ThrowBack Thursdays is a radio show that focuses on playing early 2000's songs that resonate and create nostalgia for their 18-25 female audience, the late night timing of the programme is purposefully planned to enable the show to target the large student population in Sheffield.
By specifically playing music from the 2000's era I think this gives the programme a really unique selling point and perfectly targets the audience who know these songs well however don't necessarily hear them on a regular basis that they would do with pop songs played on flagship breakfast shows.
The show is hosted by two girls who are both in the target audience age range, by having the hosts of the show being so similar to the target audience this allows them to be extremely relatable, this is also enforced by the topics spoken about and the informal language that is carried throughout the show. By having the hosts address the audience as 'hun' or use colloquial phrases such as 'omg yes that sounds amaze' gives a very relaxed and natural conversation appearance, this informal peer to peer language was placed to create friendship styled interactions between the hosts and the listeners and create atmosphere of a very friendly and supportive community.
I think the chattiness of the hosts throughout the show really helps establish the target audience and the atmosphere of positivity and friendship throughout, this I think is entertaining and relaxing for the audience to listen to as well as creating a very strong and loyal listenership due to the personal interactions.
In planning for the show I tried to ensure that all topics that the hosts spoke about flowed and resonated with the listeners either on a location basis or by their interests, I think the angle of the conversation between the two hosts was informative for the audience and if any listeners were new to Sheffield i'd like to think they learnt about upcoming Sheffield events such as Tramlines or local business such as Meadowhall.
However if I was to write the script again I would reduce the number of songs as I think as the hosts were getting into speaking on the topic they would have to introduce a new song and this I think interrupted the flowing conversation between the hosts making it quite jolted throughout in that respect.
As researched in LO1, we have established very clear conventions that are present in nearly all radio shows these being elements such as news segments and adverts.
In ThrowBack Thursdays it features a 20 second news feature however this I think is one of the weaker points of the show due to the news articles spoken about aren't very relative to the audience or their interests.
The headlines that were spoken about were very political or serious and even though this is common for news headlines and does still deliver an aspect of surveillance for the listeners, I think I could've focused more on news that would've been more relatable to the audience in according to their geographic location or their interests e.g speaking about more Sheffield based news or university strikes.
Another convention I followed very closely was the station jingle, a jingle is a way to audibly represent a brand, by having key sounds and linked phrases that are played in often intervals people know what station their listening to and what kind of show they expect to hear.
I wanted my jingle to include my slogan which indicated the type of music that would be played, the phrase that was used was 'Back to Back ThrowBacks', the repetition of the word 'back' not only signifies the period that the music is from but also connotes a non-stop stream of music that will be played.
As part of our programme I ensured to incorporate often interactions with the audience this was done through social media and phone calls, by having this constant interaction with the listeners it allows their input on topics and geared towards their interests and opinions.
This is a strong convention in radio as it allows a range of opinions and topics to be shared this keeping the show entertaining and not all directed by the hosts as this can come across as too structured throughout, often phone-ins are used on more dialogue led shows such as TalkSport.
To add a competitive element into the programme the audience had the chance to win a Tramlines ticket if they could correctly name a 2000's song and artist, by giving the audience this chance to win tickets to such an infamous Sheffield event not only promotes the festival but supports independant businesses in doing so this being a positive attribution and fitting the brief set by Sheffield Live.
Overall I think this is one of the best sections in the show, the tension created by whether or not the caller will guess correct enables the show to be super entertaining and adds an intellectual puzzle (Rick Altman) for the audience to enjoy as well as the hosts dialogue and music being played.
The overall audio of the show is one of the biggest concerns that I feel surrounding the show, due to the Covid-19 circumstances that occurred during the point of filming it left me having to use an Iphone instead of the sound booth originally planned.
I think this is quite clear as in some sections in particular you can hear that one of the hosts is holding the phone and is therefore a lot louder and drowns out the second host, I tried to combat this by splicing the dialogue and lowering or heightening the volume in accordance but this wasn't viable to do the whole programme.
