Part One – The Radio Problems

I chose to focus on the Radio 5 Live problem as it appealed to me the most. I think I will find it really interesting as it’s quite an unusual problem and I don’t think this will be one of the most popular choices among the rest. There is also a lot you can write about with this task, I am hoping to focus mine on the fashion and styles used throughout a film or series as this is the area of journalism I want to specialise in. I have to create a 5 minute segment based on the latest box office hits to complete the film review segment.

BBC Radio 5 Live was launched in March 1994 as an alternative of the original Radio 5, which was launched on the 27 August 1990. There are around 5,000,000 weekly listeners tuned in, all of the ages 15+, according the “media.info”. The main focus of topics broadcasted in the radio service in BBC Radio 5 Live is news, sport, discussion and interviews.

This problem intrigued me the most as I can still focus on the fashion side of things. The segment will revolve around the styles and clothing used on a particular character in the film or series I decide to focus on. For instance; designer clothing, clothing based in different cultures, or costumes, such as period dramas. I will also include music or jingles, and all the relevant research needed to inform the listener and to fit into my 5 minute slot.

Part Two – Microphones and Sound Glossary – 

Microphone worksheet –

Sound Glossary – 

• Foley Sound – (Jack Foley) – Is everyday sound effects created by objects to enhance the noise and to make the sound clearer and more distinct. An example of this includes; the rustling of clothes, rain, footsteps, wind, slamming doors and smashing. This sound type is often used throughout radio dramas.
• Stationary Sound Sources – A person or object which is not moving, whilst picking up a constant noise. It picks up a constant pitch. For example, projector’s, air conditioning, heaters etc.
• Moving Sound Source –  A source that is moving in any direction. An example of this is wind.
• Drama Dialogue – Dialogue between characters / without having any obvious tie mics.
• Ambient Noise Level – Also known as “background noise” from any any source. This usually happens when the characters in the studio are quite and you can hear the background noises surrounding them or in the distance. An example of this is people passing or air conditioning.
• Studio Sound Recording – Allows you to capture voice recordings, gain a clearer and more distinct sound, and are always recorded in recording studios.
• Location Sound Recording – Recording on location. However, this isn’t specialised for sound optimism, so for the best sound you would have to rely on equipment.
• Sound Bridge – Transition from music back to presenter. Usually the presenter will speak over the music towards the end, making the transition seem more gradual. For example, towards the end of a song, the volume of the music will lower and the presenter will gradually start to talk.
• Mixers –  The mixers control the volumes, balance, tones and effects of the sound produced in the studio. An example of this would be the transitioning from music to presenter with the volumes increasing and decreasing.
• Feedback – Sound leaving or entering a speaker. This is not wanted when recording in the studio as it creates a screechy sound through the microphone, making it less professional.
• Absorption – Sound waves to be soaked up soft surfaces. Such as, the “dead kitten” microphone.
• Reflection – Another term for, ” bouncing” off hard surfaces.

Part Three – Research

Primary research –

Script –

Jingle and fadeout

Presenter 1-

“Good morning. Today, we are going to be discussing the latest topics, news updates and weather expected across Devon for this week.”                                                                                     

Presenter 2-

“We’ll be focusing on the fashion in the popular series ‘Gossip Girl’, with star guest, Charlotte Rochester.”

Jingle and fadeout

Presenter 1-

“The A386 in Yelverton has been blocked both ways after a crash around 5am. Police say the car flipped onto its side due to the icy roads, the driver is safe after being removed from the car, suffering only minor injuries. We’ll bring you live updates about the blocked road as we get them.”

Presenter 2-

“Speaking of icy conditions, the weather for the rest of this week remains chilly with some signs of it rising to around 6 degrees through the latter
 part of this week. There are some spells of harsh wind, and definitely more ice on its way.”

Advertisement (TESCO)

Presenter 2-

“So, Gossip Girl is an American teen drama series which was originally created by Josh Schnwartz. The series revolves around the lives of privileged upper-class students with great fashion sense and an eye for expensive pieces to wear to school. We’ve got an expert in to tell us more about the couture.”

Interviewee-

“Good afternoon, thank you for having me!”

