Unit 19: Creating and Pitching an Audio Product

Introduction
This report is going to be about a range of audio media products. I will be looking at the different criteria for each of the products that I analyse. I am going to write about each of them explaining their purpose, form and style, content, meaning, genre, target audience, frequency and production process. This will allow me to give a detailed analysis of the different types of audio products and compare them where possible to see the differences between them. I will be writing about a variety of audio products being: a commentary, live broadcast, audio book, podcast, and radio show.

Purpose
Commentary
The purpose of the commentary I am going to be analysing is to inform the listener about what is happening during the event, which in this case is a football match. The commentator is speaking over the top of a football match as the audio has been synchronised in order to be in time with what the audience is seeing on the screen. This provides an audio version of the match and allows the public to listen to it on the radio as well as when watching the match on television or online. The audience of the football match want to be able to follow what is going on in the game, such as who has the ball and who has scored. The commentary compliments the match and makes it more enjoyable for the audience despite the length of time (90 minutes). When the game is fast paced and becomes hard to follow, especially for people who have started watching the match late, the commentary makes it much easier to follow and allows you to understand more about what is happening during the game, which can often include player’s names and statistics that have been produced within that particular game.

Live Broadcast
The purpose of the live broadcast, I have selected to analyse, is to provide information and inform the audience about the current situation with the weather. The product allows people to understand what is occurring near them, and to make choosing a driving route easier for them. The live broadcast that I am going to be reviewing is the BBC Weather Alert, which provides its audience information on weather which can be considered dangerous. It also lets them know about road closings which have occurred in the area. This is highly beneficial for drivers because they cannot access the news while driving, which can leave them at a disadvantage. The live broadcast is produced every day and talks about the weather, and the important or busy roads which have been closed - and the new route to take.

Audio Book
The audio book that I listened to is called EDYL, The Reading Department by Mark Capell, and its sole purpose is to entertain the audience. I know this is the purpose because of the genre of book, which in this case is a thriller. I listened to the first chapter which is produced in one section of the audio book in order to allow breaks for the consumer. The audio book is supposed to entertain the audience, making them want to read the next part of the book - as the audio book is split up into separate audio files which represent each individual chapter of the original book.

Music
The music that I listened to was a song called Blame by Calvin Harris. Music can be played in a variety of different places such as online, on the radio and on TV. The purpose of this song is to entertain the audience. I can tell this because of its genre, and where that kind of music is often played and what the purpose of the song is. The song has been made for nightclubs and has been created in a way which means people can subconsciously learn the lyrics to the song and remember it, which can help advertise products as it gives us something to associate certain products to. This song has been used in films often to create mood and show the occurrence of the enigma.

Podcast
The podcast Phone Clones has been created with the intention of entertaining its listeners. They bring in guests every week and speak with them which can include having discussions about recent events and the most talked about topics, and also questions about the guest or the guests opinions on a topic. Sometimes the host, who in this case is Matt Edmondson sets challenges for the guests. The presenter brings in guests who can include bands and new upcoming artists. This allows the audience to get to know the guests and informal them about their new songs which they have released or are due to release. They can challenge the bands or artists and then show pre-recordings of the events that occurred during the challenge, and then talk about the challenge after it has happened.

Radio
The radio station which I have listened to recently is Capital FM. The purpose of the shows they produce is to entertain the audience by creating a funny piece of audio which is live and includes music and interviews of guests. They also have discussions about a range of different 'recent' topics and they have a number of different guests that go onto the radio and have interviews with the host of the radio station. The radio station plays music which often is from the UK Top 40, which is played on particular days, and is weaved into the rest of the discussion topics that the radio show hosts often have in between each song in order to keep the audio product exciting for the listeners.

Form and Style
Commentary
This product takes the form of a commentary. The commentary employs an informal style, allowing the commentator to talk more openly about the subject, in this case a football match. The commentator often provides information or sometimes jokes about the players or teams while there is less happening during the match, making the product more enjoyable for the listener.

Live Broadcast
This product takes the form of a commentary. The live broadcast employs an informal style, in order to allow the host to entertain and grab the attention of their listeners. The conversations which occur between the guests and the listeners are often about serious situations which are currently being mentioned in the news. However the nature of a live recording with guests who the hosts haven't spoken with before creates an informal message to the audience.

