- PSB = Public Service Broadcasting
- Mission = To enrich people's lives with programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain.
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Values
Trust is the foundation of the BBC: we are independent, impartial and honest.
Audiences are at the heart of everything we do.
We take pride in delivering quality and value for money.
Creativity is the lifeblood of our organisation.
We respect each other and celebrate our diversity so that everyone can give their best.
We are one BBC: great things happen when we work together.
Public Purposes
-To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them
-To support learning for people of all ages
-To show the most creative, highest quality and distinctive output and services
-To reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United Kingdom’s nations and regions and, in doing so, support the creative economy across the United Kingdom
-To reflect the United Kingdom, its culture and values to the world
The licence fee allows the BBC's UK services to remain free of advertisements and independent of shareholder and political interest.
historical and social context
For seven decades BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour has charted a social and political revolution in women’s lives – covering everything from backstreet abortions and the introduction of the pill to the fight for the Equal Pay Act.
Garvey, who has presented the show alongside Murray for nine years, told the Guardian that a glance at the script from the first ever show – which featured a section on how to “put your best face forward” – revealed the vast shift in women’s lives in the past 70 years.
With 3.7 million listeners weekly, Woman’s Hour is now the second most popular daily podcast across BBC Radio – after The Archers – and a quarter of its listeners are under 35, while 40% are male.
The show remains, according to guest presenter Emma Barnett, “the Rolls Royce of Radio 4 … It’s a programme that brings out the best in people as they know they have the space to share deep feelings with an incredibly engaged audience hanging on their every word,” she said. “Its listeners, male and female, trust it implicitly and the female gaze [through which] it reflects the world is invaluable and unique.”
Delving into the history of the show sheds light on the frustration many listeners felt when it launched on 7 October 1946. While the modern programme has explored taboo issues from the onset of menopause to female masturbation, the first Woman’s Hour was, in fact, presented by a man.
While listener Bridget Long, writing to The Daily Worker in 1946, complained: “The programme is much too patronising. What women want is a programme to compensate us for being tied to our domestic chores, to help us keep in touch with the world outside, whether it’s books, films, politics or other countries.”
Aired at 2pm to coincide with the moment that busy housewives could briefly put their feet up before the children came home from school, BBC bosses hired Alan Ivimey, an ex-RAF-officer-turned-journalist who “specialised in writing for and talking to women” to present the radio show. A woman, they decided, risked being “resented” by her listeners.
Garvey, who has presented the show alongside Murray for nine years, told the Guardian that a glance at the script from the first ever show – which featured a section on how to “put your best face forward” – revealed the vast shift in women’s lives in the past 70 years.
With 3.7 million listeners weekly, Woman’s Hour is now the second most popular daily podcast across BBC Radio – after The Archers – and a quarter of its listeners are under 35, while 40% are male.
The show remains, according to guest presenter Emma Barnett, “the Rolls Royce of Radio 4 … It’s a programme that brings out the best in people as they know they have the space to share deep feelings with an incredibly engaged audience hanging on their every word,” she said. “Its listeners, male and female, trust it implicitly and the female gaze [through which] it reflects the world is invaluable and unique.”
Delving into the history of the show sheds light on the frustration many listeners felt when it launched on 7 October 1946. While the modern programme has explored taboo issues from the onset of menopause to female masturbation, the first Woman’s Hour was, in fact, presented by a man.
While listener Bridget Long, writing to The Daily Worker in 1946, complained: “The programme is much too patronising. What women want is a programme to compensate us for being tied to our domestic chores, to help us keep in touch with the world outside, whether it’s books, films, politics or other countries.”
Aired at 2pm to coincide with the moment that busy housewives could briefly put their feet up before the children came home from school, BBC bosses hired Alan Ivimey, an ex-RAF-officer-turned-journalist who “specialised in writing for and talking to women” to present the radio show. A woman, they decided, risked being “resented” by her listeners.
regulation
Audience
Who is the target market for this episode?
Demographic using the NRS Social Grade
Psychographic using the 4C’s Model
Any other types of audience, including gender
How does it appeal to its target audience?
Mode of address is relaxed and informal: Lauren Laverne- soft tone & accent, ‘ya in’, ‘cosy’. Humour, conversational tone.