Presenter 1- 

“It’s a pleasure! So, which is your favourite character in Gossip Girl for their fashion and why..?”

Interviewee-

“My favourite character would have to be Blair. Her fashion sense can be quite bold, but is also so cute and preppy. I like how she styles bright accessories with more simple outfits, like coats, jackets, heels and especially headbands, and Blair often wears brands like Prada and Tom Ford.

Presenter 1-

“Yes, we love Blair too! Her look is definitely iconic. Before we discuss more, there is another short news update…”

Presenter 1-

“It’s been reported that a man in his 20’s has suffered serious stab wounds after an attack in Paignton. Police were called to Parkside Road after the incident, the man had been taken to Torbay Hospital where he is said to be stable after sustaining stab wounds on Thursday. The 3 boys who hurt the victim will appear in Exeter Crown Court.”

Presenter 2-

“Wow, that’s awful… on a lighter note, the weather in Exeter this week is looking up. There are sunny intervals and a gentle breeze throughout, and temperatures are expected to rise to around 7 degrees.”

Song…

Presenter 1-

“Ah, yes it does sound tragic… all the best for the victim. Back to the interview, you mentioned Blair is always wearing brands like Tom Ford, Prada etc… what other fashion statements does Blair have? “

Interviewee –

“Well, Blair is known for her love of headbands, as every fan of gossip girl knows, and somehow manages to wear them with every outfit and still look good! Another fashion statement Blair has is the incorporation of bright colours, especially yellow and green which are mostly mixed in the same outfit. She also always wears vibrant colour tights, 24/7.”

Presenter 2-

“Yeah, you’re right, I watch Gossip Girl all the time and her sense of style is one of my favourites! Are there any other characters that stand out to you?”

Interviewee-

“Yes, Chuck of course! He’s always wearing designer suits, and although he’s a trouble maker at the school, just his looks alone win the girls over! (ha-ha) The classy and timeless matching suits are constantly eye-catching. He pairs them with branded and designer accessories, like his endless amounts of ties, shoes, cufflinks and jackets.”   

Presenter 1-

“Why do you think that the fashion in Gossip Girl is so unique and sophisticated?”

Interviewee-

“I think that the fashion is really 2000’s inspired! It’s brilliant, and I love it. The fashion in the early 2000’s is one of my favourite eras because there is so much diversity, it’s just so quirky and distinctive.”

Presenter 2 –

“Yes I totally agree, the 2000’s in definitely my favourite and I feel like gossip girl portrayed this style so clearly and I also think it’s making a comeback!”

Sign-off

Presenter 2-

“Thank you so much for tuning in once again to Radio 5 Live, and big thanks to Charlotte for being our guest today!”

Interviewee-

“You’re welcome, it’s been great!”

Presenter 1-

“Thanks again, and have a great rest of your day. Bye-bye.”

Presenter 2-

“Bye.”

Weather and news updates for Monday 28th –

• The A386 in Yelverton, Devon has been blocked both ways after a crash at around 5am. Police say the car flipped onto its side on an icy road during a sudden hail storm. Officers say the crash happened on the A386 between the Moorland Links Hotel and Roborough. The driver is reported to be safe and well after being removed from their car by the fire service. Tavistock Police tweeted the accident was ‘as a result of icy conditions and a hail storm’. The accident is between Dousland Road and Bickleigh Cross with diversions in place. Paramedics also attended. – Devon Live
• “Speaking of icy conditions, the weather for the rest of this week remains chilly with some signs of it rising to around 6 degrees through the latter
  part of this week.
• There are some spells of harsh wind, and definitely more ice on its way.”
  “It’s been reported that a man in his 20’s has suffered serious stab wounds after an attack in Paignton. Police were called to Parkside Road after the incident, the man had been taken to Torbay Hospital where he is said to be stable after sustaining stab wounds on Thursday. The 3 boys who hurt the victim will appear in Exeter Crown Court.”

Adverts – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLvBRCyNHJs

Jingles – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSA-hz46pws

News Song – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSA-hz46pws

Secondary research –

The current topics that the film review includes are; characters, structure, ( how the film is set out), events that occur throughout, genre of the film, the ending, plot twists featured throughout, and the opinions and thoughts of the presenter. However throughout the main channels live news video, current affairs and political matters such as the NHS, Brexit and Theresa May are covered more, informing a larger audience of more hard news.