However despite the hosts audio being unbalanced I think the overall show does sound well created, the varied volumes of the layered audios e.g the bedding music, adverts and jingles creates a continuous flowing programme that is enjoyable to listen too.
Thursday, 12 March 2020
LO4: Editing and reviewing content (P5)
Voice/Clip Distortion
Intercom Voice SFX
In my Meadowhall advert that is showcasing the well-known Sheffield shopping centre, I have added an intercom effect to the narrators voice, this helping the listeners visualise the location of the advert and bring a sense of relatability.To add the intercom effect to the clip I selected the file and then through the essential sound folder I then selected the dialogue presets, through this I then selected the 'Over the intercom' effect.
This effect enhances the product as it allows the audience to visualise themselves in the location that the advert is promoting and therefore it gives an element of escapism to the audience this proving more effective for advertisement purposes as it engages with the audience through relatability due to it being a recognisable sound.
Added Echo
As well as adding an intercom effect to the narrators voice I wanted to enhance this effect further so therefore proceeded to add an echo to really highlight the distortion of the narrators voice.To do this I proceeded to select the file and then using the bars above I selected effects and then Echo and Delay, after selecting this effect I am giving a large range of variables that i can change and adjust to get the desired echo.
Due to the intercom already giving the narrators voice a slight delay and echo the effect I was looking for was quite minimal but clear, this is shown in the screenshot demonstrating the changeable levels.By adding the echo personally I can hear a big change in the advert as the effect is more emphasised and prominent against the upbeat and cheery bedding music, I found throughout the editing process its important that an equilibrium is constantly maintained between all audio volumes as if a sound is drowned out it immediately looks unprofessional.
Telephone distortion SFX
In the third section of the show, we host a call in where we speak to a listener at home, in this section a lot of SFX and distortion effects were added to make it realistic and follow conventions that you would see on stations such as Heart or Capital.When our guest Nat speaks I have placed a dialogue effect that makes her voice appear as if she's speaking on a telephone even though the clip was filmed with everyone in the same location.Audio Levels and effects
In the show i have added a lot of fades throughout to many different audio clips e.g songs, SFX and bedding music, by adding this effect I have created a show where the audio is more blended and cohesive.In the earlier versions i had not begun to add these fades and found the audio was very jolted and had clear stop and start points where new audio had begun, this was especially apparent with the songs that were being played as part of the show as i had only included 20 seconds of the song this normally meant that where the song had been spliced it was mid-song if I hadn't added the fade it appeared very jolted and confusing for the audience.
To add the fade, I selected the clip and then used the headings at the top of Audition named 'Clip' and then proceeded to chose the fade out option.By adding this effect I found a huge improvement to the show as it allowed the programme flow a lot more smoothly, as you can see in the screenshots I not only used this effect on larger clips such as songs but also found it helped with sound effects. In the Showroom advert the narrator begins by shushing a chattering sound effect, by fading out the chattering effect after the narrators 'Shush' it allows a natural die down of the chattering volume making it a very organic response.
Audio Levels
Due to the Covid-19 situation that occurred mid filming the show most of the sections had to be recorded on a iPhone instead of in a booth with a professional standard microphone, because of this I did have to do a lot of editing in Audition with the audio levels as one of the hosts was sat closer to the Iphone microphone.This technical issue was overcome by changing the audio levels on certain clips, I used this technique heavily with my bedding music clips too due to these clips needing to be very low volume to not drown out or distract form the hosts voice. You can see this in the screenshot below which depicts the pink file format, all file formats have a volume bar which is in yellow, dependant on how high the bar is how loud or quiet the clip is.
The yellow bar in the bedding music is really low as it needs to be just background music in comparison to the hosts voice.
Whilst editing the hosts contrast in volumes this was a slightly longer process as I had to slice the clips into the different dialogue between each host and then lower or higher accordingly.
DeHummer
In some clips such as the Meadowhall advert I found a loud buzz of background noise, this appeared very unprofessional and contrasting to the rest of the clips which were clear and crisp . I found that the hum was further amplified once the intercom effect was added and this meant that I had to add the Dehumming effect to level out the audio track.
