unit 6 - Jo Bird - Critical aproaches

Top of The Pops

It was a weekly British chart-music tv show which ran from 1964 right up until the early 2000's. It consisted of some of the best selling artists of the week and also ran a chart round up which would release a top 40 list. The show ran on Thursdays every week, but it went to Friday's for a period in 1974. But shortly after, it changed back to a Thursday. It reached its heights in 1979, when it had an audience figure of 19 million for one show.

Pop Idol 


Viewing figures

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1813636.stm
 The link above evidences what the viewing figures for the final were, showing that over 13 million people tuned in for the Music shows final, and this made it the 4th most watched Television show of the year, so there was obviously something very attractive about the format and the way the show ran. However, the show was dropped in 2005 following a legal dispute between Simon Cowell, the shows front runner, producer, and head judge of the show, and Simon fuller, creator of the show. Fuller did manage to keep the 'Idol' series alive, by selling the rights of the show to the united states.

format - codes/conventions
The show starts off by having auditions all around the country at different venues, showing the auditions of hopeful singers in front of the four judges who decided whether they went through or not. Following the auditions, those who were successful went into a second audition phase, where they were whittled down to a group of 50, this was the last input the judges had in terms of who went through. contestants were then split off into 5 groups of 10 where the groups would then perform 1 night after the other. 2 people went through then into the final 10. The final 10 weeks were comprised of one pre-recorded show and then a second, which was a live results show, A contestant left every week until the winner was announced at the end of the show.
This was a very innovative way of musical talent shows and proved to be very popular, as evidenced by the viewing figures above.

hosts

The main show was hosted by duo Ant & Dec, whilst the after show (Pop Idol Extra) was presented by Kate Thornton)


audience reviews

http://www.ciao.co.uk/Pop_Idol__Review_5228186

http://www.ciao.co.uk/Pop_Idol__Review_5260986

Compare to current TV shows

The obvious comparison to make would be X factor, in that judges travel the country, audition a select number of hopefuls and then send them through to a 10 week long 'top 10'/'top 16', in which a winner is then decided in the live final. However, there are also similarities with talent show Britain's got talent, because of the week long selection process to find the final set of contestants. This comparison also shows with the presenters, as Ant & Dec presented Pop Idol and Britain's Got Talent, along with Simon Cowell being the head judge and the producer. Pop Idol was very similar to Xfactor in terms of format, considering that Simon Cowell



BPI - British phonographic institute

(USE IN INTRO OF REPORT)   Narrowcasting - describes the endlessly niche way in which we watch and listen - new media and fragmented/niche audiences.

New media/digital age has changed the way audiences listen to music. Narrow casting media segregates audiences, which could stifle creative exchange. (write in own words)

Intro - Old media & new media, new media age created narrowcasting because of the various platforms. The audience is fragmented, and there is more collective feel.

Conclusion - summarise the findings of your report - top of the pops format is not appropriate for the audience of today


tfi friday - 2.15 mllion viewers (2015 series relaunch)
2.19 million channel 4+1



Sponsor - Crabbies Ginger beer

Music TV report

Introduction

The way we access music over various platforms and mediums has drastically changed and evolved in such a short amount of time. Before the introduction of the digital age (in the UK ) late 90's, mass audiences would collectively come together to see the newest hits of the week, and would be able to see some of their favourite hits performed at the end of the week on shows such as Top of The Pops. Chart music and a handful of record labels governed the music scene. However, these days what you see is a drastically narrowed and fragmented audience due to new media, such as online streaming and music sharing platforms such as YouTube and Spotify. These platforms have allowed the audience of today to be able to access music when they want, wherever they want. Audiences no longer rely on the charts to find the music they like, as the choice in genre has gone way beyond the charts, meaning that everyone’s favourite type of music is now represented. Due to the introduction of new media, audiences have been able to discover new genres much easier than before. Niche genres are now able to find audiences more easily. The new media has given the audience a sense of choice, and is not giving the audience a narrow field of vision in terms of the music of today compared to before when all they had easy access to was the charts. One of the downsides of new media, despite making music accessible to anyone and everyone, is that it has ruined the exclusivity of the underground scene now it has forced the "underground to the overground".



