P4: Produce a plan for the structure and content of an original radio programme
Below is a mind map of my initial ideas.
Proposal:
My radio show, 'Sleep Tight, Sleep Right', will be a 30 minute documentary exploring whether or not we are too obsessed with how much sleep we are getting. The programme will feature personal stories from people whose daily lives are affected by their sleep, as well as those who are keen to track how much sleep they get each night with the help of technology. We will discuss if tracking your sleep is beneficial, or can leave some lying awake at night worrying about their lack of sleep - as well as how much sleep we should really be getting.
The show will be completely pre-recorded, allowing time to conduct interviews and do research for each episode. The target audience will be a mainstream audience, since people of any age and gender can have sleep problems, but there will be a slant towards people with a higher disposable income (i.e. in the ABC1 socio-economic bracket), since they will be able to afford to buy the technology discussed in the programme. Based on this target audience, 'Sleep Tight, Sleep Right' will be on air on Sunday evenings at 8pm, since listeners will be relaxed and it isn't long until they will be going to bed. I think this time and day is suitable because Saturday nights are when a lot of people will go out for the evening, whereas on a Sunday night most people are at home. I would also like 'Sleep Tight, Sleep Right' to be available on demand after it is first on air so the audience can listen when it is convenient for them. I want the delivery style to be informal and comforting, since part of the programme is about giving advice, so the audience must be able to trust the presenter's guidance enough to try it themselves.
I will need a variety of resources to create this radio show. I will first need three different contributors to conduct a short interview with, they will each have experience of different issues I want to talk about and that are relevant to the programme. Since I will be the presenter, these are the only personnel I will need. In terms of equipment, I will need a computer to edit on and appropriate audio editing software - most likely Adobe Audition. I will also need a high quality microphone to record the sound on, and a recording device. I also need to consider how much time the recording and editing processes will take. I think I need to split the recording over multiple days, depending on when the contributors are free, but I can record all of the narration from the producer in one day. I think the editing will take around two full days (3-4 hours of work per day), since there is a music bed to be sourced and added, and the programme is 30 minutes long, so it will take longer to edit than previous projects I have created.
Some examples of questions I might ask to my contributors are:
Do you think we are too dependent on technology?
Have you ever used an app or website to track your sleep?
What is a normal amount of sleep for you?
Have you ever felt negative effects of sleeping for too long?
Who do you think sleep tracking apps would benefit?
Do you think Fitbits and similar technology are too expensive?
The majority of content in 'Sleep Tight, Sleep Right' will be factual, with the presenter giving statistics, first hand stories and background information. Since the brief I have chosen requires audience participation, I want a large portion of the programme to be interviews with my chosen contributors, giving their personal stories and opinions one by one. I want to use a relevant piece of music at the beginning and the end of the programme to tie in the theme of the show, I will pick songs with lyrics about sleep or dreaming that the target audience are likely to know. For the music bed, I want to use music that is fairly soothing, but not too boring, so probably in the pop genre, but not as upbeat as programmes like BBC Newsbeat use. I don't want to use music that is too upbeat because this won't match the tone of the show, which is reassuring and comforting.
In terms of the budget, I have looked at some recording studios in the area and found a studio called Half-ton that charges £200 to rent the studio for an 8 hour day, and this includes full use of the studio, the equipment, software and a skilled engineer to help. www.halftonstudios.co.uk/#faq I will factor in another £50 for general expenses like transport, food and a contingency plan. The music bed I use will be royalty-free, so I don't need to allow money for this in the budget.
In order to raise enough money for this budget, I could use sponsorships. This means a company could pay me to promote their product in the radio show - for example, Apple could pay me to talk about their Smart Watch in the show and make people want to buy it. This is a far-fetched example, but sponsorship can be any form of promoting goods not tied to the media company within a media product. I could also use crowdfunding to raise money by giving contributors exclusive content in exchange for their donations. This would mean that the radio show would already have an audience before the first episode airs, because I could give behind the scenes content or exclusive merchandise to anyone who donates money, with different tiers depending on how much they give.
