avoid the product being of a poor quality at the time of broadcast.
Content of Show
The purpose of our show is promoting local unsigned indie bands and artists by:
- Playing their music:
We will play songs specially selected by ourselves that will think will be appropriate for our audience.
Approximately twenty songs will be played per show, which will make up half of the content broadcasted as
twenty three minute tracks makes up sixty minutes of a two hour music talk show.
- Premièring new singles and tracks:
We will aim to be the show that has first play of new underground tracks to coincide with bands releasing their
new music. Our show will build up a reputation for doing this which will hopefully increase our listenership.
- Interviewing bands and people prominent in the local music scene:
We will interview local bands such as Monoking, The Wired and The Bone Lab. We will also invite people
prominent in the industry, such as Neil Hargreaves of Aggressive Management to contribute to discussions.
- Featuring discussion topics:
Half of the content featured on our show will take a conversational format, featuring discussion topics
encouraging the audience to get involved by giving their opinions via social media and involving guests to
contribute. Examples of these discussion topics will be questions such as; does the closing of local gig
venues effect local bands? Are big touring bands sucking the life out of small, local bands?
- Reviews of local gigs and music:
We will record features from local gigs, during sets and including the views of people who have gone to the gig
and what they thought of it. We shall also review these gigs ourselves, providing a description of the night and
capturing the buzz of the evening. Additionally, alongside playing music we will be reviewing tracks and
albums, giving the listeners our opinions but also including theirs to contrast with ours.
- Information on local gigs and touring bands:
Also, as part of the weekly show we will provide a round up of the latest information about upcoming local
gigs, indie nights and small unsigned touring bands who are coming to Sheffield/South Yorkshire.
The purpose of our show is promoting local unsigned indie bands and artists by:
- Playing their music:
We will play songs specially selected by ourselves that will think will be appropriate for our audience.
Approximately twenty songs will be played per show, which will make up half of the content broadcasted as
twenty three minute tracks makes up sixty minutes of a two hour music talk show.
- Premièring new singles and tracks:
We will aim to be the show that has first play of new underground tracks to coincide with bands releasing their
new music. Our show will build up a reputation for doing this which will hopefully increase our listenership.
- Interviewing bands and people prominent in the local music scene:
We will interview local bands such as Monoking, The Wired and The Bone Lab. We will also invite people
prominent in the industry, such as Neil Hargreaves of Aggressive Management to contribute to discussions.
- Featuring discussion topics:
Half of the content featured on our show will take a conversational format, featuring discussion topics
encouraging the audience to get involved by giving their opinions via social media and involving guests to
contribute. Examples of these discussion topics will be questions such as; does the closing of local gig
venues effect local bands? Are big touring bands sucking the life out of small, local bands?
- Reviews of local gigs and music:
We will record features from local gigs, during sets and including the views of people who have gone to the gig
and what they thought of it. We shall also review these gigs ourselves, providing a description of the night and
capturing the buzz of the evening. Additionally, alongside playing music we will be reviewing tracks and
albums, giving the listeners our opinions but also including theirs to contrast with ours.
- Information on local gigs and touring bands:
Also, as part of the weekly show we will provide a round up of the latest information about upcoming local
gigs, indie nights and small unsigned touring bands who are coming to Sheffield/South Yorkshire.
Examples of Questions and Issues to be Raised for Interviews:
Issues raised would include discussion topics including the closure of The Leeds Cockpit and the raising price of the Sheffield festival Tramlines. The topics will be varied and interesting. Additionally we will also ask the listeners via social media which topics they'd like us to discuss prior to the show.
Issues raised would include discussion topics including the closure of The Leeds Cockpit and the raising price of the Sheffield festival Tramlines. The topics will be varied and interesting. Additionally we will also ask the listeners via social media which topics they'd like us to discuss prior to the show.
Styles of Music to be Used:
The majority of the music played on our radio show will belong to the indie genre. This is because the umbrella term 'indie' applies to a wide variety of bands and artists. We will try not to stray to far from this genre, for example by playing a rap or hard rock, but we will be able play a much wider variety by operating under this genre.