To add the Dehumming effect I used the menu at the top of Adobe Audition and selected effects and then went onto select noise reduction and restoration and this allowed me to select the Dehumming effect, by adding this element I was able to remove all the background buzz and allowed the listener to focus on the narrators voice more due to the background hum now being removed.
It was important that all throughout editing I ensured that the audio of the clips was up to professional standard, obviously this was slightly more difficulty due to the Covid-19 situation however I felt that by having a good knowledge of the Adobe Audition Software I was able to use effects such as the Dehummer to make the best programme possible.
By having the highest possible quality of audio this follows the conventions of a professional radio station such as Capital or Heart as they will have extremely advanced equipment in the booth to provide the best programme possible to their audience as this will denote their popular status.
Organisation
In editing my show it was important hat I had a very organised file system so i wouldn't lose any important files and this would also make the process a lot quicker and more efficient whilst editing. You can see all the separate files that I have created this meaning a clear seperation between audio files and their content.
In my opinion the most important folder is the versions folder this was where I saved all my earlier versions, by having multiple copies of the show in different stages allowed me to not completely lose all work if my computer had technical issues.
Track Organisation
As well as having an organised filing system I have also been organised during editing on Adobe Audition.
In audition i have purposefully separated my tracks to be only for certain audio, as you can see all tracks are labelled dependant on what they contain. I tried to create the file so the tracks had main dialogue between the hosts on the top layer as this was the layer I was working on the most, my bottom track was my bedding music due to that being continuous throughout and therefore didn't need much tweaking
LO4: Evidence of setting up equipment and recording (P5)
Here are some images demonstrating me recording and editing the show, as you can see I used voice notes to record the show this allowed the sections to be saved as files and made them importable into the software.
LO3: Justifying codes and conventions (D1)
In creating my radio programme it was important that we kept up codes and conventions observed in radio shows analysed in LO1 to make the programmes realistic and recognisable for the audience. In LO1.
In the programme we were sure to include a news bulletin, this news flash appears half way through the show to demonstrate conventions of surveillance that are normally seen in programmes, we list several headlines of the day and further accompany the news section with associated sound effects these normally being chimes or a alerting sound created to switch the audiences attention into a more serious and formal mode of address. This was particularly important in our show due to the contrast between the informal code throughout that resembled a strong peer to peer language to then switch very suddenly to a more formal and informative address.
Another convention we have placed in the show is a jingle, this short audio clip is played roughly 10 times throughout the show, the frequent playing of the jingle demonstrates normally a change of content this either being an advert, a song or dialogue between hosts. By frequently playing the jingle it constantly reminds the audience of the programme and station that they are listening too as well as the change of content, this being a very recognisable convention for the audience due to the frequent use in all radio shows.
The branding that the jingle achieves is really important as its instantly recognisable for the audience especially for large regional shows such as Capital or Heart, the jingle conventionally has the programme name or slogan alongside alerting sound effects to make sure it stands out for the audience throughout the programme.
During the dialogue between the hosts i have ensured that its very informal and we have a strong peer to peer address, this I have purposefully created as it will resonate with our 18-25 female audience, by hearing the informal chattiness of the hosts this will create a sense of relatability as the fun lighthearted conversations are probably very similar to theirs with friends.
This is a very popular language convention used by many station hosts as it makes the programmes more fun to listen too and allows humour to be added in easier, this we see with Amanda Holden and James Theakston on Hearts flagship breakfast show.
In the programme we do have frequent adverts, this being due to Sheffield live being a community radio that is non-profit it does use radio adverts to support local business' as well as fund further radio productions. Due to this I will be having conventional radio adverts that target the 18-25 year old audience as well as the topics mentioned in the show.
All adverts are targeted at a Sheffield audience and are mostly independant businesses this fits into the Sheffield live ethos as well as targeting the audience geographically this creating inclusion in the show.
