LO3: Legal & Ethical

LO3: Legal & Ethical

Ofcom is the regulator for radio in the UK, and as such, I would have to follow the ten broadcasting codes set by Ofcom and consider other legal and ethical constraints such as slander and breach of copyright. Section nine, due to it being applicable only to TV is otherwise irrelevant.

Broadcasting Codes & How They Will be Addressed

Section one: Protecting the under eighteens

This section of broadcasting codes states 'Material that might seriously impair the physical, mental or moral development of people under eighteen' which indicates that content available on the radio show must not be inappropriate to an under 18 audience within scheduling appropriate to them.

In consideration of  an under 18 audience, the content of my programme will adhere to the same rules as the watershed as a channel which airs content during later hours; therefore, the inappropriate content (e.g. themes of alcohol abuse, sexual reference and bad language) within the radio drama will contain a disclaimer beforehand. This would allow audiences to understand specifically what kind of inappropriate content a broadcast would contain and what age demographic is appropriate for it. An example would include foul language and the depiction of alcoholism in the planned radio drama.

Section two: Harm and offence

This section states 'standards for broadcast content so as to provide adequate protection for members of the public from harmful and/or offensive material.' which means I must understand and filter content within my radio show to not include harmful and offensive material.

To adhere to this broadcasting code, I would follow largely what I would with the first broadcasting code through filtering inappropriate content, particularly within the radio drama, by writing and editing it to be appropriate to a mass audience; using a disclaimer to warn audiences of the mature themes before broadcast, post-watershed. This relates to themes presented in the radio drama like alcoholism and connotations of violent outbursts which audiences may want to be forewarned of before listening. 

Section three: Crime, disorder, hatred & abuse

This section covers 'material which is likely to incite crime or disorder' which focuses on avoiding portraying influential content with harmful, illegal effect such as glorifying crime or abuse.

This intrinsically falls into the same solution as sections 1-2 through adapting content to not glorify illicit, illegal material. This can be avoided in the radio drama by not representing any youthful representations drinking alcohol or illicitly harming one another.

Section four: Religion

This sections covers the portrayal of religious themes within media, respecting the beliefs of religions whilst not exploiting them to portray inappropriate content.

To avoid breaching this code, I wouldn't involve any religious reference in any explicit or offensive way however, its lack of relevance within the programme makes this issue benign. 

Section five: Due impartiality & due accuracy

This section states 'To ensure that news, in whatever form, is reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality' which means that whatever I cover within the radio show must be accurate and not contain slander nor misinformation. The news bulletin will not contain any political (representation or) bias, nor will the rest of the show including the radio drama; not eliciting any misinformation in the broadcast.

Section six: Elections & Referendums

This section is irrelevant to the content within my broadcast however, if I were to consider covering (currently) relevant news topics such as the presidential election in the U.S. or its relation to Elon Musk's influence over UK politics: the content I share must not be misinformative nor share any bias toward either left or right wing parties. As with the previous section, the news bulletin and presenting in the broadcast will avoid any political representation to avoid this issue and not spread bias.

Section seven: Fairness

This section covers the fair treatment of presenters and guest within the radio broadcast which can be adhered to through proper preparation and disclosure for the run-times of the programme to avoid unnecessary stress as well as catering and suitable facilities for those involved in the product; treating them with respect. This is pertinent during the recording of sections like the interview and radio drama by briefing voices what kind of content or questions will be airing during the broadcast beforehand and not slanderising them on the air.

Section eight: Privacy

This section discloses the 'unwarranted infringement of privacy in programmes and in connection with obtaining material included in programmes' which I need to adhere to through using reliable sources of information to direct news and in cases like the interview, not disclosing personal matters of the interviewee or interviewer without consent beforehand. The same applies to the voices of the radio drama and not leaking any presenter or voice actor information either in or outside the broadcast.

Section ten: Commercial communications on radio

This section exists to 'ensure the transparency of commercial communications' to protect consumers through filtering false advertisements and libel. Therefore, any adverts or sponsors within the programme must be checked beforehand to pass them into the broadcast; ensuring no misinformation or slander, with appropriate content within the ads featured. The sponsorship of the broadcast will include disclaimers of company responsibility in the broadcast for the advertised product as well as relevant information regarding product material in the advertisement.

