The Voice industry and auidence

Question 1

What year was The Voice started?

Answer 1

1982

Question 2

Who is the Voice’s target audience?

Answer 2

the British African-Caribbean community - second generation Windrush immigrants

Question 3

How is the Voice fulfilling a public service?

Answer 3

Through the targeting of an ethnic minority audience

Question 4

In what way does The Voice have a dual media strategy?

Answer 4

They still have a newspaper perhaps targeting an older demographic but they also have the website targeting a younger audience

Question 5

What was the circulation of the paper like in the first decade of selling?

Answer 5

It started with a print of 4,000 copies, but within 8 years, it was shifting 53,000 copies a week

Question 6

Who bought The Voice in 2004?

Answer 6

bought by the Jamaican company, the Gleaner Company

Question 7

How does The Voice shown an example of the changing power balance within the media

Answer 7

As a British based media company, being owned by a Jamaican parent company, it highlights the changing of power balance

Question 8

How did The Voice initially make money?

Answer 8

through the sales of papers (the cover price) and through advertising once an audience had been consolidated

Question 9

How has the Voice suffered in recent years?

Answer 9

It has struggled, like other newspapers from a declining print sale

Question 10

What happened to the Voice in the 90s?

Answer 10

By the late 90s, the paper was in trouble due to financial irregularities, staff sackings and the readership dropped to 12,000. The paper was having to go against a new rival- The New Nation- which seemed to be much more in tune with the zeitgeist

Question 11

How has The Voice had to change in recent years in order to diversify?

Answer 11

The paper has had to move online and has created social media channels because of the decline in print sales and the need to stay relevant. The online product is arguably less political and is more mainstream. In 2019, it changed approach, from being a weekly publication for 37 years to a 72 page monthly title in 2019. The cover price changed from £1 to £2.50.

Question 12

How was the website revamped in 2019?

Answer 12

The revamped website had a clean design, increased functionality and enhanced content tailored to readers. Its hoped the change will reinforce the paper’s commitment to the black community and appeal to new readers. The website changes format depending on whether you’re on mobile or computer, making it more accessible and easy to navigate

Question 13

What is bi-media?

Answer 13

Involving/working in two of the mass communication media.

Question 14

What is convergence?

Answer 14

The coming together of technologies and institutions to create a new product or media experience. This is often facilitated by digital technologies. E.g. smart phones brings together the internet, photos, watching video content and more.

Question 15

How has the voice use convergence?

Answer 15

Like that of a traditional newspaper with headlines, mastheads and images
Elements of television within the product through the use of videos
Contains elements of social media through the ability to leave comments and take part in polls

Question 16

How has the Voice use bi-media

Answer 16

The company has a website and a newspaper as well as using social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram

Question 17

How do the voice now make money?

Answer 17

-Sale of monthly paper
-annual subscription of £38.88 for monthly paper including postage and packaging
-third-party advertising and online ads which precisely target the individual buyer according to algorithms
-one-off donations
-sponsored content - companies can write articles about themselves

Question 18

Why is the online content much cheaper to produce than physical newspapers?

Answer 18

No need for paper and printing machinery or staff to drive and sell copies
All they need to pay is hosting fees/service maintenance
They can also get news sources from citizen journalism and give consumers the ability to send it news

Question 19

How much did The Voice make in 2017 and 2018?

Answer 19

It made a loss of £2100 in the year ending March 2018 and a loss of £2800 in 2017

Question 20

What technique does the paper use in trying to persuade people to subscribe to the paper?

Answer 20

It uses direct address: “The Voice commits to represent you through our monthly newspaper”. By using direct address, they are attempting to create a more personal relationship with the reader and make it seem like they will stand up for you

Question 21

What are the incentives The Voice uses to persuade people to buy the paper?

Answer 21

It includes postage and packaging, making the voice seem like they are doing the consumer a favour by increasing convenience levels.
It has exclusive events, offers and competitions - using the word exclusive makes the reader feel like they don’t want to miss out
Get the first look at their special publications, including, The Voice Food and Restaurant Guide and their Black Business Guide

Question 22

What is The Voice’s social media like?

Answer 22

There are little amounts of interaction, with the highest amount of followers they have being on Twitter with 54.4k followers. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram all seem to simply re-post the articles which they are sharing on their website, meaning there are low levels of engagement. YouTube offers some hope for social media interaction through exclusive interviews with inspiring black people.

Question 23

What is the average number of views The Voice receives on YouTube videos?

Answer 23

It receives an average of around 250 views, although some receive much higher with Shameik Moore and Daniel Kaluuya’s interview about Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, receiving 46k views

Question 24

What is the interaction like on Instagram posts?

