SUPERCURRICULAR

Radio 1 breakfast show 

Episode with Dean Mcloughin

Who is it aimed at?

- aimed at 15-24 years old 

- younger generation however still applicable to a wider audience 

How can you tell?

- music choices are suited to a younger audience - Ariana Grande, Charli XCX, Harry styles

- interactive - get people to text/call in, something which they think only they do making them feel part of it 

- Tom Grennan joins Dean for a round of what’s my age again!

- shoutouts from people who message in 

Regular items featured:

- provide information about recent Liverpool premier league game 

- what’s the alarm - games with fans 

- Newsbeat

- phoning relevant celebrities 

The Hack

Episode 1 - review

The episode introduces Nick Davies, a journalist who receives an anonymous tip-off suggesting that the News of the World is systematically hacking phones, rather than it being the work of just one rogue reporter. Then, Davies begins assembling evidence, facing resistance from media institutions and obstacles to uncovering the scale of the wrongdoing by the news corporation. It could be argued that this episode entails hints of a parallel strand: the murder of private detective Daniel Morgan and police involvement. Hence, the episode’s role is to establish the forces aligned against Davies, highlighting the media corruption which accompanies the tension between power and the press. 

The genre of the Hack is a true crime political drama. It abides by the genre conventions through the use of slow pacing, investigative montage and voiceover, adding realism. Editorial decisions include: a muted colour palette reflecting the serious nature of the programme, slow tracking shots which build tension, as well as cross-cutting between the newsroom, police office, and Murdoch’s empire, which builds a web of interconnected power.

The hack contains a number of links to media theorists. For example, Curran and Seaton’s media ownership theory can be applied to this episode as the drama reinforces the idea that media concentration limits variety, leading to corruption and a lack of accountability. In addition, Stuart Hall’s representation theory is seen through the dominant reading of Nick Davies as hero; however, oppositional readings may critique this one-sided portrayal. The Hack - Watch Episode - ITV

The media magazine 

Media concepts article

The article is taken from the media magazine, August 2014 edition. This article explains the concept of media language and why it is essential for analysing media products. It argues that all media texts - film, TV, print, e-media, audio are built from deliberate choices made by producers to communicate meaning to audiences.

Producers make choices about camera work, editing, sound, mis-en-scene and page layout. These choices are intentional and encode meanings for the audience.

This article can be linked to several media theorists:

- Barthes (semiotics) - Media language is composed of signs that convey both denotation and connotation.

- Hall (encoding/decoding) - producers encode meaning; audiences decode it.

- Neale (genre) - Genres shape what is possible; choices follow genre conventions.

- Hall (reception theory) - Audience takes dominany, negotiated or oppositional readings.

- Barthes (myth) - connotations are built into cultural myths.

Producers are restricted by genre, platform, budget, technology and institutional expectations.

Audiences decode meanings based on their media experience, cultural knowledge, genre expectations, and intertextual references. The article shows how images reference iconic movies, relying on audience familiarity to add meaning.  Institutions attempt to anchor meaning through headlines, captions, taglines, and layout, reducing ambiguity.  Conventions based on platform and genre. For example, print layout, typeface, column structure, images, and headlines.

Shelter film 

Our house. It's not a home

I chose this short film as it clearly demonstrates the charity's campaign to convey empathy rather than aspiration. The YouTube video abides by the conventions of charity adverts as the video shows the horrific conditions in which the family are living, raising awareness for those dealing with bad housing. However, it encourages the audience to feel empathetic towards those seen in the video and emphasises the need for donations. 

What narrative does the video represent?

The video presents the narrative of the reality of families who are living in temporary accommodation: damp, mould, noise, and a lack of space, as well as facilities. The short film highlights the difference between a house and a home. According to the campaign, many families are living in houses which fail to live up to the expectation of being forever homes. The video uses the familiar lyrics of the song Our House by Madness to contrast nostalgic home-life imagery with harsh visuals of unstable housing, which deepens the emotional impact. The short film connotes a broader message - the UK housing emergency isn't just about 'having a roof' but having a place to call home - somewhere safe, stable, and defined. It points to how temporary accommodation affects family life. The narrative suggests that many families don't choose to live in inadequate housing. Living in temporary housing means frequent moves and a lack of community; the film underscores instability. This instability is showcased in the scene when the main child of the advert asks his sister, "How long do you think we will stay here this time?" 

How does the video reflect altruism and pro-social behaviour?

Altruism in media refers to the depiction of selfless acts of kindness and helping others.

Prosocial behaviours like helping, sharing, cooperating, and comforting to benefit others or society in general.

The video raises awareness to help vulnerable families, evoking empathy to motivate helping actions. It 

encourages donations through community responsibility. Promoting the social values of compassion, responsibility and guilt. The video highlights the needs of people who cannot help themselves, appealing to the idea of offering assistance with no expectation of return. 

David Gauntlett's identity theory

Presentation

David Gauntlett's identity theory

Dixon chapter

The Chapter on David Gauntlett's Media and Identity theory explained his concepts in great detail, further building upon my understanding from my own research. Gauntlett's theory is divided into two parts; traditional and post-traditional media consumption and reflexive identity construction. I found it particularly interesting to see where Gauntlett's ideas had originated from. Through reading this chapter, I found that Gauntlett's ideas build upon Anthony Giddens' assertion that society has progressed to a stage which is known as 'late modernity'. The conditions of late modernity enable audiences to escape the restricting identities that are constructed for them through localised social norms and traditional viewpoints. Gauntlett argues that the contemporary media has brought audiences into contact with a wider range of representations - and, importantly, that audiences can consciously shape their own sense of self. The concept of reflexive identity construction is explained by the fact that the media provides a variety of role models and lifestyle templates that audiences use to guide their own outlooks. Audiences are engaged in a continuous revision of their identities. Media narratives mirror the process of identity transformation. Therefore, audiences are in control of the media - adapting and assimilating ideas about themselves through the various representations that the media presents. This theory built upon Gidden's concept of the 'window to the future self' - a product that gives its audience a glimpse into who they could become. 

This extra reading has enhanced my understanding of this concept. I now fully understand the different types of media narratives, something which I was unfamiliar with before reading this chapter. In the interview with David Gauntlett carried out in January 2019, he discussed these media narratives. For example, the aspirational narrative - a product that offers meaning to self-improvement or offers audiences an ideal lifestyle choice. I also learnt about the concept of media proliferation, which refers to the explosion of media products and channels which started to occur in the early 1980s. Hence, media products were increasingly produced for niche or specialised audiences. The chapter expanded on how this can be applied to many different industries. In the magazine industry, Gauntlett's theory is seen in the ways in which magazines offer life-changing advice and the types of aspirational imagery which the products present. Similarly, within television programmes where multiple protagonists are featured, and the use aspirational role models. This theory is applicable to the radio industry, exemplified when radio presenters of radio set texts offer their audiences aspirational role models.