5. Package Audience

Only once I had gathered my interviews did I decide on the audience and radio station my feature would be appropriate for. I felt that, because of the “left-field” nature of his music and the complex lyrical and ideological themes David Tibet addressed in the interview, my package would be more appropriate for a middle-aged audience who have an interest in the more expressive, artistic side of music. My package would potentially fit into a station such as BBC Radio 3, which has featured Current 93 before and regularly delves into experimental music on shows such as Verity Sharp’s “Late Junction”.

I listened to several editions of “Late Junction” before writing my script and compiling my package. This would help to accustom myself to the presentational style and writing style that would be appropriate for my audience. I found Verity Sharp to be very composed and soft in her speaking tone, with very deliberate and clear pronunciation. One reason for this could be that the show is broadcast late at night, when listener most likely desire something more delicate and soothing to the ears – potentially something to fall asleep to. It could also be to appeal to the target audience; to help produce a calm atmosphere so that radio can fulfill its contemplative, “down time” function that it may have for older listeners. Her choice of language was relatively formal and conservative, with only a couple of rhetorical questions used to address the audience directly and inject some informality (“Remember this? This was how Radiohead sounded in 2002.”). The music featured on the playlist was relatively varied, although tended heavily towards the more niche genres such as folk, classical and ambient noise. Because of the "avant garde" nature of David Tibet's music, I am confident that my package would be a fitting addition to a programme such as this one.

In fact, compiling this package made me realise how versatile radio is as a medium - able to attract both the passive listeners who strive for the immediacy and instant impact of mainstream radio, as well as the more active listeners who seek out harder programmes that tap in to their niche interests. My package would be unlikely to find a place on television, which tends to focus on the interests of the mainstream. Additionally, translating my feature into a print article would have meant losing the evocative use of music and the "personal" element achieved by hearing the voices of the artists themselves. Radio is the perfect medium for a feature piece of this style.