Answer 24

Again, somewhat low: usually have around 500 likes, but this hardly compares to influencer’s posts in their millions of likes. Comments are usually low, but can sometimes reach around 100. Arguably, the Instagram somewhat creates an online community because it allows people to share common experiences, which is clearly seen on the recent post discussing how black women express safety concerns after Tory donor’s racist comments. The Voice then used the caption ‘To our Beautiful Black Women - how are you all feeling?’, showing the Voice are trying to care for their community and create support for one another, increasing interaction. This somewhat more dynamic content was also evident after the death of George Floyd

Question 25

How can Hesmondhalgh be applied to the paper?

Answer 25

Major profit driven conglomerates operate on a profit driven mentality, avoiding niche or innovative products that may be financially uncertain. The Voice has been supported by a larger media company, but not a major conglomerate. The niche level of the Voice may cause it to be viewed as unwanted by profit-driven conglomerates, as its profitability is capped by its limited appeal.

Question 26

What enabled The Voice to initially gain funding, somewhat subverting Hesmondhalgh’s theory?

Answer 26

The context of the time: Barclays Bank was being heavily criticised for its investments in South Africa where racial segregation was institutionalised in a system known as apartheid. The bank attempted to counteract the negative publicity by showing support for African-Caribbean causes. McCalla secured £62,000 from Barclays with the backing of the Loan Guarantee Scheme which was part of a series of initiatives set up by Margaret Thatcher’s government to help unemployed people start their own business.

Question 27

To what extent is The Voice facing a death of audience?

Answer 27

The Voice is clearly facing the death of audience, shown by the fact they are now only able to publish once a month instead of weekly.
Audience numbers are declining, because the site fails to cater for the rise of the prosumer: the site lacks interaction as it’s still a top-down company, rather than audience feedback driven.
It’s unable to change the front page according to the viewers preferences because there aren’t enough stories. It’s unable to use a publish first then filter system.
They are now being outperformed by larger news conglomerates, who are starting to cater for the specialised audience as well as the mass amateurisation of production; black people are starting to create their own relevant media.

Question 28

Why does the Voice have to be clear about which content is sponsored?

Answer 28

The Advertising Standards Authority in the UK require advertorials to be clearly labelled as paid content to “ensure that readers are not confused about whether copy is marketing material or editorial”.

Question 29

How could Livingstone and Lunt be applied to The Voice?

Answer 29

Online media has changed so fast that regulatory boards have been unable to keep up with the new technology. For The Voice focusing on a minority racial group, online harassment or hate speech may be something it encounters because of online anonymity, and the fact that content can only be regulated after it’s posted. Limitations, censorship and consequences is hard to implement and rarely effective

Question 30

What % of the UK is Afro-Carribean and what is the effect of this on sales?

Answer 30

Only 3%
This means they are limiting their market and audience

Question 31

How has the targeting of class changed as the paper has aged?

Answer 31

When the paper originally started, it would have been aimed at C2, D and E as the second generation of Windrush immigrants were discriminated in the housing and job market. However, now the paper has moved up in social mobility and has become more middle class as black people became more affluent and so the paper has become more mainstream

Question 32

What was the psychographics of the original audience?

Answer 32

Strugglers and retired

Question 33

What are the psychographics of the voice paper now?

Answer 33

mainstreamers, aspirers, explorers and reformers

Question 34

What is a specialised audience?

Answer 34

A non-mass, or niche audience that may be defined by a particular social group

Question 35

What are the advantages of a specialised audience?

Answer 35

-The audience may be more personal and so keep coming back
-Producers can be more specific in what they write and their priorities
-specific trageting of advertisement
-less competition in certain genres

Question 36

What are the disadvantages of a specialised audience?

Answer 36

-cuts off a mainstream audience, meaning it may not achieve as many sales
-takes longer to grow your audience meaning advertisers are less attracted to the company
-Therefore, making money is more difficult in the short term

Question 37

What are the uses and gratifications consumers can receive from the paper?

Answer 37

Education- informative, especially of stories that may only affect minorities
Identity- gives people somewhere to put their identity as they may feel a sense of double consciousness. Allows them to connect with a wider community with the same beliefs and ideas

Question 38

How does search engine optimisation hinder The Voice?

Answer 38

The Voice is overshadowed by the popular talent show franchise with the same name. More key words are necessary when searching online, which may limit the number of new visitors coming to the site

Question 39

What does a preferred reading of the Voice rely on?

Answer 39

Being part of the target audience

Question 40

How does Gauntlett apply to The Voice?

Answer 40

The Voice gives black people a tool to construct their own identities because it challenges traditional stereotypes where black people are portrayed as violent or threatening. It also creates a collective identity as black people come together as a community to discuss how they feel about certain issues