Future Developments
The show would be hammocked between 'Talking Balls', a light-hearted low-down on local football results broadcasted between 6pm and 7pm and 'Da Beat Down', a music talk show featuring modern R'n'B and reggae that is broadcasted from 9pm until 11pm. Our show would replace Aaj Ki Shaam's slot from 7pm until 9pm in the evening.
In regards to future developments, we would keep our audience keen and interested in our show by featuring new music and bands every week and making sure discussion topics are varied and inclusive. We would continue to provide an exciting weekly slot with new give-aways and prizes in every episode. If I refer back to my equipment list I now know that Sheffield Live would provide the majority of the equipment we would require to produce the show. It would be highly unlikely that we would have to pay for a PRS license as we wouldn't be playing mainstream music, however if in the future we decide to do this we could have to invest in a license. For now though that seems very unlikely.
There would be two main regular presenters on 'Sheffield Underground Sounds' to provide continuity for the audience. We would ideally like one male presenter and one female presenter to represent the majority of our audience, as our demographic will be approximately half and half. However, in the end we have decided that the best people to present the show will be ourselves (Becky Jackson and Danielle Baggaley) because we know everything about our product, we are both local to Sheffield and have a good sound knowledge of the Sheffield/South Yorkshire music scenes. We also think that we would have a friendly on-air relationship and would deliberately adopt an informal conversational style.
Advertisers & Gap in Market
Adverts featured during 'Sheffield Underground Sounds' would include advertisements by local record shops (LP Record Store and Record Collector for example) and vintage shops and independent businesses (such as Freshman's, A New Shop and Cow Vintage). Although our main competitor would be BBC Radio Sheffield's "Introducing" music talk radio show, I believe our programme would fill a gap in the market - this gap is a platform for unsigned bands to get major publicity, without a previous lucky break. In contrast, programmes such as "Introducing" play signed bands that already have a reputation and are generally known. Our show would play unsigned bands, providing them with a chance to get heard and providing the listeners with the opportunity to hear underground bands first.
Additional Information
The show will feature interviews and sessions with local South Yorkshire based bands and will play samples of their music on air. The show will also prominently feature discussions between the presenters and the public, with topics centring around the local music scene, venues, tours and issues that effect these. An example of this would be a discussion about the permanent closure of the Leeds music venue 'The Cockpit'. During the show, there will also be reviews of recent gigs and news of tours. Examples of the questions we would ask our audience would be: Are local gigs accessible? Favourite local unsigned band? Why don't big bands come to Sheffield? Which band shall we review next? We would hold polls and ask the audience for their input on our Facebook and Twitter pages, and then would reveal the results of these polls and feedback on air.
The genre of music played will be primarily indie and we will feature musical pieces from lesser known subcultures including mod, punk and ska. The music played will be from local bands and artists, such as High Hazels, The Crookes and The Sherlocks from Sheffield. Ideally though, we'd prefer to give promotion to smaller, unsigned, upcoming bands that will bring new, fresh material to our listener's ears. The advertising featured on our program would be relevant to both the content of our show and Sheffield Live! Local independent business, vintage boutiques, record shops and gig venues would all be invited to feature in the form of advertisements on our show.
The majority of the music played on our radio show will belong to the indie genre. This is because the umbrella term 'indie' applies to a wide variety of bands and artists. We will try not to stray to far from this genre, for example by playing a rap or hard rock, but we will be able play a much wider variety by operating under this genre.
Future Developments
The show would be hammocked between 'Talking Balls', a light-hearted low-down on local football results broadcasted between 6pm and 7pm and 'Da Beat Down', a music talk show featuring modern R'n'B and reggae that is broadcasted from 9pm until 11pm. Our show would replace Aaj Ki Shaam's slot from 7pm until 9pm in the evening.
In regards to future developments, we would keep our audience keen and interested in our show by featuring new music and bands every week and making sure discussion topics are varied and inclusive. We would continue to provide an exciting weekly slot with new give-aways and prizes in every episode. If I refer back to my equipment list I now know that Sheffield Live would provide the majority of the equipment we would require to produce the show. It would be highly unlikely that we would have to pay for a PRS license as we wouldn't be playing mainstream music, however if in the future we decide to do this we could have to invest in a license. For now though that seems very unlikely.