The adverts that are played on the show follow conventions such as deliberate sound effects to make the adverts stand out and paint more of a visual picture for the audience seen as radio is purely audio, this is shown as an example in our Meadowhall advert which is edited to have an echo/tanoy effect this creating a shopping environment connotation to the audience, by adding smart special effects adverts this is a convention as it offers the listeners an element of escapism.
Wednesday, 11 March 2020
LO3: ThrowBack Thursdays Script
KEY:
words in red = emphasised to create a sibilance
words underlined = intonation
words in bold = sound effects
(.) = slight pause
*x* = sounds of expression
Radio script – Back to Back Throwbacks
By Mia Bellamy, Mia Rehman, Mia Fidment, Beau Longley
_________________________________________________________________________
Section 1 – Intro – Mia B
*5 second Station jingle*
Mia F: Hi guys and welcome to back to back throwbacks where we play the all the smash hits from the 2000’s (.) We have everything from Ciara to Professor Green in order to get your night started with a little bit of nostalgia.
Mia B: So, whether you’re pulling an all-nighter or getting glammed up for a night on the town, make sure you stay tuned for the ultimate sound of the 2000’s.
*Volume of bedding music is increased louder during pause*
Mia R: Now, we know that a whole bunch of you guys listening at home are students. Which isn’t a cheap life to live! Trust me, I’ve been there.
Mia B: Exactly, which is why we’re giving you the chance to win tramlines tickets for yourself and three friends! Plus, a bonus £50 Meadowhall voucher!
Beau: I know I wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on that opportunity when I was at UNI..
Mia F: Hahaha I don’t think any of us would! So yeah guys, make sure you stick around for the quiz held later on in the show for your chance to get your hands on some goodies.
Mia R: Okay so we’re going to kick start the show with an ultimate throwback, it’s Michael Gray with The Weekend coming right up after a quick ad!
*5 second Station jingle*
CODE SHEFFIELD ADVERT
*Upbeat fast tempo music starts*
NARRATOR: Make the most of your Thursday night at Code Sheffield! The town’s exclusive clubbing hotspot!
MUSIC CHANGES
NARRATOR: With two rooms of banging music, top DJ’s, and an exclusive vip area plus £1.50 drinks all night!
MUSIC CHANGES
NARRATOR: You don’t want to miss out. Get tickets now at codesheffield.org.uk but remember to drink responsibly
MUSIC FADES OUT
MUSIC: Michael Gray – The Weekend.
*5 second Station jingle*
Beau: That was the weekend by Michael Gray on back to back throwback Thursdays! Can you believe it was released in 2004?!
Mia F: That song never fails to get me hyped for the weekend. Speaking of going out, have you guys noticed the new pretty little thing pop up store at Hallam’s student union? Definitely worth going to grab yourself some cheap yet chic clubbing outfits!
Mia B: Yeah it’s a perfect opportunity for students, been thinking about checking it out myself!
Mia R: Hahaha, up next we’ve got an iconic tune from Calvin Harris, it’s acceptable in the 80’s!
*5 second Station jingle*
City Taxi Advert
*Car Honking*
Being the 3rd leading taxi company were not just reliable, were here at the touch of a button.
* Car door opening *
With the safe taxi scheme for students in Sheffield we provide a safe journey home like no other city!
*Car indicator*
Just Book, Track and Pay through our online app for ease today! Call 0114 239 3939
MUSIC: Acceptable in the 80’s By Calvin Harris
*5 second Station jingle*
Section 2 – Interactive – Mia F
Mia R: So, in today’s show we’d like to know where everyone’s going out tonight, any funny stories or outfit pics so tweet make sure to tweet into @tbtgirls
*Typing and uploading text SFX*
Mia B: Yep and whilst we wait for you guys to tweet in let’s talk about the tramlines line up for this year!
Mia R: Yeah! Who’s thinking of going? I’m a massive Dizzee fan so think it’s a must
Beau l: Yeah, I volunteered last year and I got my ticket and food for free, if you’re a student and don’t have a huge budget I’d 100% recommend
Mia f: wow that sounds great
Everyone: Agreement
Mia F: I think were gonna have to play a bit of Dizzee now we’ve got onto the subject of tramlines so here’s Dizzee with Dance with me, this was brought out in 2008!
