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War of the Worlds and Newsbeat Re-Visit | Day 8

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War Of the Worlds:

Hypodermic Needle Theory:
It would seem “The War of the Worlds” production supports the needle theory because so many terrified listeners, for example, “rushed out of their houses” to escape the “gas raid”. This is a direct Indication to how the producers wanted the viewers to react, encompassing Stuart Halls encoding and decoding theory between producers and audiences, where the producer intended for the viewers to be scared, frightened and react drastically.

Gerbners theory of cultivation:
Gerbners theory suggests that people with heavy listening/watching of media are susceptible to its messages.
One army veteran said the radio play “was too realistic for comfort” while another New York resident was “convinced it was the McCoy” when the “names and titles” of different officials, such as the Secretary of the Interior, were mentioned in the script. Both these quotes came from interviews after the Radio show was broadcasted.

Lazarfelds 2 step flow of communication:
A “throng of playgoers had rushed” from a “theatre” because “news” of the invasion had “spread” to the audience. This was reported by “The New York Times” from a manager of the new York theatre. Therefore, not everyone who was terrorised by the radio play was actually listening to the broadcast. They heard the rumours from people they trusted in their social circle.

Stuart Hall, Encoding and decoding:
The audiences knowledge is to blame for the “Panic”, firstly, the show was aired by Columbia Broadcasting Systems (CBS) – one of only two national broadcasters who were trusted by millions of listeners every day to deliver reliable and impartial news. Secondly, since radio was a relatively new form of mass communication, it could also be argued that many listeners lacked the media literacy needed to understand “The War of the Worlds” was a pastiche of its codes and conventions. None of this is the fault of the producers.

Newsbeat:

Post-modern New Media:

Blinded by the light, Ghost Town, Letter to the Free, Magazines, Maybelline, Mens Health, Metroid, Newspapers, Oh!, Radio, Revision, Score, Tomb Raider

CSP REVISION

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Tomb Raider & Metroid

TOMB RAIDER:

Language:

  • Lara Croft is the dominant signifier on the front cover
  • Paradigm of signifiers relating to action, adventure and violence
  • Iconic signs such as a gun, rope, gloves and a backpack create connotations of a more masculine woman which counteracts the stereotype of women and femininity. – the gun also implies the basic stock types of ‘Good guy vs Bad guy’
  • Use of the colour gold could be a symbolic sign linking towards treasure and wealth whilst also implying theft
  • The coding engraved into the stone on the back cover could be representing a different language – typically a non-English speaking country This also creates the sense of ‘the other’ without specifically othering a specific country
  • The age rating is a denotation as it warns customers the game may be inappropriate for ages younger

Language links to Roland Barthes, C.S. Pierce and Ferdinand de Saussure

Representation:

The dominant signifier is a reactionary representation of women as the lack of clothing worn represents the over-sexualisation of women and women in all media platforms. Her features are also exaggerated and accentuated through the use of tightly fitted clothing which creates unrealistic standards and ideologies of women for both genders to look up to. This can increase anxieties around body image and be damaging for young girls growing up. This also teaches girls and women to base their worth off the validation they receive from their body appearance, as both genders will learn that is socially acceptable to objectify women and to compare women to others. Furthermore, this will create and even bigger gender divide as it creates a lack of understanding for other connections other than physical. Camera positioning also contributes to the way in which women are perceived, women within video games are often seen with their features in shot at all angles whilst men are not. The characteristics also vary as women are seen to ‘saunter’ with some sassy walk and men are seen to walk ‘normally’ which shows that even within a video game woman are ‘seductive’. (Feminist frequency videos) However, Tomb Raider also provides a contrasting representation of women as the dominant signifier is female rather than male. Which countertypes to the usual ‘damsel-in-distress’ stereotype of women in video games- or even sometimes they are the ‘trophy’.