There would be two main regular presenters on 'Sheffield Underground Sounds' to provide continuity for the audience. We would ideally like one male presenter and one female presenter to represent the majority of our audience, as our demographic will be approximately half and half. However, in the end we have decided that the best people to present the show will be ourselves (Becky Jackson and Danielle Baggaley) because we know everything about our product, we are both local to Sheffield and have a good sound knowledge of the Sheffield/South Yorkshire music scenes. We also think that we would have a friendly on-air relationship and would deliberately adopt an informal conversational style.
Advertisers & Gap in Market
Adverts featured during 'Sheffield Underground Sounds' would include advertisements by local record shops (LP Record Store and Record Collector for example) and vintage shops and independent businesses (such as Freshman's, A New Shop and Cow Vintage). Although our main competitor would be BBC Radio Sheffield's "Introducing" music talk radio show, I believe our programme would fill a gap in the market - this gap is a platform for unsigned bands to get major publicity, without a previous lucky break. In contrast, programmes such as "Introducing" play signed bands that already have a reputation and are generally known. Our show would play unsigned bands, providing them with a chance to get heard and providing the listeners with the opportunity to hear underground bands first.
Additional Information
The show will feature interviews and sessions with local South Yorkshire based bands and will play samples of their music on air. The show will also prominently feature discussions between the presenters and the public, with topics centring around the local music scene, venues, tours and issues that effect these. An example of this would be a discussion about the permanent closure of the Leeds music venue 'The Cockpit'. During the show, there will also be reviews of recent gigs and news of tours. Examples of the questions we would ask our audience would be: Are local gigs accessible? Favourite local unsigned band? Why don't big bands come to Sheffield? Which band shall we review next? We would hold polls and ask the audience for their input on our Facebook and Twitter pages, and then would reveal the results of these polls and feedback on air.
The genre of music played will be primarily indie and we will feature musical pieces from lesser known subcultures including mod, punk and ska. The music played will be from local bands and artists, such as High Hazels, The Crookes and The Sherlocks from Sheffield. Ideally though, we'd prefer to give promotion to smaller, unsigned, upcoming bands that will bring new, fresh material to our listener's ears. The advertising featured on our program would be relevant to both the content of our show and Sheffield Live! Local independent business, vintage boutiques, record shops and gig venues would all be invited to feature in the form of advertisements on our show.
Will your program use advertising to make a profit? Yes ✓No Maybe
Our program will not use advertising with the intention to make a profit because the radio station our show will be broadcasted on is a community venture and a government funded not for profit organisation. This means that the money potentially made from advertising is merely turnover and goes into maintaining the station's running costs. The money made from advertising is not invested in staffing as all of the people who contribute to the shows on Sheffield Live are volunteers.
Additional Details:
As Sheffield Live isn't a commercial Radio Station, we sacrifice making a profit for the unique and alternative content of our show.
As Sheffield Live isn't a commercial Radio Station, we sacrifice making a profit for the unique and alternative content of our show.
Profits/Costs
Summary of Costs & Profits:
Below is a list of equipment that we would require to create our radio show. We have estimated that it would cost just over £1400 to purchase the full range of quality equipment. In the long run however this money would be made back through turnover from the adverts featured on the show. Fortunately, Sheffield Live can provide the majority of this equipment so we won't require such a budget.
Costs
- PC Monitor (£49.99): To view our software.
- Hard Drive (£229.99): To store the play server and the music on, as well as all the other software required.
- Microphones x 3 (£497.97): To use in order to record our audio content.
- Audacity Software (Free): To use so that we can edit our content.
- 64GB SD Cards (£12.00 each): To store our software and content as a back up.
- Mixing Desk (£89.99): To aid us in creating our content by mixing songs and jingles.
- PRS License (£300 a year): To be able to legally publish and broadcast content.
- Desks (£249.99): To place our equipment, scripts etc.
Below is a list of equipment that we would require to create our radio show. We have estimated that it would cost just over £1400 to purchase the full range of quality equipment. In the long run however this money would be made back through turnover from the adverts featured on the show. Fortunately, Sheffield Live can provide the majority of this equipment so we won't require such a budget.
