For our assignment we had to set up a 2 hour radio broadcast for stratcast. The launch would be on the 19th November running in conjunction with Stratford does Children In Need. My role was to produce visual, cross-media features for the station to help broaden the accessibility of the station. I began by setting up a youtube channel. www.youtube.com/users/subcityfm.
Over the course of the last month we have uploaded tracks which we will play on our show and which appeal to our traget audience, 15-25 year olds from a B/C demographic with a secondary audience which fits in the D demographic. I also directed and edited the successful video Dubstep Boggies. This has caught the attention of our target audience on facebook.
I set up a facebook group for our station where fans could visit the page and post thoughts on our show. I also set up a discussion page where listeners could interact with the station. I combined the cross-media footage with our radio show to help spread the way our station could be consumed.
www.facebook.com/pages/subcityfm
I also created a 40 second advert which showed the start of our show. This was to help get the name "Sub City FM" out there and make people recognise the station and its unique style of music.
For the actual radio show production I was given the role as presenter. I had to take into consideration my pitch, pace, pause and projection. To appeal to my target audience I couldnt speak with queens english as this would be inappropriate. Therefore I tried to adopt a less enthusiastic version of radio DJ and presenter Tim Westwood. I researched how he addressed the listener and concluded that his fast paced voice and "Urban" vocabulary was successful due to the listening figures he got. I adopted this approach but tried to calm it down and be more relaxed so this vibe would be transmitted to the audience and my colleagues. The shows producer Charlie Sloan gave us clear job roles and wrote an in-depth script for me to annotate and prepare.
This is the script for the live launch.
Our producer also created a treatment which involved all the details of our show ranging from how long it will be to the feasibility of gaining the interest of our target audience. The treatment is an important part of every production as this can help sway a potential sponsers decision to fund the programme or not.
Treatment
Working Title: The title of our radio broadcast will be Sub City.
Length: The length of our radio show will be 60 minutes.
Format: The radio show will be recorded on the Myriad desk, along with the idents. The vocals for the radio promo were recorded on the Myriad desk, but the music featured in the promo was recorded on an apple Mac laptop and also edited on Soundtrack Pro, also on the laptop. The video promos were recorded on Sony HD DV Cameras and then edited on Final cut Pro. The sound output from the Myriad desk will be in Stereo format.
Target Audience: The target audience for our show will be 15 to 25 year olds. This is because the music genres we have chosen to include in our show are most popular within these age ranges. Also this target audience is the same for Radio 1 and Radio 1 Xtra; which are the closest shows to relate our audiences with.
Synopsis: The Sub City show will be based on playing none mainstream Dubstep and Drum and Bass music that will attract the target audiences because these types of music, especially dubstep are not as commonly played on the radio as most other genres. The idea of Sub City is to play these genres of music to the largely growing audience, as well informing them of upcoming events and gigs that they can go to and hear these types of music live. The show will also include a news clip which will offer information that is relevant to the target audience ages; as well as a section of the show where we talk about children in need. A live feature of the show will be an interview with an up and coming Dj who will also announce the winner of the Sub City challenge (pre recorded video).
Feasibility: The show is very feasible to create. We are all passionate about the music we have selected to play, and we understand how our target audience will react to this type of music. We have also created a YouTube channel and Face Book page which have both received positive support and feedback from many members of the general public. The music was all easily accessible because we already had most of the songs because it is music that we enjoy listening to anyway. We ran through the show many times and each time seemed more successful than the previous, so we are more than ready to commit to the live show.
Budget: The creation of this show will not need a budget.
In this treatment we have covered every key aspect of the programme and gone into depth about the reasons why we have chosen certain presenting styles.
An improvement I suggest for the treatment is a budget review. From my own personal research into advertising on social networking sites such as facebook and youube, an advert for subcity will have an estimated reach of over 3.6 million people. These fit all the credentials such as age, musical preference etc. However this advertisement costs 10 US dollars for a week long period. I believe this is a good investment and as we have decided to continue in the production of the show after the assignment concludes it will be a good way of increasing our listeners. I also researched into Geurilla Advertising. This company use unique imaging to advertise companies products.
For the cross-media aspect of this assignment I wanted to do something similar, to stand out from the other groups. We achieved it by playing a dubstep track out over a portable speaker. I felt this was a good way to engage the audience and attract attention to us. Also as we are the presenters it would get our faces recognised by the public. This is a similar technique to that of Radio 1's breakfast show host Chris Moyle's who does things like go karting and paintballing competitions with celebrity guests. This improves his relationship with the audience because they begin to associate him with other successful stars.