Intellectual language “antithesis of IKEA”, “cultural value” discussion of balance between home and work, “enterprise and capitalism,” “industrialisation,” “white Anglo-Saxon protestant men” – suggestion that it appeals to a more academic/sophisticated audience ‘curating’, ‘democratic’, ‘accoutrement’
Direct address to women: ‘we’, ‘our’, ‘you’ repeated.
Research fellow in the school of social science at Cardiff University – Academic.
Podcaster Helen – social/youth?
Chef/author – domestic
Discussion of the digital cultural and the intimate home life – e.g. sharing on Instagram – attracting the younger audience.
“Craft vs Commerce vs Drudgery” – discussion about things that helped women in the home e.g. frozen food. Craftsmanship a way of connecting with things women have lost with the development of feminism.
Can you apply Hall’s Reception theory?
Preferred reading by: Women, educated, ABC1’s, Reformer, niche, 21+
Negotiated reading by: Mixed gender, educated, ABC1’s, reformer, 21+
Oppositional reading by: Males, educated, ABC1’s, 18+
In 2014 the BBC famously introduced a ban on all male TV and radio panels to offset this dominance.
What other reasons do audiences have for listening to the radio?
The blind medium: It only involves the hearing sense. It allows the audience to use their imagination.
The companion medium: Provides a strong sense of personal connection with the audience. It also offers interactive opportunities – text, email, ‘shout out’, phone ins, requests etc.
The intimate medium: Radio is very personal and encourages intimacy by the use of direct mode of address
The undemanding medium: Listeners can do other things while listening, they don’t need to devote all of their time to it.
Past Expectations vs Current Expectations
Who is the target market for this episode?
Demographic using the NRS Social Grade
Psychographic using the 4C’s Model
Any other types of audience, including gender
How does it appeal to its target audience?
Mode of address is relaxed and informal: Lauren Laverne- soft tone & accent, ‘ya in’, ‘cosy’. Humour, conversational tone.
Intellectual language “antithesis of IKEA”, “cultural value” discussion of balance between home and work, “enterprise and capitalism,” “industrialisation,” “white Anglo-Saxon protestant men” – suggestion that it appeals to a more academic/sophisticated audience ‘curating’, ‘democratic’, ‘accoutrement’
Direct address to women: ‘we’, ‘our’, ‘you’ repeated.
Research fellow in the school of social science at Cardiff University – Academic.
Podcaster Helen – social/youth?
Chef/author – domestic
Discussion of the digital cultural and the intimate home life – e.g. sharing on Instagram – attracting the younger audience.
“Craft vs Commerce vs Drudgery” – discussion about things that helped women in the home e.g. frozen food. Craftsmanship a way of connecting with things women have lost with the development of feminism.
Can you apply Hall’s Reception theory?
Preferred reading by: Women, educated, ABC1’s, Reformer, niche, 21+
Negotiated reading by: Mixed gender, educated, ABC1’s, reformer, 21+
Oppositional reading by: Males, educated, ABC1’s, 18+
In 2014 the BBC famously introduced a ban on all male TV and radio panels to offset this dominance.
What other reasons do audiences have for listening to the radio?
The blind medium: It only involves the hearing sense. It allows the audience to use their imagination.
The companion medium: Provides a strong sense of personal connection with the audience. It also offers interactive opportunities – text, email, ‘shout out’, phone ins, requests etc.
The intimate medium: Radio is very personal and encourages intimacy by the use of direct mode of address
The undemanding medium: Listeners can do other things while listening, they don’t need to devote all of their time to it.
Past Expectations vs Current Expectations
Industry
How does this episode meet the needs and purposes of the BBC as a PSB?
Laverne directs the discussion and questions back to craft – fulfilling ‘creative’ remit of BBC.
One of the guests discusses the fact she is non-judgemental of other cultures. Reflects PSB remit and diversity.
