CASE STUDY: Late Night Women's hour

History of LNWH.

Late Night Woman's Hour is a spin-off from the long-running BBC Radio 4 daily magazine programme, Woman's Hour. It began broadcasting in 2015 on a limited basis but was so popular that it began a permanent run as a monthly, then in 2018, a weekly podcast. Woman’s Hour was first broadcast in the 1940s, so it’s worth considering the historical and social shifts that have occurred since the show’s inception. The original show reflects possible tokenism (a show set aside for women might imply all other radio content was oriented towards men). Late Night Woman’s Hour features frank and open discussions and demonstrates societal shifts and increased gender equality although some of the issues raised reflect the fact that society is not yet completely equal.

Product Context/ Themes of LNWH

It is recorded weekly and hosted by Emma Barnett. The podcast also features female guests from a range of backgrounds including science, health and entertainment. Each episode focuses on a particular theme that applies or is relevant to the female audience e.g 'Lost Friends'. The original broadcast was usually at 11pm every Thursday which means explicit and honest conversations.

The podcast reflects the changes in women's position in society as when it was first broadcasted in the 40s many of the topics were based around women in the war however today's conversatons on the podcast are quite empowering for women . For example the title for a recent conversation was "How to make your voice heard" and it included special guests who are young female activists.