Radio (Heart FM)

Radio 

Radio Focus: Heart FM

Platforms you can access radio broadcasting: 
TV, Radio, Website, Apps, Car, Spotify

Different platforms:

• AM (Amplitude Modulation)
• FM (Frequency Modulation)
• DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting, available via a DAB radio)
• Dedicated station's website

Heart is the UK's most popular commercial (ad breaks) radio brand. 

Heart targets 25-44 year olds reaching 9.7m listeners every week on air.

All-star cast of presenters, more people want to tune in, more consumer brands attracted to platform.
 Disadvantage: Expensive, have to fit in with their schedule. 

Ownership:

Heart is a radio network of 22 stations owned by Global

Global own: Heart, Classic, Smooth, Capital, Radio X, LBC, Gold 

These are classified as Heart's sister channels

19 of Heart's 22 channels are owned by Global. The other three - Heart Herts, North Wales, Yorkshire - are owned by Communicorp and operated under a franchise agreement.

Above the line traditional advertising:

Monthly changing bill boards in town centres

Drive past stationary billboards: slogan, logo, station, image connotations of summer

Television Advert:

Advertising three different platforms: the app, in-car-radio, normal radio

Website:

How is sponsorship used across the website?

Not from first viewing, little about a charity, Primark, Greggs, very subtle advertising, not above-the-line advertising, have to scroll down to access it. 

How can listeners access the station?

Top right hand corner, shows the presenter and the times she will be on AIR. Who's on, what time they're on, image of them, schedule (featured celebrity presenters, cash money prize to entice audience), songs recently played. 

Which aspects of the website appeal to the target audience?

Different tabs with lots of different dedicated areas (celebrity gossip, lifestyle and healthy eating, royal family). Top advert: pampers, targeting mothers promoting nurses, win competition prize (spin on the advert). 

Jingles:

A jingle is a short slogan, verse or tune designed to be easily remembered, and is especially used in advertising. 

These add to a product's overall brand identity - the elements that distinguish it for the consumer

E.g (check a trade - check a trade dot com, Autoglass repair Auto glass replace) 

I've heard them in ad breaks on radio stations like Capital, or TalkSport. They are effective because they're extremely catchy, snappy, short and rememberable. 

Mode of address

They way in which a media product speaks to, or attracts, its audience. 

i.e. formal mode of address, informal mode of address 

Sound motif

A sound effect or combination of sound effects associated with a particular setting, situation, character or idea

Ident 

A short piece of audio or audio-visual content produced by radio or television stations to identify themselves on air. 

Textual Analysis

Describe modes of address - how do the presenters address the audience? How does this appeal to the target audience?

How effective is the indent? How does this appeal to the audience?

Heart Phone-in: informal, friendly mode of address, comedic. Interactive with the public, direct conversation live on air.

The Accent Game: informal, interactive

heavy jingle appealing to 25-44 year olds: popularity of the music, upbeat

RAJAR and Audiences

RAJAR stands for Radio Joint Audience Research, and is the official body in charge of measuring radio audiences in the UK. It is jointly owned by the BBC and the Radiocentre on behalf of the commercial sector.

They do not regulate, OFCOM regulate radio and TV. 

BBC radio 2 the most weekly reached station in the UK at 15,413 listeners a week. BBC radio 4 is the second at 10,915. The least popular is BBC radio 3 ant just 1,933 listeners.

This graph shows us the percentage of mobile and tablet listeners in their age group by year. The common trend throughout this graph is that the 15-24 age group is the most popular demographic for mobile/tablet listeners and is at 32.5% as of recent years (2019). However, this is closely followed by all adults, and 25+ which was not close at all in 2015, when all adult listeners was just at 25.4% and 25+ ages at 24.4%. This shows more of a variety of ages are tuning in to radio stations via mobile/tablet and radio stations are targeting more of a variety of people. 


Heart FM
Radio stations can use RAJAR to analyse their audience profiles.

They primarily target the female sex at 59%, closely followed my male listeners at 41%.  
Their core audience is aged between 25-44 - at 41%
Heart listeners tune in on average for 6.7hrs a week. 

Example question

From your knowledge of contemporary media consumption patterns, describe two reasons why the listenership of Hallal FM has decreased since 1999. (4)

The total hours listened to has dropped rapidly from June 1999 at 6mill to just over 2mill in Jun 2015. This is due to the radio station targetting a niche group, which would be very hard to advertise in above-the-line circumstances as the group they target is a minority and will not appeal to everyone, due to their individual religious beliefs. Another reason why the listenership has decreased could be due to their lack of use in digital advertising, a way more popular way to gain an audience nowadays than traditional advertising, where some listeners may struggle to find your station. With digital advertising, it is much more bold and harder to ignore, which follows the trend of listeners listening for a longer period of time in the space of a week, as they are more likely to tune in more frequently. Compared to traditional advertising e.g. a leaflet which will only catch the eye once and for one period of time only. 

1) Might have more competitors
2) Streaming
3) In car technology - bluetooth, aux cable
4) Podcast popularity 

Regulation

OFCOM - (Office of Communications)
As well as television, OFCOM also regulates radio:

Their job is to make sure people get the best from their broadband and mobile  services as well as watching TV and Radio.
They make sure people don't get scammed and are protected from bad practices, important for vulnerable/older people. 

General Rules/Principles:

• Programming associated with commercial arrangement myst be appropriately signalled to ensure commercial arrangement is transparent to listeners
• Spot advertisements must be clearly serrated from programming
• No commercial reference, or material that implies a commercial arrangement, is permitted in or around news bulletins or news desk presentations.

BBC is a PSB (Public Service Broadcaster). Any BBC content (TV,  Radio) must not contain any adverts. Funded 75% TV License, 25% Publications

Principles (it must be):
1. Distinctive programming
2. Informative for an audience
3. Original - not carbon copies of American TV.