BBC Radio 5 Live is a national radio service that broadcasts mainly news, sport, discussion, interviews and phone-ins, topics surrounding current affairs and latest shows on Netflix. It is the main radio station covering sport in the UK. Due to the topics discussed the age range is from 25-40 year olds, mainly aiming it at the older generation. From the high amount of sport content and podcast subjects, it is clear to see a majority of the listeners are male.

Legal and Ethical Journalism –

Within Journalism, there are many rules and laws that need to be followed, especially when being reported or published. The rules and laws that must be followed in order to do so are listed below;

-Data protection act 1998 –

The Data Protection act means that specific personal details cannot be published or broadcasted without the persons full permission. These details include things such as; telephone numbers, addresses, bank details and any other personal information that you may not wish to be shared.

1. Copyright – Copyright is one of the most significant parts of news production, whether it be a radio broadcast or a newspaper article. A sufficient license or payment may be required which allows you to gain permission for any content that is used.
2. Discrimination – It is illegal to discriminate against anyone as a result of their gender, age, sexuality, disability’s and religion. As a result of discrimination, a journalist could face official warnings at their workplace or even instant dismissal. This rule was designed so everyone gets a fair say amongst the media.
3. Ethical Matters – It is important not to discuss specific stories if they relate too closely to an ethical matter. Although, things such as same sex marriage, are allowed to be published as they contain opinions of different view points which may be discussed.

Quantitative research –

Capital Xtra and Radio 1’s circulatory figure have made an increase since spring 2018, gaining more listeners and popularity, unlike Radio 5 Lives’ circulatory figure which has decreased by around 839,000 according to the BBC. In summer of 2018, the live breakfast show has seen an online growth of 50% as a new presenter co-presented the programme. Also in summer 2018, Radio 5 Live Sport hit the record for online figures, with over 6 million downloads of station podcasts, a record monthly figure for the radio station, including over two million downloads of the World Cup Daily podcast in just June alone.

According to the BBC Radio 5 Live typically attracts the older generation, ages from 34-54 years old. This is due to the types of topics featured throughout and the sophisticated language. It is shown by the BBC that the radio station is more aimed at the male audience, statistics show only 17% of listeners are female compared to 83% of the listeners being male. This is due to the high amount of sport related content that is discussed during the podcasts.

It is shown that the majority of listeners tune it at home, in fact 77% do, with 19% tuning in whilst travelling or in the car, leaves 3% of listeners tuning in online. The amount of 15-34 year olds tuning in has decreased in the last 9 months, which could be due to the amount of political content discussed. From the data, its clear that a majority of listeners are tuning in live, this could be because of the convenience it has. Due to the topics covered throughout the radio broadcast, its clear that the typical audience for this station hold a social status of either A,B or C1, meaning they earn a higher income than the average person and would possibly have had a better education.

Qualitiative research –

• https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/28NWJMW

I decided to conduct a survey using survey monkey to gain a better insight of what type of people listen to Radio 5 Live. This will enable me to understand the target audience of the radio station as well as their interests, hobbies etc., which will help me to create my listener profile. The questions I asked were;

Do you listen to Radio 5 Live?  – 1/4 of people said they listen to Radio 5 Live.

How old are you? – 100% of people who voted were under the age of 18.

What is your income? – 50% of people are middle class and the other 50 % are lower middle class.

What is your gender? – 50% of people are male and 50 % are female.

What is typically your favourite radio station? – 50% of people prefer Radio 1, 25% of people prefer heart, and 25% of people prefer local news stations.

When do you typically listen to your favourite radio station? – 75% of people listen to the radio in the car, 25% of people listen but not by choice.

Why is your chosen radio station your favourite?

• Radio 1 – “Most preferred music”
• Heart – “Gives a good range of songs”
• Radio Exe – “Because Adam manning does interviews on there and it’s funny to listen to”
• Radio 1 – “Plays chart music that I know and listen to”

Do you know many people that listen to Radio? – 50% said yes, 50% said no.

The answers we gained were not compatible with our secondary research, this may be down to the amount of people that completed the survey, as some statistics of genders, ages and listeners do not match.