Hygge – cultural discussion – Scandinavian. Diversity remit
Wide range of guests represents BBCs remit for diversity and the fact that as a PSB they can explore minority views – no need for commercial success
Reference to Bake Off towards the end – craft and creativity
Psychotherapist and author – alternative views? Fitting BBC remit/mission
Debate and argument between guests – impartial
Intellectual language “antithesis of IKEA”, “cultural value” discussion of balance between home and work, “enterprise and capitalism,” “industrialisation,” “white Anglo-Saxon protestant men” – suggestion that it appeals to a more academic/sophisticated audience – Educate
She makes a joke about domesticity “I’m not doing very well at any of those things. Fail. Fail. (LAUGHTER).” – entertain
How is this programme distributed and consumed? What benefits does this provide?
Think about how radio is scheduled during the day. What does the 11pm slot give the show? Late Night Woman’s Hour has an 11 p.m. broadcast timeslot. Consider how this slot might limit audience share prior to DAB. Audiences can now listen on devices other than radios and download podcasts to enjoy at their leisure which means the time a broadcast airs live might be less significant.
It might also be argued that DAB technology affords broadcasters more freedom. The late night slot (after the watershed) allows broadcasters freedom to make challenging or controversial content in the knowledge that it can still reach audiences.
After just a week on air, Late Night Woman’s Hour has already seen one contributor blurt out the word “fuck”, and hosted a lively discussion about “self-lubricating anuses”.
Listeners have praised its in-depth discussions on woman’s affairs and said it provides a refreshing antidote to some of the BBC’s other content.
New Statesman deputy editor Helen Lewis, who was a guest on the first episode last week, is another fan of the new format. She said: ‘Late Night Woman’s Hour isn’t afraid to delve into niche areas a little more. It can also afford to be a little more explicit and adult. There was a very relaxed feeling in the studio. They offered us all beer, though we were all very parsimonious and stuck to tea and coffee.’
Technology has also allowed for audience interaction – via twitter and other platforms – to join the debate. This helps with the remit as well as audience engagement.
DAB and Podcast
Industry
How does this episode meet the needs and purposes of the BBC as a PSB?
Laverne directs the discussion and questions back to craft – fulfilling ‘creative’ remit of BBC.
One of the guests discusses the fact she is non-judgemental of other cultures. Reflects PSB remit and diversity.
Hygge – cultural discussion – Scandinavian. Diversity remit
Wide range of guests represents BBCs remit for diversity and the fact that as a PSB they can explore minority views – no need for commercial success
Reference to Bake Off towards the end – craft and creativity
Psychotherapist and author – alternative views? Fitting BBC remit/mission
Debate and argument between guests – impartial
Intellectual language “antithesis of IKEA”, “cultural value” discussion of balance between home and work, “enterprise and capitalism,” “industrialisation,” “white Anglo-Saxon protestant men” – suggestion that it appeals to a more academic/sophisticated audience – Educate
She makes a joke about domesticity “I’m not doing very well at any of those things. Fail. Fail. (LAUGHTER).” – entertain
How is this programme distributed and consumed? What benefits does this provide?
Think about how radio is scheduled during the day. What does the 11pm slot give the show? Late Night Woman’s Hour has an 11 p.m. broadcast timeslot. Consider how this slot might limit audience share prior to DAB. Audiences can now listen on devices other than radios and download podcasts to enjoy at their leisure which means the time a broadcast airs live might be less significant.
It might also be argued that DAB technology affords broadcasters more freedom. The late night slot (after the watershed) allows broadcasters freedom to make challenging or controversial content in the knowledge that it can still reach audiences.
After just a week on air, Late Night Woman’s Hour has already seen one contributor blurt out the word “fuck”, and hosted a lively discussion about “self-lubricating anuses”.
Listeners have praised its in-depth discussions on woman’s affairs and said it provides a refreshing antidote to some of the BBC’s other content.
New Statesman deputy editor Helen Lewis, who was a guest on the first episode last week, is another fan of the new format. She said: ‘Late Night Woman’s Hour isn’t afraid to delve into niche areas a little more. It can also afford to be a little more explicit and adult. There was a very relaxed feeling in the studio. They offered us all beer, though we were all very parsimonious and stuck to tea and coffee.’
Technology has also allowed for audience interaction – via twitter and other platforms – to join the debate. This helps with the remit as well as audience engagement.