Representation links to Laura Mulvey (Male Gaze) and John Berger (Ways of Seeing) + (Feminist critical thinking)

Genre:

Tomb raider’s genre consists of action and adventure. Steve Neale talks about the repetition and differences within genre and weather they follow the typical conventions. Whilst Tomb Raider does follow the typical genre conventions featuring themes of violence however it does challenge the stereotypical male lead by utilising a main character as female, which serves to maintain interest in an evolving genre. The game utilises a third-person perspective which allows the audience to look around the character without her moving.

Narrative:

Perhaps the most poignant action code is the fatal battle between Lara and Larson. In this quick time event, the player takes limited control of the character and follows the on-screen prompts to shoot Larson. Each button press seems more intimate than the last. It’s clear from the softer music and Lara’s facial expressions that she regrets having to kill the henchman.

While these hermeneutic and proairetic codes provide the internal chronology of the narrative, the representation of the hero and villain is the most obvious example of Barthes’ definition of a symbolic code. Of course, Natla is dressed in a black suit – the colour code connoting her evil intent – and Lara is in her blue top. This simple binary opposition is also established by their different hair colour and accents.

When the player takes control of the avatar we are already in the disequilibrium stage. The player must overcome obstacles, puzzle and fight beasts in order to repair the disequilibrium and create a new equilibrium linking to Todorov’s narratology theory.

Audience:

Albert Bandura’s investigations demonstrated a link between young people watching violence on television and then expressing deviant behaviour in real life. The psychologist called this process symbolic modelling “Tomb Raider: Anniversary” is an action-adventure game which rewards violence because the players use their weapons to overcome the obstacles and save the planet. That final conflict with Larson is quite direct and emotional because it is performed as a quick time event where you make a clear and conscious decision to kill the character.

We can also link this to George Gerbner and his cultivation theory and mean world index as Tomb Raider exposes players to a series of violence. Where children may be at risk of perceiving the world as more violent then reality.

Industry:

[The original “Tomb Raider” was the first game developed by Core Design. The independent company was acquired by Eidos Interactive 1996 who helped finance their projects. After further mergers and acquisitions, Eidos Interactive is now a British subsidiary of Square Enix – a Japanese entertainment conglomerate.

This level of consolidation is typical of the concentration of media ownership identified by David Hesmondhalgh who was eager to highlight how the cultural industries were dominated by a very small number of firms. Although this gives the conglomerates incredible power, some critics would also argue this business model enables the creation of increasingly complex and financially risky games. For example, Core Design needed substantial funding to complete “Tomb Raider” or the game would never have left the design board.

It is also worth noting Eidos and Sony worked together to make “Tomb Raider” exclusive to the new PlayStation console rather than developing the game for the Nintendo or Sega platforms. This marketing strategy, which Hesmondhalgh called artificial scarcity, certainly helped the PlayStation brand to dominate the industry.

The computer game industry is one of the largest sectors in the entertainment business. It might be bigger than Holywood, but there are still lots of financial and legal pressures. “Tomb Raider: Anniversary” is a good illustration of the three formatting techniques used by companies to improve their chances of success.

First, it uses the iconography of action-adventure which will appeal to audiences who are already familiar with the genre. Third-person shooters are also incredibly popular with players. Lara Croft has developed into a cultural icon with her own fanbase, so the game can rely on her star power. Finally, franchises are easier to promote because the intellectual property is firmly established and there will an audience eager for the next instalment.

Square Enix reported the game sold 1.3 million copies worldwide, falling short of the return from the previous Tomb Raider games. It’s a risky business.]

^ NOT MINE!

Tomb Raider: Anniversary

METROID:

Language:

  • Title of the game suggests themes of space and/or science fiction – Pun for ‘meteoroid’
  • The iconic sign of a gun, like Tomb Raider, also implies violence
  • The dominant signifier is a girl (Samus Aran); however, this isn’t obvious as on the main cover she is disguised in an over-sized space suit.
  • Indexical signifiers such as mathematics related coding, numbers and diagrams and shapes, create a myth that displays links to action, suspense and a quest.
  • The symbolic sign of the white-like highlight that contours the dominant signifier, could symbolise innocence or power and goodness. – connotating to the fact that she is the ‘Good guy’

