Analysing forms of radio news

1. The World at One is BBC Radio4’s Long-Runninglunchtime newsandCurrentAffairsProgramme,
whichrunsfrom 1pm to 1:45pm fromMonday to Friday. Radio4’s contentonnews,currentaffairs,
drama and comedyisseenashighlydistinctive,evenmore since Channel4withdrew the plansto
launcha rival speechandnewsservice. BBC,whichstandsforBritishBroadcastingCorporationisa
PublicService Broadcasterwhose jobistoeitherEntertain,Educate orinformtheirtargetaudience.
Thoughas a NewsProvider,theyhave toprovide bothLeftandRightwingednewsmeaningthey
cannot biasagainsta certaintopic, the BBC is the voice of the people meaningtheyhave togive
bothsidesof the story,this avoidsthe BBCappearingBias.Thoughthe corporationhas gone under
manyaccusations of beingrightwingbias,thisfavouringthe currentgovernmentasopposedtothe
opposition. The programme isdescribedas“Britain’sLeadingPolitical Programme” thisshowsus,
that the programme’sintendedaudience isaimingforanolderandmatures audience,rangingfrom
Middle ClasstoUpper Class(C1 to A onthe social ClassificationChart.) Asthe show isintendedfor
the Middle to UpperClass, thoughitdoesalsodraw attentionfromthe lowerclass(C2 – E on the
social classificationchart) asBBC’s contentappealsandisavailable foreveryone. Thoughthe radio
stationhas beenfrequentlycriticisedforbeingtoomiddleclassandbeingof little interesttonon-
white listeners. RadioFour’sservice shouldappeal tolistenersseekingintelligentprogrammesin
manygenreswhichinform,educate andentertain;thisshouldgivethe listeneranideaonthe
intendedtargetaudience. Inordertoappeal to these targetaudience,theywouldneedto
broadcast newsthatthe target audience actuallywantstohear,thisbeingsports,Worldandroyalty
newsandnot celebritynewsaspeopleonthe highendof the chart are not interestedincelebrity
news,justhardnewsstories,worldnewsandpolitics.MarthaKearneywhoisa Journalistand
presenterforRadio4’sWorld at One helpsattract the intendedtargetaudience due tobeingthe
same age as the intendedtargetaudience,if the show hadapresenterina muchlowerage group
woulditwouldalsoattract a lowerage audience. The presenteralsofitswellintothe broadcastwith
hertone and style of presenting,hervoice iscalmandrelaxedwhichfitsBBCRadio4 as thisradio
stationisbasedaroundtalk,newsand dramaand thisstyle of presentingmakesiteasierforthe
audience tolistentoandunderstand. Since the show isaimedata mature audience,thiswouldbe
statedthat the presentationstyleof the show wouldbe formal asitappealstoan olderand more
mature audience,thoughthere are elementsof informalitywithinthe show,ChrisMasonwho
introducesthe politicalstoryonthe electioncampaigncanbe seenasinformal whichIbelievedoes
not suitthe style of the program.This couldalsobe saidabout the presenterhimself ashe seems
too youngto be presentingtoa more mature audience.
The showthat we analysedwasfocusingaroundthe upcomingGeneral Electionwhichwassetfor
May, where the partieslaunchtheirelectionplan.The Headline isusedtointroducedthe show as
well asthe headlinesof the day,thoughtheythese are onlysummarisedtograbthe listeners
attentiontokeepthemlistening.These are storieswhichwill laterbe expandeduponthoroughlyin
the followingbulletin;the openingheadlineisaboutEdMilibandlaunchingthe LabourParties
general electioncampaignwhereasthe chancellor,George Osborne retaliatessayingaboutLabours
“of £20 billion unfundedspendingpromises,highertaxesandmore borrowing.”Followedupbythe
othermainstory aboutif the League one teamOldhamAthleticshouldsignthe convictedrapist,
ChedEvensandfinalisingwithayearof celebrationasthe Worldat One’s50th
anniversarywhere we
hearthe publics onwhere the UKis worldclass.
The headline isfollowedbynewsBulletinwhichisreadbySusanRay, itis theyjobof the Bulletinto
expanduponmore thoroughly onthe newsstories.Bulletinscaninclude elementssuchassports

