The document discusses theories for how audiences receive media messages and provides strategies for identifying a target audience. It outlines the two-step flow theory which proposes that most people are influenced by opinion leaders who receive information first. Next, it discusses reception theory and how audiences can accept, oppose, or negotiate the meanings encoded in media. Finally, it describes how the author conducted a questionnaire to determine what their target music magazine audience wanted, learning they were interested in questionnaires about popular bands.

1. WHO WOULD BE
THE AUDIENCE
FOR YOUR MEDIA
PRODUCT?
By Ethan Cole-Wilkin

2. Two Step Flow Theory
■ In the 1950’s, a theory was
created by Katz and Lazarsfeld.
This theory is known as the Two-
Step Flow theory and it was
suppose to show how the majority
of people receive information but
our influenced by the opinion
leaders.

3. Reception Theory
■ Another theory is the Reception theory
created by Stuart Hall in the 1980’s. He
states that there are encoding (Sings
and Codes) and decoding (Audience
interpretations) in media. Either the
audience will accept them as
‘Dominant’, ‘Oppose’ them and create
their own meaning or ‘Negotiate’ the
meanings and share some of the
publisher’s but oppose the rest.

4. Attracting my Audience
■ In order to find out what people wanted
in my magazine, I gave them a
questionnaire to fill out so I could know
what my target audience wanted from a
music magazine. People responded
that they wanted questionnaires in my
magazine so in my magazine I have a
lot of questionnaires (Figure 7) as
people wanted to know about the lives
of the biggest bands. This means
people want to stay up-to date with the
bands they normally listen to, too find
out about more music and news about
them.