Representation in News Bulletins

Representation is a key concept in media and there are a number of ways that I'm going to show my understanding of representation throughout the radio show that I produce. When it comes to planning which actors will be playing specific character from my script, I know that I will have to chose my actors carefully so that I get the appropriate representation across to my audience. I will also need to think about the different representations in my adverts, for my news presenter, for voxpop and soundbites and for the presenter of my show. I will even need to consider representation in my jingles.

I am listening to different radio stations to see if there are similarities or differences between the way that the presenters deliver the news in terms of the tone of their voices, the language that they use and whether there is any interaction with the presenters of the show. I suspect that the news presenters on KISS will be much more chatty and informal than the news presenters on Radio 4, who is likely to use more sophisticated language and deliver the news in a more serious tone of voice. I expect the news presenter on talkSPORT to be a male and to deliver the news in more colloquial tone.

The first area of representation I'm going to analyse is the representation of news presenters. I've decided to listen to bulletins from 3 very different radio stations aimed at very different audiences. These stations are KISS, talkSPORT, and Radio 4.

The first area of representation I'm going to analyse is the representation of news presenters. I've decided to listen to bulletins from 3 very different radio stations aimed at very different audiences. These stations are KISS, talkSPORT, and Radio 4.

I first listened to a news bulletin on Radio 4. The presenter sounded like a middle aged man and spoke clearly and slowly. He tended to use mature language no matter what the story. He was very formal. An example of this is how he first addressed the listeners by saying the time and date and then 'good morning'.

I then listened to a news bulletin on KISS radio. The presenter here was also male, however sounded significantly younger than the presenter on Radio 4. He spoke in a much more informal way and seemed to have banter with the other presenters on the show.

I also listened to talkSPORT radio. The present was a woman who sounded middle aged, however not as old as the presenter on Radio 4. She presented the news with a relaxed tone of voice and spoke at quite a fast pace.

Listening to representation with regards to news bulletins has made me realise that news is presented differently, depending on the audience. This is something I will take into consideration once I have decided on what type of radio station I'm going to create and who my target audience is.