Evaluation - Audience

Throughout my research and planning I did a number of tasks that were directly related to audience, including primary research (distributing a questionnaire to gain a greater understanding of the audience's listening habits) and secondary research (looking at Ofcom and existing station websites).

Audience
Primary Research - Questionnaire
Audience and Ofcom
Target Audience and Websites
Target Audience and Websites II

This research really helped me get a better understanding of who my audience was, and the ways that radio stations target and attract their audiences (whether through the adverts they include, the songs they play, the guests that appear, the way that presenters speak or the design of their websites).

 My station, Metro FM, is a local radio station targeting audiences in the London area. My character of service sheet that I created explicitly lists my show as a 'locally oriented, contemporary/chart music-led service for under 30s in London' and while i would expect men to listen to my show I would expect the audience to be predominantly female.

Much of the content of my show is suitable for a local audience, targeting them directly. Good examples of elements of my show that would directly appeal to local audience in the London region include the majority of the news stories (most of which have taken place in London or directly involve someone from London), the jingles (that make it clear to the audience that Metro FM is a station that services the London area) and the weather for the region. A great deal of my research into local news involved thinking about how the stories I had looked at were directly targeting a specific audience.

Local News Analysis
Local News Analysis II
Comparing Local and National News
Comparing Local Radio News Bulletins







I have also constructed various elements of the show that would be of direct interest to a predominantly female audience, based on research that I did regarding adverts that would be appropriate and the kinds of news stories that would appeal to women. Adverts that I scripted that I thought would appeal to women included a charity advert, a shopping delivery service and an advert for an album from a TV show that is incredibly popular with a female demographic (Made in Chelsea). I felt very strongly about including adverts in my extract as I though it would be the perfect way to reinforce the nature of the audience that I had designed my radio show to appeal to.

I also included stories in the news that I though may also appeal to my demographic, particularly the story about the break up of the marriage of a celebrity couple - I have included the press conference of my actress speaking from that story, below (my questionnaire indicated that celebrity stories appear most interesting to women).

Potential Adverts to Indicate Target Audience
Potential Adverts to Indicate Target Audience II









One further way that I targeted my audience is through the age and genders of the show presenters (who introduce songs and make reference to a competition which will directly engage the audience) and the choice of music I included at the beginning and end of my extract.