Audio Book
This product takes the form of an audio book. The particular audio book I listened to employs a formal style, because of the genre of the text being read. There is a single voice reading the book in order to allow the listeners to focus on the voice of the narrator. There are no breaks or pauses in the audio book unless you decide to pause it manually. The speech from all of the characters has been played by the same narrator, who adapts their voice to fit the characters dialogue. The audio book is not live, because it has been pre-recorded in order to cut out any mistakes which were made when the narrator read the book. This allows the book to be read fluently without any mistakes being made on the final product.

Music
This product takes the form of a song. The music I listened to employs an informal style, because of the genre of the song being pop. The song is incredibly accessible because it can be accessed online through a range of services and on a range of devices. The style of the song is shown through the genre because of sounds used in the song which are typical of pop songs.

Podcast
This product takes the form of a podcast. The particular podcast I listened to employs an informal style, due to the dialogue used between the host and the guests. The guests appear on the podcast which is not live, and has been pre-recorded and made accessible online on the official BBC website. The podcast can be accessed on a range of devices, and can be listened to at any time, after the recording has been published online. Users have the option to save the podcast on their device, or listen to it on the website.

Radio
This audio media takes the form of a radio show. The radio station I listened to was a Capital FM, which employs an informal style. The content is displayed in an informal way due to the demographic of the station being directed at younger generations. Also, the show needs to remain interesting in order to engage the listeners, which informality can revolve.

Content
Commentary
The commentary provides the consumer with the ability to find out about key events during the football match live, as they occur. This helps them to stay informed about the situations which are occurring in the game, and understand vital information such as who has the ball at that particular time. The commentary adds to the entertainment of the football match because it provides an audio component. The product allows listeners to become more involved in the football game, and give them a greater understanding of the decisions being made on the pitch.

Live Broadcast
The audio product delivers information to its audience about who has scored in recent matches and the percentage of possession during a football game. It can be used to inform listeners of important information that may be relating to the area you live in – such as motorways - roadwork and traffic or dangerous weather, in a local area.

Audio Book
The audio book provides the consumer with the ability to listen to a book online as a new method of gaining an understanding of a book. This allows people who are auditory learners to get more involved in the book they are reading because it gives them the ability to listen to it instead of having to read it, which some people may prefer.

Music
The audio product, music, delivers entertainment to the audience and allows them to listen to something that they enjoy. Songs have many uses, which can involve being played at events or locations such as clubs. The music industry is also tied to the film industry as songs are used to create a build-up of mood or tension within films. Songs can also be created in order to educate or inform the audience of the artist’s life or events that have happened in that artist’s life that they want to share with others. Songs by Eminem often involve lyrics which relate to his life and his past, which adds a message to the lyrics, which he wants others to hear.

Podcast
The content of this podcast is to entertain the audience by having the main host, Matt Edmondson, bring up conversations and ask questions to the new guests – each week – in order to gain a comedic response. Also, the listeners learn about artist’s lives as they are asked questions on the podcast. The questions are written by the host purposely to entertain the listeners as a priority.

Radio
The product delivers entertainment to its audience, because it allows them to listen to a range of different music – or specific music they like that fits into a certain genre. They can alternatively listen to interviews or discussion which can be found by searching through the different radio frequencies to find a different radio station.

Meaning
Commentary
The commentary has been created with the intention of informing the listener about what is happening during the event, which in this case is a football match. The commentary makes it easier for the listener to follow the game and understand the situations that are occurring during the match. The commentator provides the listeners information about the game including: which player has the ball, and who has been sent out of the game.

Live Broadcast
The product is there to entertain its listeners and let them know the situation of football matches. There are a number of listener engaging live broadcasts, but the one that have looked at is one that informs people about a live football match through an audio device.

Audio Book
The product is for entertainment purposes only, because it is a novel which is supposed to make the reader feel suspense which is displayed throughout the story. There are audio books which can seek to influence or engage the listener in thought, however the genre of this audio book, thriller, makes it much more entertaining than anything else. There are educational audio books such as documentaries and books about the natural world David Attenborough, which focus on teaching something to the audiences who are listening, and have been specifically designed for them.

Music
Lots of songs have a meaning, as artists try to explain past or current situation or events that have occurred in their life. Music can often explain the emotions of the singer because they use the lyrics or composition as a way of expressing how they feel at the time.

Podcast
The podcast seeks to entertain the audience, and help to understand some more information about famous guests that come onto the show. It allows them to hear new artists that are often less known, and also just get to know other people and how they would react to being asked certain questions about themselves, and having to complete tasks which have been set by the host.

Radio
The product can be used to engage the listener in thought - when the guest is having conversations and discussion with the host. Often the radio channel allows the audience to ring up and take part in the discussion – or some sort of challenge to win money or prizes. They also can find out more/learn information about people or topics.

