Radio Treatment

TITLE: Prime Time Radio

Premise: interactive light hearted new show, informing the target demographic of current affairs but letting them decide what they think is the false story and discussing with each other via Twitter/Facebook and other social networks.

Target Audience/ Proposed timeslot and station: The target audience for my show is a 25-35 male demographic. This is because the age groups are more likely to find the news interesting but enjoy the playful, light hearted approach. Because nothing like this has been done the audience would find its original approach new and interesting.

The Time slot would be prime time, hence the name, between 5-6pm during rush hour, the show would appeal to drivers with its informative light hearted content.

Format: The genre is a highbred news chat show. I haven’t seen a radio show that gives the audience multiple stories, where one is fake and it’s up to them to decide before being informed before the end of the show.

Pace, Style and Mood: The listeners will tune in for the light hearted news stories they can interact with, the stories will be related to the local area, some unknown to the audience so they learn something but don’t feel its all negative. The presenters will have a steady pace, giving their own opinions but driving the conversation/show forward.

Audience Participation: Being an original idea the audience would listen in and get involved with the guessing of which story is fake, they could do this locally by talking to their friends at th time, whoever they are in the car with or if the radio is on in the house they can debate with others in the house. But on a broader scale they can interact online via Twitter and Facebook, debating with other locals and even the presenters could join in, reading out people’s tweets and messages, maybe replying to do two things. Build the discussion and show the audience recognition for their involvement.

Radio Proposal

What type of radio program do you want to make?	For my radio program I want to make an interactive light hearted new show, informing my demographic of current affairs but letting them decide what they think is the false story and discussing with each other via Twitter/Facebook and other social networks.
What facts/stories is your radio idea based on?	My Radio show is based of UFO activity in the city and surrounding area. And all the events that relate. i.e. unexplained noises, crop circles, people going missing etc.
What is new or interesting about your idea?	I haven’t seen a radio show that gives the audience multiple stories, where one is fake and its up to them to decide before being informed before the end of the show.
Who is the target audience? Where would this idea play? How would you get the audience interested in this idea?	The target audience for my show is a 25-35 male demographic. This is because the age group are more likely to find the news interesting but enjoy the playful, light hearted approach. Because nothing like this has been done the audience would find its original approach new and interesting.
Why do you want to make this?	I want to make the show because it is an original idea that hasn’t been done and I want to see how it affects the audience and how they take it. My radio show is an original local radio show that explores different local stories that the audience may not know even existed and feed them the news as well as false stories that they have to decide and debate with friends or online via Twitter and Facebook before being informed at the end of the show so the audience isn’t mislead false information.

My radio show is an original local radio show that explores different local stories that the audience may not know even existed and feed them the news as well as false stories that they have to decide and debate with friends or online via Twitter and Facebook before being informed at the end of the show so the audience isn’t mislead false information.

What do you need to move your project forward?

In order to move my project forward I would need regular access to the radio studio, although before any of the recording I would need to have a research team, finding new content regularly so the show stays up to date, interesting and appealing to the audience every time.

Format – Radio Codes, Conventions, Styles and Structure

Whilst searching the internet researching what all the codes and conventions I found some slide share presentation with all the relevant information, as seen bellow:

Codes, Conventions, Styles and Structure

Sourced from: ‘Codes, Conventions, Styles and Structure’ [online] available at http://www.slideshare.net/mattwako/understand-codes-conventions-styles-and-structures [09/10/2014]

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Codes and Conventions Radio Advertising

Sourced from: ‘Codes and Conventions Radio Advertising’ [online] available from http://www.slideshare.net/liamrig95/codes-and-conventions-of-a-radio-advertisements [09/10/2014]

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Codes and Convention of Radio Drama

Sourced from: ‘Codes and Convention of Radio Drama’ [online] available from http://www.slideshare.net/957303Hayley/codes-and-conventions-of-a-radio-drama-to-complete [09/10/2014]

Formats Radio Reseach and Inspiration

When given the task the first thing that came to mind was Orson Welles War of the world story telling, I think it would be something different to what everyone is doing and would make for a great experience for listeners.

Knowing the brief meant I have to base my story in Coventry, looking at any and all alien, UFO or crop circle activities in Coventry i found these.