Language links to Roland Barthes, C.S. Pierce and Ferdinand de Saussure

Representation:

 This character counteracts the stereotypical representation, demonstrating a radical presentation of women and video games. The character’s appearance is not revealed until the last part of the game which helps to enhance a sense of freedom from the player as they can imagine/perceive the character to fit themselves. It is also implied the relationship between fictional characters and our factual lives are to do with the influence of media from a young age. Alike Tomb Raider, the dominant signifier is female which is a radical representation of women as it shows women in a more masculine dominated area. It helps to break the stereotype of women being the weaker gender or at least less capable in comparison to men. However, at the end of the game, Samus Aran is revealed wearing a blue body suit, in which, her body is majorly exaggerated and enhanced. Presenting an idealistic and non-realistic body type. This refreshing presentation is snatched away and the game, like so many others, fall into the archaic ways of appealing to the Male Gaze as a sales strategy.

Representation links to Laura Mulvey (Male Gaze) and John Berger (Ways of Seeing) + (Feminist critical thinking)

Genre:

Metroid is a hybrid genre due to its feature of action and adventure, horror and sci-fi. Steve Neale says there’s an ‘interplay of codes’ which refers to all the features connoting to a genre which help to convey attitudes and beliefs on an ideological world. An example in Metroid is ‘If you weren’t afraid of the dark before, you will be.’ which was a tagline used in marketing the game. It is reassuring for the audience to be able to recognise these codes within the game, such as violence, fictional worlds, powers, and parallel universes are all genre conventions of sci-fi and action. However the differences within this game also helps to entice/engage audiences.

Narrative:

The main character, Samus Aran, serves as the stock character of the hero as she goes on a rescue mission to find her missing troops. Here we can see Todorov’s narratology theory containing the structure of equilibrium, disequilibrium, recognition, resolution and new equilibrium. The threat posed by the bad guys is the disequilibrium, she then flies across three planets to collect a light and return it to it’s rightful place which serves as the repair that will create peace and a new equilibrium. The game also shows Levi Strauss’ binary oppositions between the characters. As in order to have Samus Aran as the hero that foreshadows there must be a villan which interweaves with Propp’s stock characters.

Audience:

Scanning through the game, most people would assume the target audience is mainly male because of the stereotypical representations of male and female games and the symbolic link between colours such as blue and pink that are associated with gender. An advert that was used to market the game also only featured two young boys playing the game, this also connotes that the primary target audience is male. Nintendo also called their controller the ‘Game Boy’ which would also suggest a gender bias. However, an industry historical review reported that more females were becoming “video game fans” and that 27 per cent of NES players in 1988 were female. The video game is regulated by PEGI and rated a 12 due to the features of violence.

Although we are exploring a virtual world full of ridiculous signifiers, audiences are still learning values and behaviours from a game which celebrates violence. In the development of his cultivation theory, George Gerbner included cartoon depictions of violence in his research because they resonated with the audience. He says the more someone is exposed to something the more they start to recognise it and believe the world is a far more dangerous place then it really is which links to his second theory of mean world index. Aether is a fictional planet. There was no catastrophic meteor. But the violence in the game feels real to a player immersed in that experience especially as it is played through first person which still creates the same tension and adrenaline as someone living in that experience. Here we can see the links to hyperreality and simulation that connotes to Baudrillard’s theory. Albert Bandura also drew attention to television as a socialising agent. Through a process of symbolic modelling, we copy the behaviour we see on the screen, especially if there is positive reinforcement. “Metroid Prime 2: Echoes” rewards players for their skill, gaining power ups and bonus content to defeat the bosses.