Genre
Commentary
The genre of the product is undefined because the topics that the commentators talk about is always specifically based on the thing they are commentating on, such as a football match for example they would be talking about the players and teams or who they will be playing next if they were to win the match or make it into some kind of championship, division etc. or possibly win a tournament.

Live Broadcast
There is no specific genre for the type of live broadcast I listened to, there are multiple. The broadcast uses music from different genres such as rock and rap which are based on the theme of the live broadcast. Some broadcasts may have a certain theme or topic that they are focusing on – and they could play music live which would mean that they would be playing a certain genre of music.

Audio Book
The audio book doesn't have a particular genre that I can tell because I haven’t heard the enigma (problem) that occurs during the book. The product of an audio book doesn't have a genre; it is just the actual book itself being read that fits into a genre rather than the audio product.

Music
The song, Blame by Calvin Harris, belongs to EDM, Electronic dance music – also known as club music. This can be understood through the music because of the instruments used and the sounds that are played throughout the song in order to create the beat. Also the areas of the song where there is a loud beat and there are no lyrics (instrumental), express the importance of using the song in locations such as a nightclub, which is one of the main expected locations for this style of music to be listened to.

Podcast
The podcast belongs to the comedy genre, I can tell this because the guests are constantly making jokes based on the topic they are talking about on that particular day. They were asking funny questions to their guests, and they attempting doing challenges with the intention of making the listeners laugh. The informal nature of the podcast clearly indicates that it fits into the comedy genre.

Radio
There is no specific genre of this radio station because it plays a number of different types of music, such as R&B, rap, pop, rock. However there are a number of different radio stations that only play certain music, such as classical music which is great for an audience who only want to listen to that specific genre of music.

Target Audience
Commentary
The target audience is just whoever enjoys watching that sport. The target audience for the commentary of a football match would be people who enjoy watching football and are most likely fans of the team the commentator is talking about.

Live Broadcast
This particular live broadcast is aimed at people who are interested in sport. The majority of the listeners would be football fans who want to find out information about a match which is taking place. However, the target audience could be people who have a lot of access to the live broadcast, so perhaps mainly a younger audience because they can access the broadcast online. However, people who have access to a radio in a car which - more often - would be an older demographic.

Audio Book
The target audience for an audio book depends on the book being read. There are audio books for a larger number of books with different genre’s and target audiences. The audio book I have listened to is called EDYL The Reading Department by Mark Capell and is aimed at a target audience of 15+; I can tell this based on the content in the book and the complexity of the vocabulary used throughout. The book has been aimed at teenagers and older, rather than younger children, because of the style of writing used in the book.

Music
The target audience of this particular song, Blame by Calvin Harris, is a younger audience of 15-30. The reason for this is that the genre EDM is often listened to by the younger people, because of the fast-paced beat, and also the events and locations it is often played at. Also the songs in that genre are often played in nightclubs which are mainly for younger people.

Podcast
The target audience for this podcast is 15-35 (mainly teenagers). I can tell that the podcast is aimed at a younger audience because the host tends to attempt to use new language and abbreviations, which is often affiliated with younger people. He does this in a way that shows off the comedy aspect of the podcast. RAJAR data tells us that he typical Podcast user subscribes to 3.59 Podcasts (up from 3.16) and spends just over an hour in the last week listening to them. Comedy and music are the two favourited genres which appear on podcasts.

Radio
The target audience of the radio channel, Capital FM, is aimed at a younger audience. I can tell this because it plays all of the latest songs that are new and in the Top 40 UK Charts – which shows that its current and they are songs that younger generations enjoy listening to. It is important to acknowledge that the main audience of the radio isn’t necessarily younger ages because a lot of drivers will be older. However there are different radio stations and Capital FM is mainly focused at the younger generations, because they are more likely to be using the services, because of the demographic of the radio. Lots of younger people listen to music which is played on the radio and can be found online.

Frequency
Commentary
The product is never updated because the commentary is a one off event. Each commentary is unique and isn’t repeated because - for example - every football match will be different and the commentary will be different, because it is unique for that particular football match.

Live Broadcast
The audio product is updated daily because there are live broadcasts made every day, and it available online and on the radio. There are a number of ways and devices that you can access the live broadcasts on, which make them a great way to share important information, in a short amount of time – such as closings of important motorways, and information about an event such as a football match.