Ethical & Legal Considerations

What I consider ethically within the programme such as the representation of presenters or the impact of content within the broadcast's radio drama, must be understood before placed on air to ensure the sanctity of the programme and the wellbeing of those involved, actor, presenter and listener. Other legal considerations would include the GDPR of those involved within the broadcast; not releasing their private information publicly or slandering them (or they slandering others) throughout the broadcast.

LO1: Task 4 Analysing a Radio Programme

LO1: Task 4 - Analysing a Radio Programme (LBC)

James O'Brien (10-1)

Purpose and Schedule

Presenter James O'Brien airs on LBC, also through simulcast, between 10am-1pm for the purpose of information and entertainment as James O'Brien discusses current political debates in which audiences are able to call into the station to engage with the presenter or debate against them. Examples of topics covered within the programme; debates with callers and discussions, posted to social media channels like YouTube afterwards to achieve simulcast, include: 'Trump isn't a good person but he's the best man for the job', 'What are Palestinians in Gaza 'returning' to?' and 'What has Brexit done to you?'. These are each hard news topics which elicit a mature 18+ audience, informing listeners of current news affairs and entertaining them through listening into phone call debates of overt political leanings.

Income

Every 15 minutes during the programme, an interlude of adverts occur for a few minutes with ads intended for a mature audience such as AA car insurance, car adverts (e.g. a new Hyundai Hybrid car) or shopping discounts (Morrisons and Dreams) which convey a parental/guardian audience through content which is relevant to an older demographic (buying a car, insurance and saving money on weekly shopping). 

Content & Production

News stories featured in the programme are intended for a mature audience through hard news topics which inform an audience; likewise the entertainment aspect of the James O'Brien programme is present within phone-ins where there's a catharsis in James' discussions with callers such as a conversation about dialect and accents with a caller from Liverpool and how their accent has changed as they've moved across the world to the U.S. Dialogue within the programme is of high rhetoric with complex issues and the understanding of multiple audience viewpoints, especially politically; representations of callers differ in age from early 20's up to late 70's, to engage with it. The jingle to introduce the programme creates connotations of pertinence and gravity akin to something like introductions to BBC news, whilst also introducing the hour with James O'Brien. This would create connotations of important or relevant information.

Staff & Resources

James O'Brien is evidently the primary personality of the James O'Brien 10-1 Programme whose educated personality when engaging with callers over political debate and the resulting catharsis as he deconstructs or challenges their arguments is created to be entertaining, thus resulting in their uploads to YouTube afterwards. Eleanor Walsh is the senior producer however to the James O'Brien show. The equipment used include DT-250 headphones, microphones which are Beyerdynamic MC840's as well as dials to control phone-ins and presenter volumes.

BBC Radio 4 Radio Drama: The Talented Mr. Shakespeare

Purpose and Schedule

The Talented Mr. Shakespeare, written and directed by Wilf Scolding, is a comedy radio drama which tells the tale of Shakespeare as his arch-rival plots his death for plagiarising his work. This comedic representation of such an out-there concept conveys the genre through examples like Shakespeare hiding from a woman as his voice dithers in the background; creating a comedic challenge of gender stereotypes. The drama aired (last) at 14:15 on the 7th May 2025: a midday time where younger audiences would likely be in school and are therefore, unlikely to hear some of the mild inappropriate content like swearing, threat of violence or innuendos. The historical, comedic genre is then signified in the verisimilitude of bedding music (and ambience of chatter in locations like a pub) which reflects the 1500's time period the drama is set.

Income

As with other BBC content, funding for Radio 4's radio dramas comes from the TV license however, the quality of the content is high with professional voice acting featuring a diverse range of vocal performance which all fit charmingly and comedically into the drama's genre: Shakespeare's over the top smug voice is exemplary of this. The intrinsic attraction to radio dramas, particularly one reliant on historical context, is emblematic of Radio 4's ABC1 target audience. Some representations that challenge gender stereotypes like a female character (Lady Audrey) using a pistol, could also reflect the 51% female demographic; this furthered by the self-absorbed, arrogant but flamboyant personality of Shakespeare and his cowardice also convey this direction of entertainment toward the audience.