Another key element of our show was the content. Aswell as features like the news and sport we had to chose suitbable songs for our intended traget audience. The selection process was decided by certain factors. Firstly we put only the best Dubstep and Drum & Bass songs on our youtube channel. Then we looked at which tracks were getting the most views and put them on the playlist. This was almost a case of trial and error for the songs because it wasn't us chosing the songs but our listeners. There is also alot of competition for songs to get on our show, with over 7,000 views on youtube there was obviously a keen interest being shown by the public. The channel has also got 42 independant subscribers and over 3,000 channel views. We have also received awards from youtube such as the 39th most viewed music channel on youtube in the UK for a day. And most recently 50th most subscribed music channel this month. This success shows that our playlist has a wide reach and with short idents at the start of most tracks it also publicises our show more.
PLAYLIST
1. Nero – Innocence 3:40
2. Nero – Me & You 4:43
3. Gemini – Blue 2:33
4. DJ Die & Interface Ft. William Cartwright – Bright Lights (Netsky Remix) 2:30
5. Sovnger – Breathless 5:29
6. Plan B – The Recluse (Netsky Remix) 4:57
7. Netsky – Secret Agent 5:35
8. Netsky - Lost In This World 6:41
9. Tek-One vs 1 Bassline – Arrakis 97’ 3:09
10. Chase & Status – Take Me Away 6:14
(These are among the top tracks on our channel based on public views.)
A major concern for us was the factor of moral and ethical constraints. On our first pilate we had a complaint about the amount of swearing in our tracks. We therefore knew that we had to address this. We listened to the lyrics in every song we broadcast befoer the show began so we could either edit out the word or simply play a different track instead. Also our songs couldn't be offensive about someone based on race, gender, age, sexuality or religion. To ensure this the songs we put on our youtube channel had to be put by our producer who would have the final say on whether it would make it on or not.
Alongside the moral and ethical constraints we had to look into copyright infringment. To counter this professional radio companies use a PRS license. This basically means that the artist gets a certain amount of money for every time their song is played, in exchange for the station to have permission to play the song without having to worry about copyright. As our playlist is not mainstream tracks there may have been an issue but the college PRS license should cover the content.
Bibliography
www.youtube.com/users/subcityfm
www.facebook.com/pages/subcityfm
http://www.funnymos.com/guerrilla-advertising.html
For the actual radio show production I was given the role as presenter. I had to take into consideration my pitch, pace, pause and projection. To appeal to my target audience I couldnt speak with queens english as this would be inappropriate. Therefore I tried to adopt a less enthusiastic version of radio DJ and presenter Tim Westwood. I researched how he addressed the listener and concluded that his fast paced voice and "Urban" vocabulary was successful due to the listening figures he got. I adopted this approach but tried to calm it down and be more relaxed so this vibe would be transmitted to the audience and my colleagues. The shows producer Charlie Sloan gave us clear job roles and wrote an in-depth script for me to annotate and prepare.
This is the script for the live launch.
Sub city 2nd practise script
Charlie: The time is.... you’re listening to Sub City FM and we’re kicking the show off right now with
Nero Innocence (3:40)
James: We’ve got some big weekend tracks coming up in the show. Later on we’ll be talking to Greg Martin about upcoming events; I’ll be chatting to you about what YOU can do for Children In Need, and what we will be doing here at Sub City FM.
(Leave Nero Innocence to play through)
Charlie: That was one of Nero’s best ever releases, you would think that you can’t get many bigger tracks than that, but here’s Nero’s new exclusive release me & you.
(Play Nero me & you) (4:43)
Charlie: Make sure you listen out for the rest of the tracks from Nero’s new album on Sub City, but if you can’t wait that long, then check out our YouTube channel.
(Leave Nero me & you to play through)
James: Don’t forget to text us on.... tell us what you’re doing, where you’re going, or just to say hello.
James: This is also another hot track right now, the new release from the brand new producers Gemini, this is Blue. Check this out on the YouTube channel and leave a comment.
(Play Gemini – Blue) (2:33)
(Towards end of the song. Charlie: We’ve had some texts in. Big up Sub City, loving the tracks. Been searching for that Nero track for days, thanks Sub City, love Kirstie. Last week you played two Netsky tracks. Please play more! From Dave in Birmingham. Don’t forget to email us at Subcityfm@stratcast.com.
Play ident (14 seconds long)
Play long sound bed for this chat.
James: We’re now joined by our very own promo specialist Greg Martin telling us all the hottest events in around Birmingham.
Greg: ............
(Charlie and James have a conversation with Greg about events)
Charlie: In a short while we’re going to be coming back to talk about the very big event coming up, Children in Need, but first here’s Dj Die & Interface Ft. William Cartwright – Bright lights (Netsky Remix)
(Play Dj Die & Interface Ft. William Cartwright – Bright lights (Netsky Remix) 2:30)
James: Keep a look out for anything that Netsky has been involved in; it seems to be that anything he touches turns to gold.
