The 5:19 show is a programme on the internet, TV and radio that is aimed at the younger generation of 12 to 17 year olds. The radio outlet for the show is broadcasts on Radio 1 on Sundays at 7pm and is aimed at the younger side of the stations target audience of 15-29 year olds. The content of the show is largely taken over with celebrity news, band interviews and comedy sketches and spoofs.
The style of this show is positive and fast paced. The presenter Tom Deacon speaks extremely quickly, similar to the adolescences today. He doesn’t have a particularly strong accent but does speak in a youthful way with plenty of slang. This would appeal to the listeners and enable them to relate with the presenter and engage with the show.
The soundbeds also add to the fast pace of the show. They’re pop/rock-y and as a result are suitable for the youthful style of the show.
The music played on the show is modern chart music that the programmes target audience would enjoy.
The content on this show is focused on musical artists and bands such as The Jonas Brothers that are targeting a younger audience and includes a lot of interviews. The styles of these interviews are very informal and often quite comedic.
The show also interacts with their audience through text, phone calls and online. This adds an incentive to listening to the show as the younger generation today are very media savvy and could get bored with just listening.
As the 5:19 show is also a TV programme there is a lot of cross media content available for the audience. On their website they have a section for video clips and as the show is part of BBC Switch there are links directing the audience to other content within BBC Switch such a games.
The Evening Show on Banbury Sound broadcasts from 7pm until 10pm every weekday evening. The online description of this show gives an idea of the intended audience by saying ‘…you prepare the packed lunched or ironing your shirts for the next morning.’ This implies that their audience are adults, working, middle class and probably in the E to C1 category.
As the show broadcasts to a small area the content is very local. The news focuses on the Banbury, Brackley and North Oxfordshire area and so informs their audience of what’s going on in the region.
The links on this show are infrequent and quite short with mostly the presenter back announcing and then giving a short menu of what’s coming up next and later on the show. He also promotes other shows on the station. This suggests that the style of this show is to entertain the audience by providing them with music.
As this is a commercial station there are a lot of adverts that take up the airtime. These adverts target the local audience by promoting local events and businesses. These are also promoted through the occasional link.
The station has a lot of competitions and opportunities for the listeners to interact and get something out of listening to the show. The competitions run throughout the day and are mentioned in each show to give the widest audience the chance to win. The prizes for the competitions are often things that are useful or relevant to local listeners such as restaurant vouchers for local restaurants. This gives the listeners another incentive to enter the competitions.
They play a wide range of music that would appeal to a broad audience. They play ‘safe’ music with chart songs mixed in with older ones. They music genre also is played safe.
The presenter has an undistinguished accent although local listeners could say that he has a Banbury element to his voice. However, this isn’t obvious so would appeal to anyone not from the Banbury area.
Debenhams radio broadcasts to their 153 stores across the UK and Ireland. The majority of Debenhams customers are middle to upper class people from the C1 to A categories. This information can be gained by the price of the products in the store. The majority of the products are more expensive than other high street stores so therefore attract higher earning people.
The music played in Debenhams radio is usually popular songs within the last few years. They play range of UK top 40 songs mixed in with older popular classics. All the songs are lighthearted pop music as this is the most un-intrusive type of music and won’t interfere with the listeners/customers shopping experience or concentration. The playlist is suitable for the audience as the songs are ones heard regularly on national radio.
On Debenhams radio the links are pre-recorded and all about promoting the offers and products in store. The same links are repeated throughout the day as customers are only in the store for a short while and therefore have left before the same link is repeated. Also the same links are repeated for a few weeks. For example, information about the Debenham's Iphone app.
The links are mainly presented by a male however every so often a female does voice a few. This is most likely because male voices often sound more informative than females as they are of a lower pitch. Another reason for this is that his voice could appeal to females whilst also relating to males shopping in the store. He presents in a formal but direct way, often speaking directly to the customers by saying ‘you’. The presenter doesn’t have a distinguished accent although you could say he speaks in the Queens English. Listeners can tell from the low pitch of the male’s voice that he is 25 years or above. This allows listeners to relate to him as he of a similar age to the majority of Debenhams customers.
The ‘poppy’ soundbed blends into the playlist and is unnoticeable and seems like another song until the presenter speaks. This is a good technique, as it doesn’t intrude on the customers experience too much.
These three programmes each have their differences and similarities.
Musically, Touch and Debenhams are the most similar by playing a mix of older and current music whereas the 5:19 show plays current songs with every so often the first play of a new single. They also play new music that hasn’t made it mainstream just yet.
All 3 programmes have male presenters and are presented in a direct way to the audience. The content of the links are different as the shows all have different purposes and focuses. As Debenhams is focusing on promoting the offers in their store, the links are un-conversational and to the point. The Evening Show on Touch FM concentrates on playing music and therefore the majority of the links are introducing the tracks. The 5:19 show’s links are longer than the previous two shows. This allows the presenter to entertain the audience a bit more.
