Radio as a Culture Industry - Report Example

Radio as a Culture Industry From its beginnings, radio has been influential through the broadcasting of newsas well as programmes that are designed to help people better understand their societies. This has resulted in its becoming a popular mode of receiving information by the public and has made it possible for individuals from all walks of life to have access to news; something that was not possible before the coming of the radio. This paper seeks to show the importance of radio stations, specifically BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 1 in the provision of public services and the transmission of culture in society through programmes that target different audiences. BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 4 are among the most popular radio channels of the BBC because they both have specialised to catering for the needs of different audiences. Radio 1 has as its main target young audiences who identify with a youthful genre of programming and this is reflected in its youth oriented music such as rap, hip-hop, rock, and electronica ("Ben Cooper is appointed BBC Radio 1s new controller," 2011). Through its music, the station has been able to develop a form of diversity that appeals to the youth and it has made massive coverage among this population. As a result, Radio 1 has been able to transmit modern musical culture to its audiences as well as ensuring that it remains up to date with the latest music that its audience find appealing. Furthermore, this station has made possible the promotion of new talent who symbolise the latest musical culture and this has allowed not only there to be diversity in the music industry, but has also created an environment where youthful audiences are able to identify with their own kind of music. In contrast, this is not the case with Radio 4 because music is not normally a part of its schedule. Instead, Radio 4 plays music occasionally for historical or commemorative purposes and this is done in a manner that ensures that its audiences get a feel of classical and other popular music that they would otherwise not have thought of. Radio 4 gives its audiences on an occasional opportunity of reminiscing over popular music in the past and present, ensuring that significant pieces of music are not forgotten. Furthermore, Radio 4 makes occasional broadcasts of concerts as well as airing documentaries concerning different types of music as a means of ensuring that it remains connected with its audiences. This is similar to Radio 1 which also broadcasts documentaries and interviews as a means of creating diversity in its programming. Through these interviews and documentaries, both Radio 1 and Radio 4 take on the task of helping audiences connect with their favourite musicians and this in a manner that helps individuals to learn about the motivations of these artists in creating and playing the music that they do. Therefore, while music is not a daily part of Radio 4’s programming, it is an essential part of Radio 1’s because it allows for the transmission of the latest or most popular music to its target audience, namely the youth (Martin, 2014). Radio 1 has an obligation to provide news to its audiences being a public service broadcaster and this means that the news it provides is done throughout the day ("BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat wins Sony Radio Academy Award" 2013). This is essentially done on an hourly basis through short summaries, which ensure that its audiences get informed concerning the events that are taking place during the day. As a result of the short nature of Radio 1’s news, its coverage tends to be for the most part current news since news is not a basic part of its programming, but rather an obligation that it has to fulfil. Since its target audiences are the youth, the news broadcasts reach a wide audience which ensures that a majority of the population receives it. The audiences of this station are able to follow news throughout the day on a step by step basis so that they have general perspective of what is happening in their society. Through these news broadcasts, Radio 1 helps its audiences to have an idea of events in their society, and this knowledge is instrumental in influencing the manner that they conduct their activities throughout their day. Radio 4 also provides news broadcasts, but unlike Radio 1 which only broadcasts in summary, Radio 4’s news is more extensive because it not only covers current affairs, it also ensures that the events that have taken place are discussed in a manner that puts them in context, allowing the audience to develop a deeper understanding. However, Radio 4 goes further in covering a wider variety of news and other programmes that include history and culture that resonates with the audience and this can be considered to be one of its greatest strengths. The ability of Radio 4 to reach its audience through its more extensive coverage of news and current affairs means that it has massive influence on those who listen to it. This station is not only able to deliver news to its audience, but it also ensures that they understand them through having people on the ground to report on events as they happen. Radio 1 does not go into as much detail in news as Radio 4 and this is what gives the latter an advantage. Therefore, one would conclude that while the strength of Radio 1 lies with its providing short news sessions for its target audience, Radio 4’s strength lies in its elaboration of news and events surrounding them to create a clearer picture. Radio 4 can be considered to be among the most important radio stations that provide their audiences with access to culture, music, and public service inspired ideas. This station helps in ensuring that the culture of the UK is preserved through its frequent broadcasts of historical programmes designed to ensure that they attract audiences from all parts of the country’s society (Midgley, 2011). This is especially the case when one considers that most of the historical programmes that it transmits are based on the actual history of the country and range from military to culinary