Audience

PDF of Lesson Notes



When Media Producers are deciding on who to aim their product at, they have two types of audience in mind:

Primary Target Audience: those who will watch/ listen/ read or buy the product.

Secondary Target Audience: those who will watch/ listen/ read or buy the product because of someone else - e.g a parent.

It is easier for the media industry to group people together defined by their age. culture, ethnicity, gender, interests , income etc... rather than cater for the individuals. This grouping is know as demographics.

Audience Profiles
Demographic Chart


How Audiences are Measured

BARB
Broadcasters Aaudience Research Board

• responsible for estimating how many people are watching what programmes on what channels at what time.
  

ABC
Audit Bureau of Circulation

• provides information on the circulation and distribution for ABC certified Newspapers and Magazines within the UK and Ireland.
  

RAJAR
Radio Joint Audience Research

• Is the official body in charge of measuring radio audiences in the UK. It is jointly owned by the BBC and the RadioCentre on behalf of the commercial sector

Audience Research

Quantitative Research: How many?????
Qualitative Research: What the audience think.



Audience Theory


Hypodermic Needle Theory

• Believes that the media 'inject' ideas, attitudes and beliefs into people
• The audience do not question what they are told - they believe what they see and hear.
• a source of 'Moral Panic' - people believe that if children see violence on TV they will become violent - copycat.
  
• BBC April Fools day - Spaghetti tree
  

2 Step Flow

• information is channelled through 'opinion leaders'
• our opinions are effected by others who have seen the media text
  

Uses & Gratifications Theory

• each media text satisfies a need.
  

• surveilence
  
• diversion
  
• personal identity
• personal relationships