Welcome to Digimedia, this site is here to teach you about
different types of radio companies and how they work. It is also to teach you
about the different types of media ownership across media companies.
A conglomerate is a company that owns and runs many
different, smaller companies. These smaller are called subsidiaries. A cross
media conglomerate is a company that owns companies over a variety of different
media areas. The Bauer Media Group is a cross media conglomerate. This is
because it owns a wide variety of media companies like Radio, TV, Magazines and
web sites. It owns Hallam FM which is a subsidiary company of Bauer. More often
than not, the layouts of the websites of subsidiary companies are similar and
follow the same house style.
An independent company is a company that is not owned by a
larger company and operates by its self as it is a self owned company. Sheffield
live is an independent radio station as it is not owned by a larger media
company. As this is the case they operate and make their money in different
ways.
Sheffield live is an independent radio station, it is an
independent radio station as it isn’t owned by a larger media company. Sheffield
live is a community radio station, according to OFCOM (the office of
communications) the definition of a community radio station is: “community
radio stations are small scale, not for profit radio stations operated for the
good of members of the public, or of particular communities, and in order to
deliver social gain.” The provision of social gain has 4 mandatory requirement:
1.
Community
radio stations must provide a service for underserved groups
2.
They
must facilitate discussion and expression of opinion within the community
served
3.
They
must provide training or education to people not employed by the station
4.
Community
radio stations must also help to strengthen the community served
Sangita Basudev set up the company in 2003. Sheffield live
was awarded a licence from OFCOM to operate as a regular radio station. As it
is a community radio station the content cannot cross over with the main
providers like BBC. Surveys show It reaches 11% of people in the area it
broadcasts to, this is a figure of 32,000 people. It is aimed at people from;
Central Sheffield, Gleadless, Darnall etc.
It is a different type of radio station as well due to the
music it plays which is a variety of genres such as;
·
Reggae
·
Ragga
·
Jungle
·
Asian Pop
·
Indie Pop
·
Dance
·
African
The broadcasting act of 1999 and the community radio order
2004 state that community radio services cannot gain more than 50% of their
running costs from one sort of advertising or sponsor. The remainder of
operating costs have to be obtained through grants, sponsors etc. Sheffield
live obtained a £15,000 fund in 08/09 to pay the business managers wages.
· Production- The process of making a
media text
· Distribution- The process of getting
a media text to the audience
· Distribution (advertising)- This
includes the marketing/promotion and advertising of the product as well as the
physical distribution or broadcasting of the text
· Exchange- The process of an audience
"consuming" a media text, i.e. listening to a radio show, watching a
TV program etc. It also includes the ways in which audiences "read a text.
· Media Conglomerate- A media
conglomerate is a company who owns a large number of smaller companies
(subsidiaries)
· Cross Media Conglomerate- A
conglomerate that owns many different forms of media companies
· Independent Company- A company that
is self owned, and not by a conglomerate
· Audience Reach- The number of
audience members who are capable of receiving a media message
· Technological Convergence- Ability
to listen to radio via many different ways
· DAB- Digital Audio Broadcast
· Simulcasting- Simultaneous
Broadcasting
· Broadcasting Act
·
Community
Radio Order
Bauer Media Group is a German media company. It is the
largest media company in the UK and also one of the largest conglomerates in
the world. Its head office is in Hamburg, Germany. The Bauer Publishing Group
distributes over 300 magazines worldwide in over 15 different countries. It
also owns a wide array of TV and Radio Stations. It began in 1875 as a small
printing house and has grown to be one of the largest companies in the world,
owing this to 4 generations of the Bauer family. In 2012 they purchased
Australia’s largest media group CVC, which has increased the value to over 2
Billion Euros.
Hallam FM is a radio station located in Sheffield. The
company is a subsidiary of the Bauer Media Group. They are the number one
commercial radio station for the whole of South Yorkshire, they are commercial
as the business is run to make profit. It was first launched in October 1974
and broadcasts in Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley and many other areas. Hallam
FM has a large selection of presenters, including Big John, JK and Joel, Ollie
and Becky Hayes and many more. The station has won many awards over the years
including a gold award for Best Personality, which was won by Big John. The
main radio competitor for Hallam is Capital FM, this is because they are both
similar stations that both play Adult Contemporary. However it also has many
other competitors like Real Radio, Peak FM, BBC Radio Sheffield and BBC Radio
1. RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research) is the official body in charge of
measuring audiences in the UK, it is co owned by the BBC and the Radio Centre. Bauer
Media uses figures provided by RAJAR to collect date on the areas and types of
people that listen to its stations. It is highly important to get accurate
local figures with radio, this is due to the fact that it is very tough to sell
advertising space on the radio. Hallam obtain just under a third of all the
commercial market in South Yorkshire. The station sponsors many different
charities and events. This includes being a sponsor of Sheffield’s Next
Comedian and School of the Week. As it is a commercial radio station, it is run
to make profit, therefore it is crucial it can extend its market as much as it
can, therefore the radio station can be listened to via an App, Freeview, DAB
Radio, FM radio and online. Hallam FM plays host to a variety of shows,
including: Big John at Breakfast, which is a talk show accompanied by a variety
of popular music. There is also In:Demand with Alex James which plays the
latest variety of hits, as well as having celebrity guests and competitions. In
addition to this there is also Sunday Afternoons with Kate Lawler, which is a
chat show accompanied by popular music. This wide variety of radio shows helps
Hallam achieve the pristine reputation it has.