Industry:

As a Nintendo game Metroid is the product of one of a handful of conglomerates which dominate
the video games industry, a context which means that the study of the industry raises issues
which are central to contemporary media studies:
• The structure of Nintendo as a company and its control of production, distribution and
circulation
• The use of digital platforms to expand the output and reach of the games demonstrates how
institutions have responded to the impact of new technology.
• Regulation of games through PEGI
• Cultural industries including Hesmondhalgh

Social and Cultural contexts:

Metroid is a Japanese, sci-fi, action adventure video game developed by Nintendo. It is one of
Nintendo’s most successful franchises with 11 games available across all of the company’s
platforms. Metroid is a culturally significant game in the gaming universe due to its mix of style
and tone which combines Super Mario Bros style platforming with darker content, but also due to
the representation of the central character, Samus Aran. Aran is a bounty hunter whose gender
identity has been the subject of controversy and debate, leading some commentators to identify the character as transgender reflecting contemporary social and cultural contexts.

Article: Why Diversity Matters – Links as to why media should include more diversity in their representations. These quotes are referring to the gaming industry.

  • ‘ The industry traditionally projects an image that is young, white, straight and male’
  • ‘Most games feature white protagonists’
  • ‘A scene in Pakistan displays shop signs written in Arabic, even though Pakistani people speak English and Urdu, not Arabic’
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Postmodernism, Radio, Tomb Raider

Postmodernism Essay Prep

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2 CSPs I will compare = Tomb Raider and War of the Worlds.

Tomb Raider

Lara Croft – Main character and female partaking in violence – previously unheard of. The gameplay being as violent as it is with the main character being a woman could often confuse players who read into it even slightly – what is going on? Women running around with guns?

Despite this, Lara Croft is still dressed in very revealing clothing in order to appeal to heterosexual male audience – “Male Gaze”

This mix of such opposing elements is incredibly confusing and could even leave people wondering what kind of game they are playing – what culture and time period are we in where this type of product could succeed? How is the product helping individuals, societies or communities?

War of the Worlds

War of the Worlds was broadcast in 1938 and has been said to be a cause of over 7 million American people becoming terrified, and actually believing that aliens were invading the earth.

This was due to the fact that radio was still very new at the time, and it used the codes and conventions of a news broadcast in order to make a made up explosion and invasion of aliens seem like a real world issue and crisis.

CBS likely exaggerated impact of War of the Worlds for marketing and publicity purposes – people didn’t actually kill themselves and believe martians were invading – according to Jean Baudrillard’s theories around postmodernism. He states that “people lose the ability to distinguish between reality and fantasy”.

This links to the idea that the people who consumed War of the Worlds could not discern the fact that what played out in the broadcast was but a simulation and so did not occur in the real world. The idea of hyperreality is also relevant here because although aliens obviously do not exist, our world is so undefined and unfinished that change in this manner is not shot down immediately by humanity as a collective. The realm of possibility that mankind opens up by our own ways of thinking allow foreign and alien ideas to blossom, and this is what Baudrillard discusses and defines as a “postmodern” society. The fragmented truths and complications of our world can result in massive confusion, and this is evident in the outbreak of hysteria from War of the Worlds.

Radio

BBC 100 – Radio Broadcast

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Statement of Intent:

As a group, we intended to create a one hour radio broadcast regarding the ethos of the BBC: to inform, educate and entertain. We will address the history of the BBC and the correlation of popularity it has with the younger demographic. We will also discuss some popular topics such as the Football world cup in Qatar which is taking place presently. The show will include four speakers and will also include music. This production will take place during the scheduled “TrashTalk” broadcast. This will then be recorded and then uploaded to soundcloud.

Crissel states the four main categories for Radio: words, sound, music and silence. We aim to include all however we know that sound will be difficult due to lack of experience. We will play different genres of music that audiences may be familiar with so that we may be more appealing to a wider audience than that if we only focused on a specific genre. Our conversations will have direction but will also include elements of spontaneous speech so that the intimacy of radio can be experienced. This will be shown through our informal register which creates the illusion that we are having a private conversation with the listeners. This also helps to create a more relaxed and natural environment rather than a strict schedule.

Radio is traditionally set in a chronological order, we will show this through the use of interrogatives which help to give the conversation more direction and particular purpose. Our broadcast could relate to Stuart Hall’s reception theory. This talks about the Encoding and Decoding of messages showing the interpretation from the audience in comparison to the intention of the presenters. Our broadcast is likely to be considered ‘narrowcast’ as our audience is not likely to be big as Hautlieu Radio is still growing in popularity.