*5 second Station jingle*
Showroom advert:
*chattering between group of people that fades out for the first line of dialogue*
shhh…
*music which sounds adventurous*
Immerse yourself in the latest releases and delve into some classics.
We are Sheffield's independent cinema, café bar and creative workspace.
Every Wednesday students get our ultimate package deal of 40% off the entire day.
No matter the weather come find us at 15 Paternoster Row
or visit us at : www.showroomworkstation.org.uk
MUSIC: Dizzie Rascal – Dance Wiv Me
Mia B: wow you guys look insane on these tweets in!
Mia F: Yep we love how glam you guys are
Mia R: A lot of our girls are off to Corp or Code which we love! Classic Sheffield nights out
Mia F: @kealy242 ‘me and my friends love the station were massive throwback girls!’
Beau: We love to hear it Kealy have a great night hun
Mia B: Were also hearing from @Laurendire about her plans to do a bar crawl we are suckers for a cocktail so cant argue with that!
Everyone: agreement
Mia F: Well hope everyone has a great night! Next up we’ll play ‘Let’s Get it started’ by Black Eyed Peas, this gem was released in 2003
*5 second Station jingle*
Sheffield Hallam Advert:
At Sheffield Hallam university we don’t just learn
*keyboard typing effect*, we experience, create and lead in expert fields.
With guaranteed work experience get ahead in what you excel in.
Your future begins now, apply now for the class of 2020, find out more at www.sheffhallam.co.uk or find us on our other social medias at @sheffieldhallam
MUSIC: Let’s Get it started - Black Eyed Peas
*5 second Station jingle*
Section 3 – Competition Call In - Beau
Mia F: Were big Black Eyed Peas fans I have to say I’m a will.i.am stan
Beau: right well now we want to see how well you know your 2000’s hits
Mia R: Yup and as mentioned earlier here is your chance to win 2 VIP tramlines tickets worth £200
Mia B: all you have to do is ring us on 07456378422
Beau: brush up on your music knowledge, as we will be playing only 5 seconds of a song and you have tell us the name of the song and the artist
Mia F: yep answer right and win a great weekend in the heart of Sheff
Mia R: Right is everyone ready for our first caller
*phone ring SFX*
Mia F: hi caller can you say your first name and a little bit about yourself!
Nat: Hiya, my name is Nat and I’m a 2nd year paediatric nurse
Mia B: wow go Nat, are your ready to tell us the name and artist of the following song?
Nat: Yep im ready!
music plays ‘Jenny from the block’– JLO’ (5 seconds)
Mia R: So Nat any ideas?
Nat: Ok I’m gonna go with ‘Jenny from the Block’ by Jlo?
Mia B: Wow good job Nat we love a 2000’s music boff, we are actually gonna give you the chance of a jeopardy round
Mia F: Yep so you can win free drinks for the whole weekend on us if you can correctly tell us the year the song was released!
Beau: What do you think Nat, wanna give it a go?
Nat: omg yes, that sounds so fun, ok im gonna say early 2000’s going off the music vid I remember, I’ll go with 2002
Mia F: Wooow Nat I’m so impressed! Message us @tbtgirls to claim your prizes
Beau: Yeah thanks for being an amazing guest Nat, have a great night and tag us if you post any pics at tramlines
Mia B: Playing next is Crazy by Gnarls Barkley brought out in 2003 but before that is a quick news break
*5 second Station jingle*
NEWS SECTION
Narrator: In today’s headlines – Prince Andrew will not be interviewed in relation to the Jeffrey Epstein documentary, new labour leader Keir Starmer elected, French knife attack deemed terrorist act and lastly super ‘pink moon’ will be visible tomorrow night, 8th of April.
MUSIC: Crazy – Gnarls Barkley
Style Bar Advert:
As seen on E4, Sheffield’s super salon is waiting for you! with world class stylists and hair extension specialists we’ll leave you feeling pampered, rejuvenated and renewed.