2. reports,stockmarketinformation,political news,weatherreportsetc.The firstnewsbulletinisthe
storyabout Laboursand the Conservativeslaunchingtheirelectioncampaigns,thisiswhere both
partiesattack eachother’spolicieswithseniorConservativesaccusingthe Labourpartyof pledging
£20 billion poundsinunfundedspendingcommitmentswiththe chancellor,George Osborne said
“the planswouldtake Britainback to the EconomicMess of Five yearsago” whichwasdue to the
lastlabourgovernment.LabourLeader,EdMilibanddismissedthe Toryaccusationsasfalse and
accusedDavidCameronof makingunfundedpromisesof hisown. Itis duringthisnewsbulletinthat
we are informedmore thoroughlyoneachof the parties’campaignssuchas the ToriesEU
Referendumwhichthe EdMilibandwasquickto dismissashe saidthat Britainwouldface chaosif
the conservativesonwhathe calleda“IrresponsibleReferendum”onBritain’sEUmembershipwith
the deputyprime ministerNickCleggcallingoutboththe Conservativeandthe Labourparty, calling
the Toriesplanto tackle the deficitwere andthat Labour’spoliciesrepresentedaclearandpresent
danger. Thisstory ispresentedinthe wayof a voicerwhichisonlya short scriptwhichiswhere the
journalistwrites andreadsthisinhisown voices;thiscanbe done eitherbya live recordingorpre-
recordedthoughthisdoesnotfeature actualitysince it’snottakenfromthe scene. Nextonthe
bulletinisaCopyOnlystorywhichreadout by the newsreaderandnothingmore, i.e. nointerviews
or anyone else speaking,thisfeatureisof the three people whohadbeenarrestedonthe suspicion
of murderafterthe bodyof a womanwas found,thisisthe one of the onlynewsstoriesnotto be
mentionedinthe headline.Followingthisisthe newsstoryaboutthe convictedrapist,ChedEvens
and whetherornothe shouldbe signedtoOldhamAthletic,thisispresentedinthe wayof a live
cross as the Presenter,duringthe livenews,crossesovertoDan Rowanwhoisthe sports
correspondentoutsideBoundaryPark,thisisdone withactualityasitisrecordedonlocation.
Anotherformatusedwithinthe newsproductionisthe use of AudioClipsasinsteadof the presenter
readingouta quote,theyuse an audioclipof the original quote. Duringthe Electionstorywhich
was readout byChrisMason, we heardclipsfrom The Chancellor,George Osborne of the
Conservative Party“Theevidenceproduced today showstheLabourparty havenotdemonstrated
the physicaldiscipline or economiccompetencethatearnsan opposition,thecredibility to forma
government,theevidenceshowsthey area risk to economic recovery.” Thisquote from George
Osborne ishimdirectlyattackingthe LabourParty as he describesthemas“a riskto economic
recovery”withexamplefromOsborne’spreviousquotesof “pledging£20 billionpoundsin
unfundedspendingcommitments. We alsoheardaquote fromthe Leaderof the Oppositionandthe
Labour Party,Ed Milibandashe made hisgeneral electionspeech“Thisis nothing less than a once in
a generation fight aboutwho ourcountry worksfor,it’sa choice between a tory plan whereonly a
fewat the top can succeed and ourpublic services are threatened ora labourplan thatputsworking
peoplefirst, dealswith the deficit and protectsourNHS.” ThisspeechwasEd Milibandsayinginwhat
the Labour Party stoodforand what hisplanswere forthe Up andcomingGeneral Election. These
twoaudioclipsshowus aboutthe two majorpartiesthat are competinginthe 2015 general election
and this alsogivesthe listeneranunderstandingof the these twopartiesare standfor.These audio
clipswere usedinthe use of a wrapas we hear the Political Correspondent“wrappedaround”the
actualityas the voice occursat the beginningandthe endingof the news storywiththe audioclips
featuringthe actualityinbetween.Lastlyisthe use of a twowayinterview whichisliveinterview
betweenthe presenterandeitherthe guestorthe correspondent,inourcase it is Paul Johnston
whois the directorof the institute psychical studies discusses aboutthe cutsthat the conservatives
have laidoutand “thingsthat havebeen said by labourspokespeoplewhich suggestthatthey don’t
like someof the cuts thathavebeen madeby local government”.Thisgivesthe listeneraninsight

3. aboutwhat Labour believe aboutthe cutsthathave beenproposedbythe conservativesfor
2015/16 if theygetintopowerinthe 2015 General Election,andmakesthe broadcastunbiasedfor
givingbothsidesof the political debate.
To conclude, thisnewsbroadcastwhich iscentredaround the 2015 General Election stickstothe
BBC’s conditionsonnotbeingLeftorRightwingedbiasedbygivingbothsidesof adebate meaning
the newsbroadcastis notin favourof any political side.Fromthisbroadcastwe learnthatthe show
attracts the audience byproducingandbroadcastingcontentthatattracts the intendedtarget
audience byhavingnewsthatattracts all social classessince the BBC’scontentappealsandis
available foreveryone tolistento.