Evaluation:

For our broadcast we had some negatives and positives. I liked our ease with conversations and I think this made it easier to listen to and highlighted the sense of intimacy which we intended. However, to make our broadcast better, I think we could have included archive sound which would have made the production replicate a professional radio show. We also should have started on the hour as we don’t quite have an hours recording.

Radio

BBC 100 Broadcast

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For our radio production, we will be going through the BBC’s history and identifying how it has both positively and negatively affected people in Britain. We will also be discussing some of the key broadcasts the BBC makes, such as Doctor Who and the World Cup in Qatar. We will be referring to Todorov’s theory of a beginning middle and end with the systematic structure of our program. We will do this by separating our key topics with music closely intertwined with the BBC e.g Gorillaz and Disney Rascals (British bands) to ensure we have breaks to figure out how to talk next. There will also be references to Levi-Strauss’ theory of binary oppositions, with Jayden often being the voice of reason and attempting to gather balanced opinions from the rest of our group, and Rohan and Ben often giving strong informed responses.

In evaluation, our program was not as focused on the BBC as we would have liked. Overall, this simply came down to not enough preparation being made for the show and running out of ideas to talk about. In addition, Kai and Xavier did not talk as much as the others, and if I were to do this again I would ensure we had a full plan ready and make sure everyone was involved as much as possible.

Production, Radio

radio production

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History of the BBC

  • 20s – 1924 the pips/ 1927 football commentary
  • 30s – 1933 the first woman announcer
  • 40s – 1944 D day landings
  • 50s – 1953 coronation/1955 programme for deaf children
  • 60s – 1966 world cup/ 1967 colour TV/ 1969 Apollo 11
  • 70s – 1970 Edward II/ 1979 life on earth
  • 80s – 1981 royal wedding/ 1985 live aid
  • 90s – 1997 BBC online/teletubbies
  • 00s – 2003 launch of bbc 3/ strictly 2004
  • 10s – 2010 GBBO/2012 olympics
  • 20s – 2022 world cup?

NEA, Radio

Radio production nea+ – 100 years of the bbc

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Theme:

Music through the decades on the BBC

How music has changed throughout the decades, and how the BBC has changed with it.

What is the future of the BBC. How do I think the BBC should change with the times – why the BBC is becoming less and less popular – mentioned Spotify.

1950s –

Ray Charles – I’ve gotta woman

Released in 1954

The birth of soul – this album was innovative and influenced artists such as, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Otis Reading, Marvin Gaye, Elvis Presley, Van Morrison, Billy Joel and millions more – a combination of jazz, rock n roll, and gospel, it was the first time the world had heard soul.

200,000 sales in the UK

One of the most regularly played songs on the BBC in the 50s

Kanye West‘s song “Gold Digger” contains samples of “I Got a Woman”; one particular line is repeated throughout the song in the background. An interpolation by Jamie Foxx, who portrayed Charles in the 2004 biopic Ray, of “I Got a Woman” serves as the introduction to “Gold Digger”.

My song of the decade

Other frequently played songs on the BBC in the 50s:

1957 – Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley

1958 – Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry

1960s –

The Beatles were the most-played band on the BBC through the 60s

My favourite Beatles songs –

Sexy Sadie

Happiness is a Warm Gun

Both songs on the White Album – which was released in 1968

Happiness is a warm Gun was banned by the BBC due to its sexually suggestive lyrics. The song is a double entendre with guns a metaphore for John Lennon’s sexual desire for Yoko Ono.

The last section of song is arguably the greatest minute in Rock history, with main vocal by John Lennon, and back vocals by Paul Mccartney and George Harrison

More BBC’s favourites from the 60s:

1961 – Stand By Me by Ben E King

1962 – Cry To Me by Solomon Burke

1963 – Be My Baby by Ronettes

1969 – Here Comes The Sun by Beatles

1970s –

Right Down the Line – Gerry Rafferty

“Right Down the Line” is an ode from Gerry Rafferty to Carla, his teenage love whom he also married in 1970, about a decade before this track’s dropping.