 Listener Profile –

Broadcast Journalist –

Broadcast journalism is the type of news and current affairs that gets published electronically, by either television, radio or internet, instead of by newspaper or magazine. As a broadcast journalist, your job is to research, investigate and present the news to the public by either, television, internet and radio. Communication is key for this role, as the news should be presented to the public as fast and as accurately as possible.

Within Broadcast journalism, there are many different job roles including;

1. Editor
2. Reporter
3. Presenter
4. Producer
5. Correspondent (a person employed to report for a newspaper or broadcasting organization).

The Reporter –

A Television reporter’s job role is to cover news stories outside the TV station or TV network each day. In order to bring back the stories presented, this job requires a lot of travelling, either around the country or around the world. The salary of  a reporter varies depending on what aspect you are reporting on. A TV reporter working in a small department could earn around £20,000 or even less. However working for affiliate stations, with a lot of experience, the annual salary would increase to as much as £100,000.

Usually, a bachelors degree is required in communication, journalism or TV, film and radio. Skills required in order to become a TV reporter include self confidence, determination and a very strong work ethic. This is because with this job, you need to have sympathy but also determination to chase down the ins and outs of the story.

Copyright Laws –

Copyright in sound is different to any other copyright. The owner of the copyright in a sound recording is usually the record producer. The composer of the music will own the copyright of that sound, and the lyrics will be protected by a literary work and will be owned by the person who wrote them.

A sound recording will also contain performers rights, such as:

• reproduction right
• distribution right
• rental right and lending right
• making available right
• right to equitable remuneration

If a recording is not published, the copyright lasts 50 years from when it was made. If the recording is published within 50 years of when it was made, the copyright lasts 70 years after it was first published.

Rights Managed (RM) –Rights Managed refers to a copyright license which, if purchased by a user, allows the one-time use of the song as specified by the license. Another license will need to be purchased if the user wishes to use this song again.

Royalty Free (RF) – Royalty-free refers to the right to use copyright material, (music, photos) without the need to pay royalties or license fees for each use.

Creative Commons (CC) –A Creative Commons license is a copyright license that enables the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work. It is used when an author wants to give people the right to share, use, and build upon a work that they have created.

Part Four – Solving your radio problem –

Fashion in Gossip Girl –

Serena Vanderwoodsen –

In this photo of Serena Vanderwoodsen ( Blake Lively) is seen wearing a Ralph Lauren “Goodman” crested blazer, a Celine watch me work bag in olive green, and black, knee high, Michael Kors Penelope boots. The top Serena is caught wearing is a low cut V neck, which suits the character of  Serena well, as she is known for her “inappropriate outfits.”

Even the uniform was dressed down by Serena, throwing on an olive green checked mini skirt, paired with her knee high boots and shirt barely done up, showing as much as she wanted and a tie thrown over the top, hanging loose from her neck. Although the majority of Serena’s clothing was designer as you can tell with her attending Constance High School, she always managed to look stylish, she could always dress the outfit down for the wrong attention.

Chuck Bass –

In this photo of Chuck Bass, (Ed Westwick) he is wearing the Armani Collezioni Grey Check Wool Suit, paired with the Brookes Brothers Medium Check Dress Shirt, this being a standard outfit choice for Chuck on a casual day. His wealth and fortune is portrayed in everything he wears, and as you can tell a majority of his wardrobe is designer.

He creates bold outfits, pairing vibrant colours and fabrics together, especially white. These crazy outfit choices didn’t change the amount of female attention Chuck had, as he was still known for being the careless “bad boy” of the Upper East Side. As the series goes on, Chucks character and fashion progresses to a more mature version, wearing calmer clothing whilst still looking sophisticated and smart.

Coming from a background like Blair Waldorf’s, there is no wonder she dresses like royalty. Following in her mothers footsteps when it comes to fashion, wearing her mothers designer brand, “Eleanor Waldorf.” Blair dresses very classy and always formal. Her hair will always have that perfect curl, and her shoes with the highest heel. This perfect and flawless look she achieves everyday connotes that she takes time and pride into her appearance, being the vien character she is known for. She is always seen adding a colouful feature to the outfit, whether it be handbags or shoes. Tom Ford, Prada and Michael Kors are her prefferd handbag choices, for sure. And when is B spotted without a headband? Never.

