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| The BBC Sounds webportal provides a clean and readily accessible front end to a diverse range of services, in a variety of genres. This clearly helps the BBC to meet the needs of it's many, fragmented audiences |
Big question: In what ways does the BBC meet the needs of its audiences?
Starter: what needs do audiences even have, anyway? Why do we consume media?
- Escapism
- Excitement
- Entertainment
- Information
- Sexual gratification
- Identification and relating to the characters/presenters
- Modes of address and lexis
- Drama
- FOMO/social interaction
- Reflection
Why does the BBC have to meet the needs of so many audiences?
The BBC is publicly funded by the British public through the licence fee. It is a not for profit, PBS (public broadcasting service). Conversely, the vast majority of broadcasters worldwide are funded through advertising and/or monthly premium subscriptions. This makes the BBC's operating model notable. The BBC also has a legal remit to provide informative and educational content, to be free from political bias, and to schedule regular news bulletins, local news, and a plurality of voices, accents, languages, creoles and opinions. Additionally, the BBC's remit is often surmised as "to inform, educate and entertain", and to demonstrate a plurality of voices
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| An excellent example of the BBC's commitment to plurality is it's coverage in pidgin English |
How does the BBC Sounds webportal meet the needs of its audiences?
- A series of thumbnail images demonstrates the range of different shows and the diverse performers on them
- BBC Sounds functions as a webportal to a range of different services
- It is easily accessable to a range of audiences, and can be accessed through desktop computer or mobile phone
- It has a simple and straightforward layout, with many hyperlinks to click on
- Simple layout allows a range of audiences to find the content they want to find and all new shows too
- Digital hosting allows audiences the opportunity to rewind, fast forward, download and listen in their own time
- Appeals to younger, digitally connected audiences
- Audio quality is superior
How does [your own example] meet the needs of its audiences?
Find an example of a show accessed though BBC sounds, of any form and any genre, It can be a series or a standalone episode. Regardless, make sure it's something that you (yes you!) actually want to listen to. Make notes on How this episode meets the needs of its audiences? How does it meet your needs?
- Specific target audience (for example, LNWH specifically targets middle aged, middle class white women, though this isn't to say other people can't listen to
- Mode of address (formal or informal, with examples)
- Lexis (specific choice of language used, with examples)
- Ideological perspective (what beliefs, attitudes and messages are presented in this podcast? Remember, they don't have to be spicy...)
- Production values (does it sound high quality? How do the production values affect the audience experience?)