Right down the line went number 1 in the US in 1978 before falling into obscurity.

However, the song has made a comeback in 2022 ranking 16 in the rock charts after it featured in popular US teen drama show, Euphoria.

Talk about the effect that other forms of popular culture have on songs… same thing happened with Where is my mind.

More heavily played tracks on the BBC in the 70s:

1975 – Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

1976 – Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac

1977 – Dreams by Fleetwood Mac

1980s –

Where is my Mind- Pixies

went platinum in the UK with 600,000 sales

Released in 1987, was rarely played on the BBC around the release, but gained popularity in recent years due to its use in the last scene of Fight Club.

Its peak chart position came in 2022, as it ranked 17th in the indie charts.

Not played regularly on main shows such as Radio 1 or 2 but is featured heavily on BBC shows that play rock and indie music.

Wake Me Up Before You Go Go by Wham (1984) was the most frequently played track on the BBC in the 80s

1990s –

Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana

In 1991 Nirvana released their second album, Nevermind. The album was a monumental success, going number 1 in the US and UK charts. Nevermind features a more polished, radio-friendly sound than the band’s prior work.

Written primarily by frontman Kurt Cobain, the album is noted for channelling a range of emotions, being noted as dark, humorous, and disturbing. Thematically, it includes anti-establishment views, anti-sexism, frustration, alienation and troubled love inspired by Cobain’s broken relationship with Tobi Vail.

Arguably, Nirvana are the single most influential band of the 21st century after The Beatles. Nevermind re-invigorated mainstream rock, and had a massive impact on style and music in the 90s. They are considered a cornerstone of the grunge era.

Their song, Smells Like Teen Spirit, was the most-played song of 1991 on the BBC.

Nirvana are still relevant even today, as their album, Nevermind, was the 4th most frequently purchased vinyl of 2021.

Other top-played songs on the BBC in the 90s:

1992 – Creep by Radiohead

1995 – Wonderwall by Oasis

1998 – Iris by Goo Goo Dolls

2000s –

2000s = Indie takeover in mainstream music

In 2001, The Strokes released their debut ‘Is This It’. The album was a huge success, going number 1 in the UK charts, and signified a new era of Indie Rock.

The next step on that evolutionary chain was the Arctic Monkeys, who (and this is no exaggeration) took over the world in 2006, with their debut album ‘Whatever People Say I am that’s what I’m not’.

The album was voted the 5th best UK album of all time by NME, and the band who were just 17, at the time of release became national stars.

Here’s my two favourite tracks from the album…

I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys

Mardy Bum – Arctic Monkeys

I bet that you look good on the dancefloor was the most frequently played song on the BBC in 2005.

Oher frequently played tracks by the BBC include:

2003 – Mr Brightside by The Killers

2006 – Naïve by The Kooks

2007 – Fluorescent Adolescent by Arctic Monkeys

2010 – 2022 –

Staying with the Arctic Monkeys, their rise to international success came in 2013, with AM.

Compared to their first album, AM is a very different, as they transitioned from a very raw, indie sound to a more clean, smoothly produced rock sound. AM’s bass guitar is noticeably a lot lower, and so is Alex Turner’s voice, as he croons songs. The album is also a slower pace, which appealed more to American listeners.

This song, Number one party anthem, is a great example of why this album is so successful.

Number 1 party anthem – Arctic Monkeys

touch back on BBC –

how music has changed over the years – the different audiences they are trying to appeal to.

Most played artist of the 2010s was Drake – shows how the BBC are attempting to appeal to young audiences.

finish with

Brazil – Declan McKenna

Notes, Radio, Regulation, Revision, Television

COMPARING NEWSBEAT AND WAR OF THE WORLDS

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THEMENEWSBEATWAR OF THE WORLDS
OWNERSHIP
[Institutions]		– BBC
-Owned by the UK public
-Funded through TV Licenses [paid yearly by public]
-Paternalistic approach
-1st Director= Lord Reith
-Public Company [PLC]		-CBS [Colombia Broadcasting Service]
-Owned by a multi national conglomerate [Paramount Global]
-Funded though adverts on air
-Private company [LTD]
-vertical / horizontal integration ???
HABERMAS-Transformation of the public sphere – media is constantly changing BBC keeping up.

