Radio Analysis

Radio Analysis

         Radio stations can often be identified by the presenter. I will be looking at how they achieve this branding and what methods they use to aid them. The most key part of a radio show is the presenter. Because there is no image for the listener to watch, the show has to ensure that the audience keeps both engaged and interested in the programme they are listening to. A prime example of this is the Chris Moyles Show. Chris Moyles has become so successful over the past decade he now is a well known face, despite only recently creating a television programme. His success is down to numerous things such as how he interacts with his colleagues and makes the audience feel they are in on the joke and part of the group. He does this by controlling his voice. He uses the pitch, projection, pause and pace of his voice to control the atmosphere they are trying to create. A key example of this would be during the quizzes that they do. When he is in the quiz he speaks in a fast paced voice. This is to engage the audience and get them focused on what is happening. It also adds a satirical edge to it. This is another way to engage with the target audience because as it is a breakfast show, the audience will have only just started the new day and may not be switched on yet. However when he comes to the results his voice completely changes. The fast paced, quite high pitched, tone is ditched for a slow deep voice with lots of pauses. This adds tension for the listener, again focusing on getting their attention.

         A similar approach is taken by BBC five lives Danny Baker. However as his target audience is some 20 years older than that of Chris Moyles’s breakfast show. The differences become apparent when you compare their two shows. Danny Baker, despite having a slight accent, he uses proper queen’s English and focuses on the information he gives being the point of interest, whereas on the Chris Moyles show he tries to focus on the satirical side and gains interest that way. Something I have noticed is that during the breakfast show on Radio 1 there is a lot of dead air, when the presenters aren’t speaking. This usually comes after a joke, this could be to either drown out there own laughter or to give the audience time to laugh for themselves. On the Danny Baker show instead of fading all the mics down he tends to say er and erm quite a lot. This style makes the audience feel he is talking to them in particular, creating a relationship between them and presenter. The content of both these shows also clearly is aimed at a specific audience. The difference in features is quite vast but they do share similarities. For example the sausage sandwich game by Danny Baker tends to focus on entertaining the elder generations rather than Chris Moyles' "Oh Whats Occuring". A way that Moyles targets the younger generation is by using the voice of Nessa out of a successful sitcom Gavin & Stacey. Like the quiz, Gavin & Stacey is aimed at people aged 15-35. The audience will then begin making associations between the two and this will in turn help raise the profile of both the shows. On the other hand the sausage sandwich game has it's own identity and is enjoyed by many. There are internet forums claiming that the game is the "best game ever". This makes the success of the show aparent to anybody, even if they hadn't previously heard it. 

         Both these shows are aimed at completely different generations and demographics, which is why they both have completely different but successful presenting methods. ASDA Fm on the other hand has a  completely different approach to how they reach their intended audience. As the name states the channel is simply there as background noise to improve the shoppers experience. Instead of using any random song, they decide on their playlist by what is happening in the store. For example when the Twilight DVD was released, they played a Twilight playlist for that week. This playlist included tracks from  the film, aswell as songs they felt was appropriate to the station. The channel runs from a small booth in Leeds and the main presenter, 43 year old Vicky Locklin, is far from being a household name. However she is the presenter for Britains largest radio station. The reach of ASDA FM is 18 million. These 18 million includes shoppers, employees and online listeners. Vicky is perfect for this station because she fits the stereotype of housewife going to do the food shopping, which is the target audience, and this allows her to interact with the audience and they feel like she is one of their own. Her soft but energetic tone is also ideal for the station as they are trying to create the impression that the station is just some other shoppers trying to improve your own experience.