Costs
- PC Monitor (£49.99): To view our software.
- Hard Drive (£229.99): To store the play server and the music on, as well as all the other software required.
- Microphones x 3 (£497.97): To use in order to record our audio content.
- Audacity Software (Free): To use so that we can edit our content.
- 64GB SD Cards (£12.00 each): To store our software and content as a back up.
- Mixing Desk (£89.99): To aid us in creating our content by mixing songs and jingles.
- PRS License (£300 a year): To be able to legally publish and broadcast content.
- Desks (£249.99): To place our equipment, scripts etc.
Our start up costs are quite expensive due to the fact we will be purchasing all of the new equipment to manufacture the show, but these costs will become less over the time as they will last us for years. This money will be remade through advertising. Out of all these resources, some of them will be already subsidized/provided by the radio station. We must pay £30 a month for four weekly shows to our community radio station.
Radio Advertising
Radio Advertising
Source: http://www.radioadvertising.co.uk/costs
According to the above resource, a local radio station should charge approximately £500 for a thirty second radio advert for a week-long campaign. Alternatively stations such as Hallam FM charge around £1500 for a thirty second advert. This is because Hallam FM is a regional radio station, as opposed to Sheffield Live! FM which is a local community radio station. Therefore, due to its format it is not allowed to make a large profit as it exists to serve the local under served community instead of purely operating to make a profit.
Contingency Plan: Equipment
If there was an issue meaning that we wouldn't be able to use Sheffield Live's facilities to create our programme, we would firstly approach our college and ask our teachers if could possibly use the equipment the college has to create our programme. If this is not possible, we would secondly have to purchase the equipment ourselves using the final equipment list I created. The latter option is not ideal as we would have to source a budget to purchase the items. Alternatively, if the issue at Sheffield Live meant that we couldn't use their facilities on the day we selected, we will simply re-arrange to use their equipment at a more appropriate date. That should not be a problem because I allocated a full week to the recording stage in the production plan I created, and I made sure we had additional time before our deadline in the event of any problems occurred at any stage.
Contingency Plan: Presenters
If there was an issue meaning one or both of our presenters or even our interviewees were unable to attend a recording session then we would simply re-arrange the session onto a different day when everybody made sure they would be available. However, this should be avoided because we would ensure to have good communication with all parties and would avoid planning these recording sessions on days that people would be less likely to be able to attend. If an interviewee dropped out of the programme at short notice, we would ensure to have previously planned alternative content for the show to replace their section just in case. If a presenter dropped out of the programme all together, we would have a temporary presenter take over their position in the show until we secured a permanent replacement.
Contingency Plan: Broadcasting Times
If there was an issue with our broadcasting time, we would simply re-arrange the time we would like for our programme to be broadcasted. There is a strong possibility that Sheffield Live wouldn't be able to give us our preferred slot, as we would like our show to be broadcasted during the 'Aaj Ki Shaam' weekly Friday night slot from 7pm until 9pm, between 'Talking Balls' and 'Da Beat Down'. That is why this contingency plan is particularly important. We would ideally still prefer an evening slot between 7pm and 9pm because this is most appropriate for our target demographic, therefore we would ask Sheffield Live if there were any possibility of our show being broadcasted alternatively on either a Wednesday, Thursday or Saturday night. However, our show would still have to replace an existing programme as Sheffield Live's broadcasting schedule is almost fully booked up and the only free air time would be inappropriate for our audience. If all else failed, we would change the format of our programme and make it a podcast, so that our audience could access it at all times online, instead of being restricted to a weekly airtime slot.
Contingency Plan: Equipment
If there was an issue meaning that we wouldn't be able to use Sheffield Live's facilities to create our programme, we would firstly approach our college and ask our teachers if could possibly use the equipment the college has to create our programme. If this is not possible, we would secondly have to purchase the equipment ourselves using the final equipment list I created. The latter option is not ideal as we would have to source a budget to purchase the items. Alternatively, if the issue at Sheffield Live meant that we couldn't use their facilities on the day we selected, we will simply re-arrange to use their equipment at a more appropriate date. That should not be a problem because I allocated a full week to the recording stage in the production plan I created, and I made sure we had additional time before our deadline in the event of any problems occurred at any stage.