EXCLUSIVE PICTURE BY : MATRIXPHOTOS.COM PLEASE CREDIT ALL USAGES NO DIGITAL USE WITHOUT NEGOTIATION Madchen Amick, Jessica Szohr and Chase Crawford are pictured on the set of ‘Gossip Girl’ in New York City. New York, America. 25TH JULY 2008 GG JOB: 60155 TEL: +44845 345 7072

As you can see by Nate’s style, he is also a very wealthy character, incorporating designer wherever possible. Even to school, Nate doesn’t fail to impress by looking his smartest. His top pick would be the gucci white dress shirt, which he dresses up and down depending on the occasion. His character is known for being very prim and proper, yet also down to earth, hense his popularity with the girls of the upper east side. Although he can be caught dressed top to toe in the most perfect suits, he can also look just as handsome in more casual attire, such as jeans and a t-shirt, which of course, would be designer.

Dan Humphrey-

Compared to other charcaters, Dan Humphrey’s style is very plain and ordinary. Living in Brooklyn is a complete different lifestyle to living in the upper east side, hense the style difference. Dan would never be caught in a suit like Chucks, or a shirt like Nates, but a plain t-shirt bought from the nearest shop in Brooklyn. He is a charming and smart character, maybe not with the upper east side, but definetly the girls from Brooklyn.

Broadcast Wheel –

I created this Broadcast wheel to enable myself and my team to understand the timings of our radio segment. It has been split into five sections, each representing one minuite, and then even 30 seconds depending on the content. The sections have been filled with introductions, sign offs, news updates, adverts, songs and then mainly the interview based upon fashion within Gossip Girl.

I booked out the radio station for Friday 25th 2-3 for a practice run of our radio segment. This will enable us to gain a better understanding of the equipment, the area and the amount of time we have for our segment beforehand.

Pre- production –

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd7XezA1QAE&t=3s

Part Five – Evaluation –

For our assignment on radio journalism I decided to choose the company Radio 5 Live for our segment and follow the conventions they use and present similar topics they explore. I was asked to complete a 5 minute segment of a film review, which I decided to revolve around fashion within the series Gossip Girl. This series is a teen drama featured on Netflix, revolving around the lives of these privileged teens from the Upper East side. The wealthy teens dress like royalty, covering themselves in designer wherever possible, which is why I decided to focus on this series.

Within the group, my partner and I both focused on writing the notes for each character and also notes about the particular radio station we chose to focus on. I then focused on producing the Broadcast wheel which would enable my partner and I to get a better understanding of our time management and the amount of content we are able to include. I also focused on the pre -production work such as risk assessments, consent forms and crew and cast forms.

I feel like  as a group we did address the target audience in way that Radio 5 Live would have as we included frequent news updates between the interview, as well as a weather update for the local area. Also including advertisements and a news song to make it appear more formal like the conventions of Radio 5 Live. The only convention we could have followed in more depth was to add some more political news into our news segments as this is common throughout Radio 5 Live due to the type of audience watching. Our final outcome met our original plan as we always knew we wanted to focus our review on fashion within a series as well as sticking to the conventions of Radio 5 Live.

We included a variety of research including primary, secondary, qualitative and quantitative to broaden my understanding of Radio 5 Live as a whole. We also incorporated our gossip girl research within this too to make our radio segment more factual and entertaining. The best source of research in my opinion is the secondary research as it enabled me to gain background and factual information we could use for our segment which was expanded further in our interview with the fashion student in the radio station.

To improve on this unit in the future, I would put more focus into time management as with this assignment I feel like we didn’t manage to keep our interview within the time we gave ourselves. Although we managed to complete our segment within the 5 minutes we were given, when it came to sticking to our 30 second time slots, I feel like we weren’t accurate enough due to our interview. We also were unable to include a jingle fading out from our introduction as it wouldn’t have fitted within our time schedule, which differs from our broadcast wheel. Another improvement I would make is to give myself enough time to gain more confidence within the radio station, and become more comfortable with using the equipment as I feel this would have benefited our radio segment.