Audio Book
The product is never updated because once an audio book is out, it will not be edited or changed in anyway – unless the audio book is made by the same reader but to a higher standard then it may come to replace the original. Also there can be multiple audio books of the same novel which gives the audience more choice of the reader. Audio books can be presented in parts which can be downloaded and listened to in 30 minute intervals in order to split up the content, rather than having the audience listen to the audio book for long periods of time. Also, there may be sequels to the content, by the same author, which can be downloaded in the same location as the original.

Music
The audio product is never updated because once a piece of music has been created and released it doesn't get updated. It is no longer edited or changed in any way and therefore it doesn't need to be updated. However often remixes are made of songs which could be considered as an update of the original song – although it is often remixed by someone other than the original artist, and rarely makes it into the charts (UK Top 40.)

Podcast
The podcast is updated every two weeks, which allows the listener to hear it and carry on from where they left off, without having to listen to it too much because they are short and don’t come out too often, so they don’t miss out on anything because they never miss any of the podcasts. The short podcasts are added onto the official BBC website after a week. This means that it shows like a regular programme, because the listeners know when they are going to be able to access the next episode of the podcast so they can go and listen to it.

Radio
The audio product, Radio, is updated daily because it is a constant theme. The radio has different presenters’ with different themes to talk about and a range of different music to play on the different stations, but they are broadcasting daily. They can use modern music or classic music. Also there is the option to have new people such as upcoming artists and guests who can be part of the radio show for that particular night. There are often multiple themes in a day which are used when people phone-in to the radio and can submit questions and take part in chances to win a range of different products which the radio station is giving away to its listener's This allows the audience to tune in and listen to the radio whenever they want and gives them more flexible listening and freedom with it.

Production Process
Commentary
The product is produced in a number of places, some commentators go to certain events (e.g. football, rugby, and wrestling) and they commentate from the side of the pitch/ring. This allows them to be close to the action and see what’s going on therefore giving a detailed and accurate commentary, naming the players, and the nature of the event which is taking place. This makes the commentary extremely accurate - providing the consumer with as much information as possible about the event which is taking place.

Live Broadcast
The product is produced in a studio, and is produced by using equipment such as a microphone and speakers. Also the producers of the product need access to things such as jingles and intro's/outro's in order for them to be able to split up their broadcast in an attempt to keep the broadcast entertaining and interesting for the listener to engage especially for longer periods of time during events such as a football match.

Audio Book
The product is produced in a studio with a microphone, speakers and other equipment, The person(s) reading the book during the product will read it and if they say anything wrong or stutter then that part of the audio will be cut out and edited in a way so that the audience will not be able to tell in the final product. This allows larger novels to be read during the audiobooks and there is no emotion or mistake on behalf of the reader of the book - this makes the product have a higher quality and makes it sound which more professional since there are no mistakes within the reading of the book.

Music
The product is produced in a music studio but can be produced anywhere if they have the right equipment, such as an audio mixer and microphone. The quality of the product will be affected based on things such as the location and if there is echo in the studio. Music is made available for everyone, because anyone can access it which is why music can be heard in so many locations and is a large part of our daily lives.

Podcast
The product is produced by recording the host – Matt Edmondson – and his conversations with the guests that come onto the show each week. The recording is done with equipment’s such as an audio mixer, a recorder, speakers, microphone etc. Then the .mp3 file is uploaded onto the BBC website, where it can be downloaded by the public and can be accessed on almost any device. Alternatively you can listen to the podcast online, without having to download it. This creates possibilities for the listeners to choose how they want to use the product, allowing more people to be able to access the product and listen to it.

Radio
The product is produced by using equipment such as: A microphone, Audio Mixer, Speakers, Computer, and Mixing Desk etc. The radio presenter needs to have access to a number of different sounds such as a jingle, intro and outro. This can be used to make the radio more interesting and split it up little bit so it doesn’t become boring. Then the music will be placed in with some interviews and discussions in-between the music being played. The product is made available for consumption by allowing people to access radio online, in their car and on a number of different devices such as their PC, mobile phone or tablet.

Comparison
Podcast and Commentary
The podcast is there to entertain an audience by introducing guests and asking mostly comedic questions which help us get to know the guest but also make the audience laugh. Whereas, the commentary aims to inform the audience about the situation of the football match, to let them know what is happening and who has the ball at the time. This helps the audience to follow the game and makes the ninety minutes of football more interesting when the commentators add their own personal opinions to the footage or live game the fans are watching. The podcast can be accessed online by downloading it. Then it can be saved onto your computer, allowing you to watch it in the future and save it for when you want to watch it. However, a commentary cannot be accessed as easily because it must be listened to online, and cannot be downloaded as an mp3 file from an official website like a podcast can.