Contingency Plan: Presenters
If there was an issue meaning one or both of our presenters or even our interviewees were unable to attend a recording session then we would simply re-arrange the session onto a different day when everybody made sure they would be available. However, this should be avoided because we would ensure to have good communication with all parties and would avoid planning these recording sessions on days that people would be less likely to be able to attend. If an interviewee dropped out of the programme at short notice, we would ensure to have previously planned alternative content for the show to replace their section just in case. If a presenter dropped out of the programme all together, we would have a temporary presenter take over their position in the show until we secured a permanent replacement.
Contingency Plan: Broadcasting Times
If there was an issue with our broadcasting time, we would simply re-arrange the time we would like for our programme to be broadcasted. There is a strong possibility that Sheffield Live wouldn't be able to give us our preferred slot, as we would like our show to be broadcasted during the 'Aaj Ki Shaam' weekly Friday night slot from 7pm until 9pm, between 'Talking Balls' and 'Da Beat Down'. That is why this contingency plan is particularly important. We would ideally still prefer an evening slot between 7pm and 9pm because this is most appropriate for our target demographic, therefore we would ask Sheffield Live if there were any possibility of our show being broadcasted alternatively on either a Wednesday, Thursday or Saturday night. However, our show would still have to replace an existing programme as Sheffield Live's broadcasting schedule is almost fully booked up and the only free air time would be inappropriate for our audience. If all else failed, we would change the format of our programme and make it a podcast, so that our audience could access it at all times online, instead of being restricted to a weekly airtime slot.
Monday, 2 March 2015
Assignment Brief
For this assignment I will produce a five minute segment of a music talk radio show to be broadcasted on Sheffield Live! I need to use my Unit 19 work to finalise ideas for my music talk show and use the feedback from the pitch to develop my final idea. The three learning outcomes for this unit are:
LO1: Understand existing talk and radio music programmes.
Task 1: Using my Unit 19 and Unit 1 work, complete a short case study on Sheffield Live!
a). Programme types – What is Sheffield Live!’s ethos? Who owns the station? What programme do they produce and why to do they do this? Name at least three different programmes on the station.
b). Genres – What genres of programme does Sheffield Live! broadcast? Why? Give at least three examples.
c). Audience Profile/s – Who is their main target audience or do they cater for a range of audiences with their products? Complete a moodboard and written profile of one of their target audience groups. Please put ABC1s etc. in.
d). Production Process - How do different parts of the company operate to work together to produce and promote products? How do the different areas of the production team work together to produce products?
e). Market share – who are the main competitors to Sheffield Live? Why are they considered competitors based on the products the company makes? How does the organisation stand out from the competitors? What is there official share of radio audience? TSA?
THE DRAFT DEADLINE FOR LO1: TASK 1 IS 9/3/15
LO2: Be able to plan a new talk and music radio programme.
LO3: Be able to produce a new talk and music radio programme.
LO1: Understand existing talk and radio music programmes.
Task 1: Using my Unit 19 and Unit 1 work, complete a short case study on Sheffield Live!
a). Programme types – What is Sheffield Live!’s ethos? Who owns the station? What programme do they produce and why to do they do this? Name at least three different programmes on the station.
b). Genres – What genres of programme does Sheffield Live! broadcast? Why? Give at least three examples.
c). Audience Profile/s – Who is their main target audience or do they cater for a range of audiences with their products? Complete a moodboard and written profile of one of their target audience groups. Please put ABC1s etc. in.
d). Production Process - How do different parts of the company operate to work together to produce and promote products? How do the different areas of the production team work together to produce products?
e). Market share – who are the main competitors to Sheffield Live? Why are they considered competitors based on the products the company makes? How does the organisation stand out from the competitors? What is there official share of radio audience? TSA?
THE DRAFT DEADLINE FOR LO1: TASK 1 IS 9/3/15
LO2: Be able to plan a new talk and music radio programme.
LO3: Be able to produce a new talk and music radio programme.
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