EXAM QUESTION: LNWH

Explain how the radio industry targets audiences. Refer to Late Night Women's Hour to support your points

The radio industry targets its audience in different ways depending on what the key themes of the discussions that take place on the radio. Each radio has a targeted demographic based on the topics they discuss. For example in 1967, BBC Radio 1 launched and its target audience was the younger generation due to its heavy rotation of pop music. Similarly, Late Night Women's Hour's targeted audience is women. 

, Late Night Womens Hour started in the 1940s but the conversations were based around the war and however from the 1960s until now the conversations have shifted to reflect the changing interests and perspectives of their target audience. For example a fairly recent podcast title from 26^th June 2019 was the “Gender Pay Gap” and the hosts were financial journalist Iona Bain, and writer Ambreen Razia. This demonstrates how much conversations have changed over the last seventy years. Aside from conversations the way in which radio is distributed to its target audience has also significantly improved ever since Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) was introduced to the UK in 1995. This meant that radio could be listened to from cars or MP3 therefore making it easier for targeted audiences to access. In the case of Late Night Women’s Hour this meant that women no longer had to listen from the home radio.

One of the main theories that surround audiences and the radio industry is Curran and Seaton’s Power and Media industries theory. They argue that Late Night Women’s Hour challenges the idea that media is controlled by a small number of companies driven by the logic of profit and power. The fact that Late Night Women’s Hour is available on podcast supports Curran and Seaton’s idea that socially diverse patterns of ownership help create conditions for varied and adventurous production.

Even though LNWH is targeted at women different podcasts are aimed at various age groups regarding the topic. For example one of the conversations was titled “Heart attacks/ Taking your child to work” and the presenters were barrister Samantha Davies and scientists Sophie Scott. Initially, the demographic group that is directed towards is working mothers and women with health issues. However, any one who is interested in health or what life is like for a working mother can tune in.