programmes. The ability of this station to reach audiences from all walks of life makes possible its ability to make these audiences aware of their culture as well as the importance of preserving it for the sake of future generations. Historical programs ensure that the country’s rich history is known by younger generations who may not have experienced it firsthand and this helps in retaining the deep rooted traditions of the country’s long and proud history. Thus, through the efforts of Radio 4, its audiences are able to develop a better understanding of cultural values that have been long practiced in society and this allows them to develop a positive attitude towards culture that helps in its preservation. In this way, the country is able to retain its unique culture in such a manner that ensures that the society continues to exist based on its outstanding cultural values. While music and sports are not a part of Radio 4’s domain, the station makes sure that it provides some programming concerning them. A result of this endeavour is that Radio 4 has taken to occasionally broadcast concerts as well as documentaries concerning music in such a way as to ensure that its audience learn more concerning the different musical genres that they listen to. Furthermore, this station makes it possible for its audiences to have an understanding of the evolution of contemporary music from the twentieth to the twenty first century; a factor that also contributes to cultural understanding in society. This station’s airing of the long running music based programme the Desert Island Discs can be considered to be a cultural phenomenon because it allows the audiences to listen to guests in the programme as they select music and state their reasons for doing so (Magee, 2012). Such programmes allow audiences to not only get to know their music better, but to also develop a sense of being close to the musical culture o the country. Sport is another domain where Radio 4 has little programming and this is because most of its sports segments were transferred to Radio 5. However, Radio 4 makes an effort to ensure that it airs commentaries of test cricket matches that are played in the country. In order to make sure that it effectively provides the services that it is obligated to the public, Radio 4 has developed itself into a station that transmits programmes that include genres such as comedy, drama as well as those based on fact. Drama is an important aspect of Radio 4 programmes and these are conducted in such a manner that they ensure the audience gets a feel of each of the scenes as they progress. Through such programming, the station is able to effectively reach a wide audience and this ensures that it serves the interests of members of all generations in society (Kaplan, 2013). Not only does it provide programming that caters for the interests of different groups within society, but is also helps in the development of new talent through featuring individuals who are entering drama and comedy and this allows individuals to gain the necessary exposure to launch successful careers. It is also essential to note that Radio 4 helps in the transmission of culture through programmes that involve reading and discussion of literature and poetry which allows the audience to develop an interest in these subjects since in the contemporary world, they are hardly taken seriously. Therefore, through the intervention of this station, individuals in society are able to benefit by expanding their knowledge concerning different subjects that might interest them. In conclusion, the discussion above has shown that radio plays an important role in the transmission of culture and public services to society. The BBC stations Radio 1 and Radio 4 are among the most popular in the UK because they both have specialised themselves to catering for the needs of different audiences. Furthermore, the discussion has shown that while Radio 1 has based its programming mostly on music, Radio 4 has left music out of its programming, concentrating instead on more diversified programmer genres. Moreover, both Radio 4 and Radio 1 have an obligation to provide news to their audiences as is required as a public service broadcasters and this means that the news they provide are transmitted throughout the day. However, Radio 4’s news is more extensive because it ensures that the events that have taken place are discussed in a manner that puts them in context, allowing the audience to develop a deeper understanding. In addition, the discussion has shown Radio 4 to be among the most important radio stations because it provides it audiences with access to culture, music, and public service inspired ideas. This dedication to fulfilling its public service obligations has created a situation where despite music and sports not being a part of Radio 4’s domain, the station makes sure that it provides some programming concerning them. Finally, Radio 4 has developed itself into a station that transmits programmes that include genres such as comedy, drama as well as factual programmes that ends up reaching a wide variety of audiences hence acting as a vehicle for cultural transmission. References "BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat wins Sony Radio Academy Award." 2013. Newsbeat. [online] Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/22520693 "Ben Cooper is appointed BBC Radio 1s new controller." 2011. BBC News - Newsbeat. [Online] Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/15494493 Kaplan, D. 2013, “Programming and Editing as Alternative Logistics of Radio Music Production.” International Journal of Communication, vol. 7, pp.759 – 779. Magee, S. 2012, "Chapter 2: 1940s". Desert Island Discs: 70 Years Of Castaways. London: Bantam Press. Martin, R. 2014, "Launch date set for Radio 1’s iPlayer channel". Radio Today. [online] Available at http://radiotoday.co.uk/2014/11/launch-date-set-for-radio-1s-iplayer-channel/ Midgley, N. 2011, "BBC Radio 4 too middle class and London-centric." The Daily Telegraph.[Online] Available at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/8279381/BBC-Radio-4-too-middle-class-and-London-centric.html Read More