-BBC ethos= to inform, entertain and educate.

-Cecil Lewis- “Opening up new worlds to people”

-Quality is important. They don’t make money to profit, it is put back into the BBC to make programmes

-Fits into Habermas notion of transforming the public

-Therefore the BBC is more paternalistic – what you need not what you want		-Most private business are aimed at making a profit

-They care about profit more than their audience.

-Just for profit is the commercial ethos

-Commercial broadcasting is not supported by Habermas
CHOMSKY
CURRAN-Ideas that underpin The Liberal Free Press, but much can apply to transformation of Public Sphere (Habermas) which in turn connects to ethos of PSB
-Linking to Habermas’ theory of transformation of the Public sphere

-BBC is being taken over by light daytime programmes= “peak-time tv are dominated by light entertainment		1. concerns about the commercial interest of big companies
(prioritising profits over social concerns)

2. concentration of ownership – although not monopolies, the small number of big companies is not good for

3. competition

4. Diverse range of voices (plurality)

5. audience choices

-CBS used the ‘moral panic’ as an advertising technique?

–
SEATONSeaton makes us aware of the power of the media in terms of big companies who own too much.
commercial Seaton also makes clear that broadcasters selling audiences to products NOT audiences to programmes (ie no adverts on BBC)
therefore BBC not chasing big exaggerated stories
Newsbeat seeking informed citizens who want knowledge

accountability – ie who looks after the BBC and makes sure it does what it is supposed to do: Annan Report 1980 “on balance the chain of accountability is adequate”
independence – ie keeping free from state control “without a commitment to public service, broadcasters are increasingly vulnerable to political interference”		Seaton talks about rise and inevitable need for competition with new technologies – which provides choice
Provides more entertainment for wider audiences ???
WoW targets mainstream entertainment seeking audiences

the allusion of Choice – “Choice, without positive direction is a myth, all too often the market will deliver more -but only more of the same”
REGULATIONlicense fee regulates BBC as well.
New technologies mean BBC faced with more competition
NO advertising!

-OFCOM
-BBC Charter
-BBC ethos- ‘educate, inform and entertain’
-The license fee regulates the BBC 		Federal Communications Commission as regulator for private business ie not necessarily in the public interest
AUDIENCE (ACTIVE / PASSIVE)Newsbeat encouraging active ‘uses and gratification’ model
personal needs
escapism, entertainment, self esteem
and social needs.
information, knowledge about the world, connecting with family, friends and community		War of the worlds raises the debate around audience as passive or active (ie Lasswell, linear model of communication like a hypodermic syringe) ie without thinking or reflecting on what we are told
AUDIENCE (LAZARSFELD)-2 STEP FLOW~ Use opinion leaders such as Princess Kate and Prince William to speak up about Mental Health. Audience listen passively and will more likely believe it if it is from an opinion leader-Orsen Welles unregulated opinion leader.
-If audience seeking facts / truth about space and war they would seek opinion leaders from govt or science.
AUDIENCE (HALL)
NEW TECHNOLOGY
SPECIFIC TEXTUAL EXAMPLES-Prince William and Kate presenting a special newsbeat edition on mental health

-Kanye article		-Timestamp 39.30- radio goes silent. Maybe to create an eerie setting to scare audience?
Radio

Newsbeat VS War of the Worlds

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Comparative Table

THEMENEWSBEATWAR OF THE WORLDS
OWNERSHIPBBC, PSB, Government, BBC board of trustees ?? DG (Lord Reith), BBC multi-media / cross-media, transnational / transglobal, not a monopoly, concentration of ownership (ie small number of firms who own TV and radio even though there are lots of different stations)