Crop Circles

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/mystery-strange-pattern-ground-near-7800277

Strange noises during storm

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/independence-day-alien-invasion-hits-3152468

UFO sightings

http://www.ufo-hunters.com/sightings/search/5198af0183c78d384ec2ec89/UFO%20Sighting%20in%20Coventry%20%28UK-England%29,%20%20on%20Tuesday%2026%20March%202013

Wanting to make a radio drama i looked at the history of radio dramas in the United Kingdom. Radio dramas were very popular before the television entered the scene.

 http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-60-greatest-old-time-radio-shows-of-the-20th-century-mw0000970866

I listened to some old time radio dramas to see what the common radio drama conventions were.

Aural Signposting – This is where the setting of the scene is established through audio cues (accents, vehicle sounds, background noises) in place of visual (and sometimes literal) signposts.

Cliffhanger Endings – Used in both audio and visual dramas as a way of keeping the interest of the listener. By not giving them everything, the writer keeps them interested while allowing the listener to have their own experience.

Use of Fades & Silence – Used to signify an end of a scene or a change of scenery. Can even be used to note passage of time or simply for dramatic effect, the tool for keeping the listener as captivated by what they hear as possible.

Narration & Direct Speech – With no visual, the audience is effectively blind. A narrator, breaking the “Fourth Wall” and talking directly to the listener, is the guide. They can quickly relay any vital information that would otherwise slow down the pace of the story.

Titles & Credits – Can be used to bookend the story. Simple audio list of key figures in the production (writer/director/primary and secondary cast members)

Sourced from: http://codesandconventionsofradiodrama.wordpress.com/

Formats Radio Task 1

The point of Local Radio (Primarily BBC Coventry and Warwickshire) is to provide the following:

• Spoken news.
• Local information.
• Debates on local/national affairs.
• Play music from the era which is from the target audience generation.

According to the BBC Trust. The target audience is for 50+ citizens who are not well served elsewhere ‘BBC Local Radio Service License’ [online] available from <http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/regulatory_framework/service_licences/radio/2010/english_local_radio_may10.pdf&gt; [03 October 2014]. Within the document it isn’t specified what gender the listeners are. However from personally listening and analyzing topics it is primarily a male based audience, or at least the callers are male.

Local radio appeals to locals because it provides information about local topics, problems, events etc. Because of this it looks past the ‘Social Classification Table’ and brings everyone together on familiar ground e.g. music of their era, local events being held and news that can affect them, could be traffic or incidences nearby. Also because the station is aimed at a 50+ audience all topics and debates are aimed towards their interests, for example, you would hear news of local political gatherings but wouldn’t hear the best place for a student night out.

Free radio is one of the larger competitors for the region and statistically has a lower listener rating the BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, Free radio has an average of 78,000 listeners, ‘Orion Media’ [online] available from <http://www.orionmedia.com/maps/free-radio-fm/free-radio-coventry-warwickshire-fm/&gt; [03 October 2014] whereas BBC Coventry and Warwickshire has 180,000, ‘Service Review BBC Local Radio’ [online] available from http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/our_work/local_radio/local_radio.pdf&gt; [03 October 2014]. Although these stats are not 100% because BBC only release national statistics and not regional so my working out for the 180,000 is based on the sum 7,200,000 (national listeners) divided by 40 (regional stations) equaling 180,000 (7,200,000/40=180,000). That’s not taking into account the populous of each region.

Although they are both leading stations they do in fact have completely different broadcasting styles. Where BBC Coventry and Warwickshire is more factual and use to debate local matters, Free radio is more entertainment based and broadcasts new music and light-hearted banter. The two different approaches does show in its listeners however, the average age of a free radio listener is 39 whereas the average age of a BBC radio listener is much higher.

A common similarity for most radio stations is the ‘interviewees’ they generally all come from the same age group as the intended target audiences age. Some radio stations do have All age ranges but there is a common interest, for example the music etc.

If local radio was stopped it would have a large effect on it older audience, BBC Coventry and Warwickshire for example has a 50+ audience and the radio is more of a companionship for them, a human voice, if it did stop it would be like losing a friend for some people. And in some cases could be leaving some older people alone for long periods of the day.

I mentions my stats for BBC radio are all based off national stats and then mathematically averaged, this leaves room for error and shouldn’t be used as final assumptions. as well as the information being issued as early as 2010.