Past television show

Top of the pops was a hugely popular chart show that aired weekly providing its audience with entertainment and current music updates, as well as live performances from some of the weeks most popular songs. The shows would always end with that weeks number one song, and if the act couldn't perform it, the producers would get a dance troupe in to perform with a backing of the song. The shows would often appear to look like a live concert, instead of a TV show, as there would be various stages with an audience gathered around each to watch the artists/bands perform their songs. However, there would be hosts who will introduce and fill segments between each song in order for the show to run smoothly, so in that sense it retains the format of a television show. You could argue that the audience is both passive and interactive in terms of how they influence the show. They are interactive in the sense that they made the chart because of the songs they bought that week, and that they have the say in what goes into the show and to who performs within it. On the other hand however, you could say that they are passive, not in the way the music gets into the show, but during, there is not a way that people watching at home can interact with what is going on during it. Then again, you could say that the audience in the studio is in fact interactive, because of how they are able to experience the show first hand and be a vital part of influencing the people watching on the television. the peak audience reach for top of the pops was in 1979 when the show was watched by over 19 million people, clearly showing this format was popular amongst the audience at the time. The show's format was greatly adhered to for years, and this was helped by a very catchy theme tune which changed every few years. In order for the format of the show to be successful, it is paramount to research the audience and to create a profile of the 'typical' viewer. As with every generation, the generation of Top of The Pops is much different now to what it was back when it was most popular. Audiences interests and attitudes have shifted dramatically meaning that we all want to access music in different ways and different formats.

Current television show
Compared to Top of the Pops, Pop idol was a very different music television show because of it's format; a talent show. Contestants from across the country would come and 'audition' in front of a panel of judges, and they would be selected to go up against other contestants in a bid to win the whole competition and receive a record deal from the shows producers. This made quite an influence on the music scene because it meant that the audience could have a say in who got a career at the end of the it all. This makes the show extremely interactive, as not only do you have the audience in the studio watching the performances, much like Top of the Pops, but if you're at home watching it, you can vote on who you believe should stay in the competition. This interactive format meant that the show attracted a good amount of audience figures, and despite not being nearly as much as Top of the Pops, Pop idol's record audience reach was 13.34 million which made it the fourth most watched show of the year, clearly showing that the format works. The things you would expect to see within the show is a panel of judges, who would give their verdict on the contestants performances and possibly influence the audiences voting decision. As well as this, you would expect to always see an audience in the live shows as, much like TotP, it would give a concert like feel to the performances. The show influenced the way people buy music because the winners song would always be near to the top of the charts just after its release and showed how influential the show is to the music scene.

Pop idol Audience profile

The show is targeted towards younger women due to the celebrity glitz and Glamour style as well as the young judges they have to appear on the show. The music is also incredibly modern meaning that it naturally appeals to a much younger audience. At the time the show is broadcast, it is just before the TV watershed meaning that families can watch it together, from young kids to parents sitting down after a busy Saturday. The dad will come home from an afternoon of football and would just want to relax in the evening with his family. Because of the entertainment value of the show, it would be a perfect show to watch whilst you're having your dinner.


Conclusion
These two shows were clearly very successful in the time they were broadcast, and the main reason for that was most likely down to the accessibility of music in the era and the opportunity to get involved in the music scene. Top of the pops was extremely effective in the way it ran the show and the easy access to the week's music meant the audience could view, on mass, the music they wanted. Despite not being able to access the music when and where they wanted, the audience still got the chance to see the music and were able to go and buy some of their favourites from local record shops. There is also something very raw about the way top of the pops ran, in the sense that being able to see your favourite songs being performed live, instead of being a studio version you hear on the weekly charts these days. The same sense of success can be said for Pop Idol. It was one of the first in its format and paved the way for future shows to follow a similar style, and provided the public with the chance to get to where their favourite artists are. It came around in a time where interactive television was just starting to make a breakthrough, and with the chance for the audience to influence the contestants, it allowed the public to show what sort of music they believed should be in the current music scene. When all is said and done, we have to all accept that audiences expectations have been higher than ever. We all want to be wowed by what we see, and expect massive budgets, unfortunately which not every show has. It's incredibly difficult to find a format which would be effective in this day and age because there so many audiences to please and everyone wants different things.