(Leave Bright lights to continue playing)
Charlie: Before we come on to the subject of Children In need, if anyone has any suggestions, or anyone out there is already doing something for the big event, please let us now on .....
James: So it’s time to talk about Children In Need. Every year for the past few years, Stratford College has got involved with the national event, and created its own shows and dedicated an entire assignment towards the event called ‘Stratford College does Children In Need’, raising awareness and funds for the cause. I believe last year they successfully raised £722.50 (check if correct?) and this year they hope to match those figures, and raise them even higher.
Charlie: What can people do to get involved with the show then?
James: Well people can come along down to the Media Department and donate anything they can to the charity. They can come along and help, possibly getting very messy or wet; or just help out in any way they can, and showing support to the cause. If people can’t make it down to us here, then they can always tune in to listen or watch in different areas of the college, and of course on the internet: (read out website address).
Charlie: (Read out any texts we may have had on the C.I.N subject.)
Charlie: Well D’Arcy since we’re on the subject of C.I.N I think we should mention what we did here at Sub City for the cause.
James: (talks about the sub city challenge) and we will be finding out the winner of that challenge later on in the show; but first let’s just play some music man, I’m feeling a bit of Sovnger, what you saying Charlie?
Charlie: yeah man Sovnger’s good, here’s Sovnger Breathless.
(Play ident)
(Play Sovnger Breathless) (5:29)
(A few seconds into the song Charlie speaks)
Charlie: We know this one is a little different.... but we think you’re gonna like it.
Charlie: Coming up next we’ve got the news, but first just listen to this banger.
(Song finishes)
(Play news ident)
Lewis: (Lewis reads out the news) (approx five minutes)
(Play sub city ident)
James: This next song is a big track, by the very talented and diverse Plan B; made even better with a remix by Netsky. This is The Recluse.
(Play Plan B The Recluse) (4:57)
Charlie: I was gonna play a Rusko track, but because of that song I think I wanna carry on with the Netsky stuff. Here’s Netsky Secret Agent.
(Play Netsky Secret Agent) (5:35)
(Move straight into Netsky Lost in this world) (6:41)
Charlie: That track you just heard was a pure work of art. This guy is from Belgium originally, started out over a year ago now, but is fast becoming the hottest drum and bass producer in the world! Since moving to London he’s signed with Hospital Records, a big drum and bass label. And if you like Netsky, then you should definitely check out other artists signed to their label. Another one from Netsky for you now, this is Lost in this world.
(Half way into song when it breaks into a quiet beat)
James: After this song we’re gonna give you a quick recap on the C.I.N info, and then we’re gonna play you a baseline/dubstep track, stay tuned.
(Let song continue)
James: (recap on previous C.I.N info, and updated info)
James: This is Tek One vs A1 Bassline – Arrakis 97’. Enjoy! All I need to say with this one.
(Play Tek One vs A1 Bassline – Arrakis 97’) (3:09)
Charlie: Here on Sub City we feel it’s very important to promote new UK talent, and I’m talking about the music sense, not just fit girls. So now we’re gonna have a chat with one of Birmingham’s biggest up and coming Dj’s and Producer’s, Aaron Snipe.
James: So Aaron tell us a bit about you.
Aaron: (Answers)
Charlie: So at the moment you are based in Stratford but are you hoping to broaden your horizons in the future and make it national or maybe even international?
Aaron: Answer
James: So what have you got coming up, music wise?
Aaron: Answer
Charlie: We recently came to one of your gigs at Chicago’s in Stratford in aid of Help for Heroes and that gig was massive, so how does it feel to bring your music to the masses?
Aaron: Answer
James: Aaron is going to stick around with us until the end of the show and he is going to pick the winner of the (feature when the public say their favourite dubstep youtube comment).
(The presenter will read out texts that we receive about Arrons last gig saying how much of a success it was.)
Charlie: So D’Arcy earlier we talked about the sub city challenge, and what you and Greg had to do, are you ready to find out who won?
James: What do you think? Come on man tell us, bet let Greg down gently; he’ll be gutted to know he lost. That drop in Costa was scattier than the library one.
Charlie: Ok Aaron you can read that card now, see we’re so professional here we printed out the winner.
Aaron: The Sub City challenge winner is.....
Charlie: We’re gonna finish the show there, but we’re gonna leave you with a classic tune to listen to whether you’re driving, working, relaxing, no matter what you’re doing. This is Chase and Status – Take me away.
(Play Take me away)
END.Our producer also created a treatment which involved all the details of our show ranging from how long it will be to the feasibility of gaining the interest of our target audience. The treatment is an important part of every production as this can help sway a potential sponsers decision to fund the programme or not.
Treatment
Working Title: The title of our radio broadcast will be Sub City.
Length: The length of our radio show will be 60 minutes.