I think the BBC has a left wing libertarian ideology ???		CBS, Private company, Multi or cross media Conglomerate, transnational / transglobal (??), monopoly (???), it is an example of concentration of ownership ie just a few companies own everything (oligopoly ?? / cartel ??), vertical / horizontal integration ???
HABERMASTransformation of the public sphere – media is constantly changing BBC keeping up.
BBC intention enshrined in their ethos to inform, entertain and educate.
Not to make money or profit – they put money back into programmes so Quality is important.
I think this fits into Habermas notion of transforming the public
Therefore the BBC is more paternalistic – what you need not what you want (this is tricky)		Most private business are aimed at making a profit – I think private business don’t care about the public, I think they care about profit.
so they are more concerned with entertainment than education.
Just for profit is a commercial ethos – not in the spirit of Habermas
CHOMSKY
CURRANJames Curran writes about the ideas that underpin The Liberal Free Press, but much can apply to transformation of Public Sphere (Habermas) which in turn connects to ethos of PSBsome general ideas:
1. concerns about the commercial interest of big companies
(prioritising profits over social concerns)
2. concentration of ownership – although not monopolies, the small number of big companies is not good for
3. competition
4. Diverse range of voices (plurality)
5. audience choices
SEATONSeaton makes us aware of the power of the media in terms of big companies who own too much.
commercial Seaton also makes clear that broadcasters selling audiences to products NOT audiences to programmes (ie no adverts on BBC)
therefore BBC not chasing big exaggerated stories
Newsbeat seeking informed citizens who want knowledge

accountability – ie who looks after the BBC and makes sure it does what it is supposed to do: Annan Report 1980 “on balance the chain of accountability is adequate”
independence – ie keeping free from state control “without a commitment to public service, broadcasters are increasingly vulnerable to political interference”		Seaton talks about rise and inevitable need for competition with new technologies – which provides choice
Provides more entertainment for wider audiences ???
WoW targets mainstream entertainment seeking audiences

the allusion of Choice – “Choice, without positive direction is a myth, all too often the market will deliver more -but only more of the same”
REGULATIONOfcom, BBC Charter governed by Parliament, license fee regulates BBC as well. BBC / PSB ethos ‘to entertain, to inform and to educate’ (Reith)
New technologies mean BBC faced with more competition
NO advertising!		Federal Communications Commission as regulator for private business ie not necessarily in the public interest
AUDIENCE (ACTIVE / PASSIVE)Active – Newsbeat often gets people listening to participate and talk on the show. Younger people often are more engaged with the broadcast and are consuming it actively, thinking about what the broadcast is suggesting. It is also helped by the constant upbeat music played – helps concentration.Passive – War of the Worlds made the audience seem foolish and passive – not judging whether the message conveyed was correct or true in the first place.
AUDIENCE (LAZARSFELD)Two step flow – messages are taken in and given thought by consumers – happens with newsbeat a lot more than War of the Worlds.
People follow those with the same beliefs as you – BBC as an unbiased opinion leader, the public follow programs made from the BBC as they know it is not made to spread an agenda or make profit.		Not two step flow – Hyperdermic Needle theory? – Lasswell – messages aren’t given any thought, simply taken n board. War of the Worlds could e said to be so as people immediately believed that the broadcast was legitimate and martians were invading.
AUDIENCE (HALL)Dominant reading – enthusiasm about the program from young people.Stuart Hall – Preferred reading – Dominant reading would be to acknowledge the broadcast as not real and a work of fiction, while other people took it very seriously and it greatly affected their lives.
CE Hooper rating survey conducted 12 hours after the program went live found 98% of the people at the time weren’t listening. Of the 2%, no one took it as a legitimate news broadcast.
This shows that the dominant reading as depicted by Hall’s theory of preferred reading is that people treated it as fake.
NEW TECHNOLOGY
SPECIFIC TEXTUAL EXAMLESPrince William and Kate presenting a special newsbeat edition on mental health
Kanye article		blurred codes of drama and news. Programme starts with title music, announcer introduction ‘Mercury Theatre Company presents . . . ‘ followed by Orson Welles prologue to War of the Worlds .. .