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To introduce and close the show, I will use a popular song about sleep that a mass target audience will know. Some ideas I have so far are:
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams
Everly Brothers - All I Have To Do Is Dream
Dizzy Rascal - Dream
The Chordettes - Mr Sandman
Aerosmith - Don't Wanna Miss A Thing
I have decided to use the Everly Brothers and Aerosmith songs because these are very well known, and they are an interesting way to tie in the theme of sleep that will make my show stand out. To use these songs on air you need a PRS licence as you need to pay royalties, but luckily the Oakes College has its own PRS licence - this legal issue is discussed in more detail in the Merit 3 task below.
Below is a radio clock I made to plan out the content of the 30 minute programme.
M3: Describe legal and ethical considerations required to comply with regulatory bodies for an original radio programme
Ofcom is the organisation that regulates radio, so I must comply with their rules and regulations to ensure my programme is kept on air. Since Ofcom regulate TV, radio, mobiles, postal services and more, they can't possibly watch everything to make sure it is safe for broadcast, so they rely on audiences sending in complaints if a piece of media doesn't meet their guidelines. After complaints are received and an investigation is conducted, if the media in question is found to have breached the Ofcom regulations then they have the power to ban it. Most of the regulations are related to not causing harm or offence, so I must make sure there is no content in my radio show that could cause offence to a protected group (e.g. minority race, sexuality, gender, disability, etc.). Since I have chosen to make a documentary that won't be live on air, it will be easy to cut out parts of an interview that aren't appropriate, since the topic of my show isn't likely to cause harm or offence.
I also need to be aware that no radio stations have a watershed, so this means all the content in my show must be appropriate for a young audience, and no swearing or crude language is allowed. This is more of an issue with live shows, but I will need to inform interviewees that they must not swear, otherwise we will have to record that take again. All radio content must be appropriate for all ages, since it is broadcast across the world, which means listeners will be in lots of different timezones when they are tuning in and children may be listening. The only exception to this is if there is a warning at the beginning of the programme which tells the audience what will be in the show so they can switch to another channel if they're not comfortable with that content.
Another legal issue I must be aware of is data protection, which a lot of people are worried about at the moment because of the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal. To ensure all personal data is safe, I will make sure all documents are password protected, since in the digital age, sensitive data is more susceptible to hacking. I will also censor any telephone numbers and home addresses from my planning documents, since my blog can be accessed by anyone. Lastly, I will gain written permission from all participants to use their voices in my production, to prove they agreed to be in it.
The final legal issue is copyright, since the brief (shown below) states that all content must be original and produced by me, but I can use music and sound effects from a royalty-free source, as long as I reference it. I can also use sound elements with royalties, as long as it's 30 seconds or under. I have used the following website in the past, and it is a very good library for finding royalty free music. http://freemusicarchive.org For sound effects, I will use this website as it has lots of different sounds recorded from all over the world. https://freesound.org
Companies like PRS act as a middle man between creators and users - they pay royalties to the artist when their work is performed, broadcast, streamed, downloaded, reproduced, played in public or used in film and TV. Any shops that play music in them must have a PRS licence, so the money they pay is given to the different artists whose music they use. The school has its own PRS licence for the Oakes Radio Station, so I will also look into what music I can use under this licence and if any of it would be appropriate to use in my programme.
An ethical issue I must consider is representation, since the radio has no visuals, it is more difficult to show representation, unless contributors talk explicitly about their demographics if it is related to the show. I plan to use a mixture of male and female voices, and people of different ages to make sure that listeners can hear the difference in the speakers' voices. This means I have shown a large range of opinions, and different groups can feel like they have been listened to.
