Component 1: Section B (LNWH) Flashcards
What is the product context of Late Night Woman’s Hour? Hey
- spin off from the long-running BBC Radio 4 daily magazine programme Woman’s Hour
- it is broadcast once a month, late at night, presented by Lauren Laverne and features a number of female panelists
- each episode focuses on a particular theme relevant to its female audience eg ‘home’
What is the historical context of Late Night Woman’s Hour?
- Was first broadcast in the 1940s so historical and social shifts have occurred since show’s inception
- The original show reflects possible tokenism during this time period
- Features frank and open discussion and demonstrates societal shifts & increased gender equality although some issues reflect society is still not equal
What does Late Night Woman’s Hour have a responsibility to do?
Has to meet the BBC remit to inform, educate and entertain as it is a public service broadcasting radio station.
What is the significance of Late Night Woman’s Hour being a PSB?
They have license fee funding and so they don’t have to worry about financial considerations that commercial radio would
-would the broadcast be too ‘nice’ for commercial radio?
Why is Late Night Woman’s Hour too ‘niche’ for commercial radio?
- the broadcast only has female contributors
- is made up predominantly of unadorned dialogue (no music/side effects)
- ‘female’ topic is explored using intellectual and specialised vocabulary> too specialised an audience
How do recent technological changes and media production, distribution and circulation allow Late Night Woman’s Hour to reach a wider audience? (Globalisation)
- a brief history of radio before the mid 1990s should allow learners to appreciate the significance of podcasting & listening to broadcasts on digitally convergent platforms eg smartphones
- profound changes brought about by switching from analogue FM radio to digital audio broadcasting > access a wider audience
How may the scheduling of Late Night Woman’s Hour limit the audience share prior to DAB?
- has a Late 11pm time slot
- as people can listen on devices other than radios and can download podcasts, the time a broadcast airs live might be less significant
-However it may be argued that DAB technology affords broadcasters more freedom as the late night slot allows them more freedom to make challenging/controversial content in the knowledge it will still reach audiences
How do media producers maintain varieties in audiences? (Late Night Woman’s Hour)
- Lauren Laverne is an interesting host for a Radio 4 broadcast> more readily associated with alternative music than Radio 4 > appeals to wider range of listeners when compared to other hosts
- Laverne’s relative youth & reputation for being outspoken & irreverent might be a deliberate attempt to court the relative controversy surrounding some use of bad language and content in episodes
- Show designed to suit her persona rather than a show she just presents > dominates broadcast?
How does Late Night Woman’s Hour challenge the idea that media is controlled by a small number of companies driven by the logic of profit and power?- Curran and Seaton
- Whilst the BBC is inarguably a large, significant company, the nature of PSB & content of broadcast seem to be at odds with ‘logic and power’
- license fee funding frees the BBC producers from the pressure to generate profit which impacts the content of their broadcasts> more freedom
- it supports Curran and Seaton’s idea that socially diverse patterns of ownership help create conditions for varied & adventurous productions
- the proliferation of podcasts across a wide range of topics and genres> does the low production costs of this medium allow opportunity to take risks and develop adventurous content?
Social and cultural context of Late Night Woman’s Hour?
•Woman’s Hour was originally broadcast in the 40s> roles of women have changed & old fashioned stereotypes of women being passive have been abolished in the media
> 1950s house wife, commodified as objects of domesticity > independent, intelligent with more freedom
•”How to hang your husband’s suit” > ‘Masturbation’ (taboo topics)
Why may have Woman’s Hour originally been seen as patronising towards women?
It was originally presented by Alan Ivimey who was said to be a specialised in “talking to and writing for woman.”
-At this time the women of Britain were back doing housework after the war and it was thought by Norman Collins, the producer, that woman needed their own show as he referred to woman as ‘the poor wretched housewife’. > believed they needed Male company
How are audiences categorised by media industries? (Late Night Woman’s Hour)
- Aimed at a specific, almost niche audience (35-middle aged)
- The audience for Radio 4 can be categorised in terms of age, social class & expected levels of education
- The broadcast challenges the established audience of 40% men due to the obvious gender bias, the presence of Lauren Laverne & nature of the content
- The presence of Lauren Laverne & her edgy indie music background subverts the traditional demographic of Radio 4
What might a male response be to Late Night Woman’s Hour? (Oppositional)
- believe many media texts are composed of only female members eg loose women
- unsettling and alienating for Male listeners as lack of male representation
- they might question whether a female audience would feel this gender composition might cause controversy
How does Late Night Woman’s Hour invite audience members to enter discussion of the show?
Through the use of social media platforms and twitter debate
-controversial nature designed to invite strong responses?
How do media organisations reflects the different needs of mass and specialised audiences through targeting?
- The PSB nature of broadcast means the BBC attempts to produce content for all audience demographics to fulfil their purpose remit
- been designed to explicitly appeal to a specialised (educated, female) audience as part of the remit