DAB and Podcast
Licence Fee
Consider the significance of license fee funding and compare this to the financial considerations of commercial radio e.g. would this broadcast
be too “niche” for commercial radio? The broadcast has only female contributors, is made up predominantly of unadorned dialogue (without music, sound effects etc.) and the topic is explored using intellectual and specialised vocabulary.
Curran and Seaton
It could be argued that Late Night Woman’s Hour challenges the idea that media is controlled by a small number of companies driven by the logic of profit and power.
Whilst the BBC is inarguably a large, significant company, the nature of PSB and the content of the broadcast seem to be at odds with the “logic of profit and power”.
Consider the funding of the BBC in comparison with commercial organisations. Explore the extent to which the license fee frees BBC producers from the pressure to generate profit and the way in which this impacts the content of their broadcasts.
Late Night Woman’s Hour (or at least the fact that it is available on podcast) might also be used to support Curran and Seaton’s idea that socially diverse patterns of ownership help create conditions for varied and adventurous productions.
Consider the proliferation of podcasts across a wide range of topics and genres in recent years. Do the relative low production costs of this medium and the inexpensive hosting/digital distribution costs offer producers (and often prosumers) opportunities to take risks and develop adventurous content that still manages to reach diverse international audiences?
What does the host – Lauren Laverne – bring to the show?
She is more readily associated with alternative music (both from her career as a musician and her links with Radio 6 and BBC music festival coverage) than with Radio 4.
Laverne’s relative youth and reputation for being outspoken and irreverent might be seen as a deliberate attempt to court the relative controversy (at least in comparison to other Radio 4 content) surrounding some use of bad language and the content in some episodes of this show. Laverne’s credentials also extend to being a published author.
Consider the extent to which Late Night Woman’s Hour has been designed specifically to suit Laverne’s persona rather than being a broadcast she has been asked to present. Some other radio presenters (often white males) have carried a status that means their personalities dominate broadcasts (Chris Evans, Chris Moyles et al.); might Laverne be considered in the same way? She is the driving force behind the discussion and leads show in the directions it goes. This could be similar to the Jeremy Vine show on Radio2?
Licence Fee
Consider the significance of license fee funding and compare this to the financial considerations of commercial radio e.g. would this broadcast
be too “niche” for commercial radio? The broadcast has only female contributors, is made up predominantly of unadorned dialogue (without music, sound effects etc.) and the topic is explored using intellectual and specialised vocabulary.
Curran and Seaton
It could be argued that Late Night Woman’s Hour challenges the idea that media is controlled by a small number of companies driven by the logic of profit and power.
Whilst the BBC is inarguably a large, significant company, the nature of PSB and the content of the broadcast seem to be at odds with the “logic of profit and power”.
Consider the funding of the BBC in comparison with commercial organisations. Explore the extent to which the license fee frees BBC producers from the pressure to generate profit and the way in which this impacts the content of their broadcasts.
Late Night Woman’s Hour (or at least the fact that it is available on podcast) might also be used to support Curran and Seaton’s idea that socially diverse patterns of ownership help create conditions for varied and adventurous productions.
Consider the proliferation of podcasts across a wide range of topics and genres in recent years. Do the relative low production costs of this medium and the inexpensive hosting/digital distribution costs offer producers (and often prosumers) opportunities to take risks and develop adventurous content that still manages to reach diverse international audiences?
What does the host – Lauren Laverne – bring to the show?
She is more readily associated with alternative music (both from her career as a musician and her links with Radio 6 and BBC music festival coverage) than with Radio 4.
Laverne’s relative youth and reputation for being outspoken and irreverent might be seen as a deliberate attempt to court the relative controversy (at least in comparison to other Radio 4 content) surrounding some use of bad language and the content in some episodes of this show. Laverne’s credentials also extend to being a published author.
Consider the extent to which Late Night Woman’s Hour has been designed specifically to suit Laverne’s persona rather than being a broadcast she has been asked to present. Some other radio presenters (often white males) have carried a status that means their personalities dominate broadcasts (Chris Evans, Chris Moyles et al.); might Laverne be considered in the same way? She is the driving force behind the discussion and leads show in the directions it goes. This could be similar to the Jeremy Vine show on Radio2?