D1: Justify how the codes and conventions of the radio genre are embedded within the planned content
The genre of my radio show is documentary, which has many codes and conventions including a more serious tone, personal stories, a chilled out music bed and facts and figures. To find out these conventions, I listened to a BBC 4 programme called 'The Art of Now - The Return of Voguing' which is a documentary about the rise of voguing in the UK. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00045kw
This radio documentary has a more serious tone than other genres like lifestyle shows, but not as serious as a news programme, since the presenter needs to keep the audience engaged over an in-depth look into one topic. I will meet this convention by using a tone of voice that isn't too upbeat and lively, but also isn't monotone and would make the audience switch off. It is important that the presenter sets the tone of the programme as they are the main voice the audience will hear, so the mood of the whole show will reflect how they deliver their spoken parts. It is also worth noting that the presenter of a documentary won't address the listener very often and there is little audience interaction since this is a factual programme and is almost always pre-recorded. However, the presenter may ask listeners to check out a certain website for more information, or follow someone on social media - but there can't be phone-ins or social media interaction due to the show not being live. The delivery of the show should also be appropriate for the target audience, for example, in The Art of Now, it seems like the target audience is fairly young as the presenter uses very accessible language and explains what any jargon means, and she sounds fairly young too. Using language that is too childish or too complex for your target audience can make a programme less successful, so I will be using chatty and informal language to make 'Sleep Tight, Sleep Right' entertaining for a mass audience.
Another convention of radio documentaries is personal stories, usually in the form of a recorded interview or vox pops. These give a range of different voices to the programme, so the audience aren't listening to one person talking for the whole show, and they also help the audience to empathise with the stories more, since they are being told by those with personal experience. Often these interviews will be conducted on a location that is relevant to the subject of the radio show (for example in the voguing programme, the presenter records part of the show at a ball so the audience gets to experience part of what she is discussing). Outside broadcasts are common in radio documentaries and are used to give the listener a change of scene and provide variety to keep them engaged, since this is difficult to do without visuals. I will not be featuring an outside broadcast in 'Sleep Tight, Sleep Right', but I am conducting two interviews and both will be recorded at each contributors' house rather than a studio to give a range of different voices for the audience. These contributors both have a slightly different experience of the topic of the show - one person owns a smart watch and uses it to track her sleep, and the other has a history of mental health issues which affected her quality of sleep. These interviews can cover lots of different experiences, so hopefully listeners will be able to relate to something that the contributors say, or gain some advice from them to help with their sleep and lifestyle.
The next convention of radio documentaries is a relaxed music bed. This won't be as upbeat as in some radio programmes like lifestyle or a breakfast show, since these need to be fast paced and giving the listeners energy, whereas my radio show is in the evening and is about sleep, so I want the music bed to be more relaxed to reflect this tone. I have chosen a few songs to use for a music bed, and these are chilled out enough to fit the tone of the show, but still cheerful enough that it won't put the listeners to sleep. An example of the kind of atmosphere I want to create is BBC Radio 1's The Surgery, where the show is informative and reassuring, while also being entertaining to listen to.
The last convention I will discuss is facts, figures and statistic, as the main purposes of a radio documentary are to inform and educate. After conducting some research, I will include lots of information in my radio show about how much sleep is recommended, how a lack of sleep can affect your physical health, and what sleep tracking products are available on the market. This will help the audience to gain something from the programme, as they could make some lifestyle changes to get more or less sleep if they learn that they aren't getting the correct amount, or try to have less caffeine in their diet. The self-help genre is very popular at the moment across all platforms, and I want 'Sleep Tight, Sleep Right' to be able to help someone improve their life so they can be happier and healthier. I will also tell the listeners the source of the statistics I quote, so they know whether or not the information I provide is from a reputable source, like the BBC or the NHS. If I didn't provide a source, listeners might be more reluctant to take my advice because they might suspect I have made it up, so being transparent with your audience is always the best way to build a good impression of yourself as a presenter.
In conclusion, using these codes and conventions in 'Sleep Tight, Sleep Right' will help me to meet the brief and attract the biggest audience possible. The brief requires the show to "inform, educate and entertain", which I will do by using facts and figures from reputable sources (as shown in my research for the radio checklist in P4 above). I must also make sure my show remains unbiased, I will meet this requirement by including personal stories as a major part of the programme so that the audience can hear a range of opinions. By following these codes and conventions, as well as the legal and ethical guidelines stated above in M3, I will have the means to create a very successful radio programme.