Recommendations

For me, what is missing in todays musical television world is a show that gets up close with the artists and allows us to relate to them. We as a generation have always wanted something we can relate to, and if we were able to see how the artists were in terms of their personality, not just their music, it would make the show a lot more enjoyable. Something Like Chris Evan's TFI Friday would be a good place to start, a music show like top of the pops, but with interviews included of celebrities and popular artists, providing a break from the music to keep up with the entertainment of the show. Evan's has brought TFI Friday back for one final season after a revival special back in June with a peak audience of 4.4 million (2.15 million on Channel 4 and 2.19 million watching an hour later on channel 4 +1).  For the first episode of this revival series, the opening show drew 2.1 million viewers, which further helped goggle box, which aired at 9pm, straight after TFI ended. The reason they are able to bring back the show is mostly down to a 7 figure sponsorship deal with Cabbie's ginger beer, who say that the show fits the personality that Cabbie's are trying to express in their new advertising campaigns. Even with the sponsorship deal the show has with Cabbie's the show has not lived up to the audience figures the producers would have hoped for. People just are not interested anymore in sitting down in front of the television on a late Friday night watching a music show. They are more interested in things that happen online and would prefer to spend the evening sitting down watching things on YouTube and various other mediums of entertainment. If i were to make a whole new Music show I would make it more interactive, having live streams from different places with the audience having a choice in what they listen to. There would be a presenter, but they would not take up as much of a role as they did on Top of The pops, apart from maybe an interview with a celebrity which could, again, be over a live stream so that the show could reach artists from around the world. There should also be a section where they introduce a new and upcoming artist, who could also be interviewed so they get a taste of what its like to be in the industry.

Understand how media audiences respond to media products

hypodermic needle model

• The hypodermic needle model is a theory about audiences. the idea is that media messages are directly received and accepted by media audiences.
• this model implied that mass media had a directly, immediate and powerful effect on the audience.
• the theory suggests that that an audience will do just as they are told without thinking about it
• It suggests a passive audience, one that does not apply its own thinking to the message it receives.
• This caused a great deal of concern as radio and tv became more widely accessible form of media.
• The theory has been widely disproved and more complex theories have been developed which take into account the audiences ability to make rational judgments based on their own experiences.

Uses and gratification theory

• This theory tries to explain why people consume different types of media and what they get from it
• It looks at how an audience will spend time and energy finding media which will meet their needs.
• Unlike the hypodermic needle model, which assumes audiences are passive, Uses and gratifications assumes that the audience take an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives
• The theory started with Herzog on the 1940's - Dennis McQuail

Reception theory

• Reception theory looks at how audiences receive and interpret the media they consume.
• Encoding - This is where the producer of a media product fills that product with a message that they want to get out to people. Newspapers are a good example of this. By anchoring their images with captions and using emotive headlines, they encode their ideas into the paper
• Decoding - This is where the consumer of the media decodes the message from the media producer.
• Preferred - This is when the audience understands the media and agrees with it. 
• Negotiated - This is where the reader generally accepts the preferred reading but sometimes modifies it in a way which reflects their own personality,experiences and interests
• Oppositional - This is where the reader understands the preferred reading but rejects this reading and has an alternative opposite view.

Censorship 

PEGI regulate the censorship when it comes to video games. 

The effects debate 

The culmination theory suggests that while exposure to a single violent film or game is unlikely to cause someone to become violent overnight but, long term, repeated exposure to violence is likely to desensitise people to violence, both in media and in real life.

Participatory media is active because its media is also active.

Cultural confidence

Fan culture describes an audience taking an active role in the creation of media based on existing products