Call 0114 268 6611 or pop in 861 Eccelsall Road for a consultation with our stylists
SECTION 4 – Hot Topic Section – Mia R
*5 second Station jingle*
Beau: So guys, this is part of the show where we talk about the hottest topics
*Sizzle SFX*
Mia R: Before the break, we told you to stay tuned as we want to hear more from you guys
Mia F: Exactly, so get tweeting at @TBTgirls
*Typing and uploading text SFX*
MIA R: Today on our agenda we wanted to talk about the Molly Mae collaboration with PLT, so girls what do we think
MIA B: Well I love her clothing line, they are so affordable and cute
MIA F: Not everyone felt this way about the clothing line as many left very negative reviews
BEAU: I feel sorry for Molly as I think shes received a lot of hate since leaving the villa especially online
MIA B: yeah she gets constant criticism for the tiniest of things like her cooking which was dragged a few months ago
MIA R: I think people need to talk to each other like they would in real life and not hide behind online profiles
MIA B: With recent events of Caroline Flacks death, Molly Mae took to Instagram with a post to her followers saying, 'We have decided to donate 100% of the profits of our latest edit together to @Mindcharity. The donations will help Mind provide advice and support to anyone experiencing mental health problems’
MIA R: Yup many people stood by Molly and said this was a great thing to do as mental health is such a pinnacle topic at the moment
BEAU: So, reading what @sophiegrace99 on twitter has said ‘an actual queen, she is killing it at the moment and deserves nothing but love’
MIA F: @sashalew212 tweeted us saying ‘this proves how much stick particularly girls get on social media, you don’t see tommy getting roasted for what he wears or his cooking’
MIA R: So true
BEAU: After the break we have more goss on makeup, Rhianna and much more
Mia F: Yep but not before Hey Ya, by OutKast
*5 second Station jingle*
MEADOWHALL STUDENT NIGHT ADVERT SCRIPT
Are you ready for the 2019 Meadowhall student night
Start saving your money as There will be 100’s of exclusive offers and giveaways from your favourite fashion, food, footwear and beauty brands.
You will be able to meet love island guests Maura Higgins, Jordan Hames and Chris Taylor #loveIsland2019
For more info visit www.meadowhall.com
#mhStudentShop
MUSIC: Hey Ya – OutKast
BEAU: Ok so as mentioned before the break, Rihanna has not only brought out more products to her Fenty range but has started stocking it in Boots uk
MIA R: Yeah, I saw this on twitter im so excited, Meadowhall boots is insane at the moment
BEAU: has anyone tried the new Fenty Full Frontal Volume Mascara ive heard raving reviews!
MIA R: I haven’t but am a massive fan of Fenty's gloss bomb, I'm not joking when I say it changes your whole makeup look
MIA F: As well as Rihanna's whole collection in Meadowhall they even stock Huda and other US brands such as wet and wild
MIA F: Also if you have unidays or Student id you can get 10% off so get your haul
Beau: Ok well tag us @tbtgirls in any haul pics from boots I love to see what everyone’s getting, up next is AM to PM by Christina Milian
RASSAMS SCRIPT
*chattering and laughing (all the way through) *
Here at rassams creamery, we have an extensive menu catering to all taste buds and preferences.
We serve a range of fantastic desserts and luxurious puddings. All of our desserts are freshly baked in store, every day. We use only the finest of local ingredients before we serve them to you in style. Come grab a bite, we are located on London Road, you can also order us on JustEats.co.uk
*mmm*
MUSIC: AM to PM – Christina Milian
*5 second Station jingle*
OUTRO
MIA F: So guys that rounds off hot topic, make sure you stay tuned for more of Throwback Thursdays
MIA R: Same place same time
ALL: With your hosts Mia Bellamy, Mia Fidment, Mia Rehman, Beau Longley
BEAU: Also a massive congratulations to our winner Nat!
MIA B: Come back next Thursday for more competitions, more goss and more tunes
ALL: BYEEEE
______________________________________________________________
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