Format: The radio show will be recorded on the Myriad desk, along with the idents. The vocals for the radio promo were recorded on the Myriad desk, but the music featured in the promo was recorded on an apple Mac laptop and also edited on Soundtrack Pro, also on the laptop. The video promos were recorded on Sony HD DV Cameras and then edited on Final cut Pro. The sound output from the Myriad desk will be in Stereo format.
Target Audience: The target audience for our show will be 15 to 25 year olds. This is because the music genres we have chosen to include in our show are most popular within these age ranges. Also this target audience is the same for Radio 1 and Radio 1 Xtra; which are the closest shows to relate our audiences with.
Synopsis: The Sub City show will be based on playing none mainstream Dubstep and Drum and Bass music that will attract the target audiences because these types of music, especially dubstep are not as commonly played on the radio as most other genres. The idea of Sub City is to play these genres of music to the largely growing audience, as well informing them of upcoming events and gigs that they can go to and hear these types of music live. The show will also include a news clip which will offer information that is relevant to the target audience ages; as well as a section of the show where we talk about children in need. A live feature of the show will be an interview with an up and coming Dj who will also announce the winner of the Sub City challenge (pre recorded video).
Feasibility: The show is very feasible to create. We are all passionate about the music we have selected to play, and we understand how our target audience will react to this type of music. We have also created a YouTube channel and Face Book page which have both received positive support and feedback from many members of the general public. The music was all easily accessible because we already had most of the songs because it is music that we enjoy listening to anyway. We ran through the show many times and each time seemed more successful than the previous, so we are more than ready to commit to the live show.
Budget: The creation of this show will not need a budget.
In this treatment we have covered every key aspect of the programme and gone into depth about the reasons why we have chosen certain presenting styles.
An improvement I suggest for the treatment is a budget review. From my own personal research into advertising on social networking sites such as facebook and youube, an advert for subcity will have an estimated reach of over 3.6 million people. These fit all the credentials such as age, musical preference etc. However this advertisement costs 10 US dollars for a week long period. I believe this is a good investment and as we have decided to continue in the production of the show after the assignment concludes it will be a good way of increasing our listeners. I also researched into Geurilla Advertising. This company use unique imaging to advertise companies products.
 | |
| In this image Geurilla Advertising have created a sticker which makes it look like the car has been smashed by a baseball sponsored by VISA. This is obviously going to attract the drivers attention but because it isnt a boring, plain flyer they are more likley to either keep it on the windscreen or keep it for their homes. |
Another key element of our show was the content. Aswell as features like the news and sport we had to chose suitbable songs for our intended traget audience. The selection process was decided by certain factors. Firstly we put only the best Dubstep and Drum & Bass songs on our youtube channel. Then we looked at which tracks were getting the most views and put them on the playlist. This was almost a case of trial and error for the songs because it wasn't us chosing the songs but our listeners. There is also alot of competition for songs to get on our show, with over 7,000 views on youtube there was obviously a keen interest being shown by the public. The channel has also got 42 independant subscribers and over 3,000 channel views. We have also received awards from youtube such as the 39th most viewed music channel on youtube in the UK for a day. And most recently 50th most subscribed music channel this month. This success shows that our playlist has a wide reach and with short idents at the start of most tracks it also publicises our show more.
PLAYLIST
1. Nero – Innocence 3:40
2. Nero – Me & You 4:43
3. Gemini – Blue 2:33
4. DJ Die & Interface Ft. William Cartwright – Bright Lights (Netsky Remix) 2:30
5. Sovnger – Breathless 5:29
6. Plan B – The Recluse (Netsky Remix) 4:57
7. Netsky – Secret Agent 5:35
8. Netsky - Lost In This World 6:41
9. Tek-One vs 1 Bassline – Arrakis 97’ 3:09
10. Chase & Status – Take Me Away 6:14
(These are among the top tracks on our channel based on public views.)
A major concern for us was the factor of moral and ethical constraints. On our first pilate we had a complaint about the amount of swearing in our tracks. We therefore knew that we had to address this. We listened to the lyrics in every song we broadcast befoer the show began so we could either edit out the word or simply play a different track instead. Also our songs couldn't be offensive about someone based on race, gender, age, sexuality or religion. To ensure this the songs we put on our youtube channel had to be put by our producer who would have the final say on whether it would make it on or not.
Alongside the moral and ethical constraints we had to look into copyright infringment. To counter this professional radio companies use a PRS license. This basically means that the artist gets a certain amount of money for every time their song is played, in exchange for the station to have permission to play the song without having to worry about copyright. As our playlist is not mainstream tracks there may have been an issue but the college PRS license should cover the content.
Bibliography
www.youtube.com/users/subcityfm
www.facebook.com/pages/subcityfm
http://www.funnymos.com/guerrilla-advertising.html