Content & Production

The story structure of The Talented Mr. Shakespeare follows a non-linear narrative structure. The connotations of this convey the target audience of the program with content that has multiple aspects to a given story with a primary storyline with cross-cuts to multiple characters in different locations. The interchange of dialogue is comically colloquial, with some Shakespearian jargon akin to his play's dialogue structures (e.g. 'thee' 'thy') to create a juxtaposing flair of eloquent line deliveries with vulgar connotations 'I will not take slander from a spongey spur-galled skene's mate'. In relation to the target audience, the interchange of dialogue between characters toys with lexical composition to create comedy in examples of phonetic repetition (e.g. the alliteration of fricative language to convey immensely, creative, distaste toward someone). The broadcast also utilizes diegetic sound effects to further immersion and convey the time period and comedy genre. Examples include water splashing and gargled mumbling as Shakespeare's head is dunked underwater to sober him, lute bedding music and chatter in pub-locations, gun cocks or ambient/transitional/context sounds like footsteps and doors opening to further audience immersion. 

Staff & Resources

Writer/Director: Wilf Scolding

Producer: David Morley

Shakespeare: Tom Mothersdale

Marlowe: Arthur Hewes

Will Kemp: Harry Kershaw

As a radio drama, the presenters are instead exemplified as voice actors who lead the drama's narrative. With an audience profile of adults (aged around 56) the cast reflects this with actors of the same general age demographic and background as wealthy historical figures pertaining to Shakespeare (e.g. Christopher Marlowe, an English playwright). An audience of adults who are likely listening (either through time-shifting via Blackbox device on the BBC Sounds app or) live, during the 2pm time window, could relate to this demographic of voice actors because of this (somewhat) mature, intellectually (and lexically) creative, age representation.

Necessary hardware for the production of a drama like this would include (generally): Microphones, each for different actors, headphones, amps (solid state, tube and cabinet units) and computers with audio editing software like Adobe Audition. The BBC has solicited companies for their hardware and infrastructure contracts which they gain their equipment from such as 'VSC Design Limited' and 'QVest Media'. 

LO3: Interview Questions

Interview Questions

Opener: Could you give us a little summary of what Hidden Beneath is about?

(Response from Megan Rouse)

Q: How long have you been working on the series?

(Response from Megan Rouse)

Q: What other novels or writers inspired the Hidden Beneath trilogy; have you had any influence from film or television?

(Response from Megan Rouse)

Q: Has anyone you know from real life influenced your characters?

(Response from Megan Rouse)

Q: What influenced your choice of genre for the trilogy?

(Response from Megan Rouse)

Q: What were your earliest memories as a writer?

(Response from Megan Rouse)

Q: Do you think that the internet has changed the way people interact with books for the better or do you think it's taken people's interests away from print media?

(Response from Megan Rouse)

Q: Did you ever face creative or motivational challenges when writing the Hidden Beneath? Did you find it to be exciting and enjoyable?

(Response from Megan Rouse)

LO3: Radio Script (Planning Ideas)

Name of production: Full Moon Radio 

Presenter name: Oliver Clements 

Time Codes (Est.)	Presenter/ name(s)  Oliver Clements  (Presenter - Aleksander Treyton) Alicia Payne (News Bulletin - Jane Marten)  Alexandru Andrei Dumitru (Station Voice) Megan Rouse (Interview) Carlos Ionescu (Caller)	Dialogue/ FX/ music/ information
5(s) 00.05	Alexandru Andrei Dumitru	Station jingle  “Circle in the dark. Take respite in the light of the Full Moon” FX - a fire being lit
20(s) 00.25	Oliver Clements	Introduction  “If you’re just tuning in, this is Full Moon Radio; I’m your host, Aleksander Tretton, and this is a brand-new drama.  Join us later for an exclusive interview with upcoming writer Megan Rouse and her novel series ‘The Hidden beneath’ later and find out if you're our winner for a free signed copy of the whole trilogy. For now, here is the news bulletin.”
6 (s) 00.31	Alicia Payne	News Bulletin with jingle  (Jingle akin to conventional news jingles, signifies pertinence.) “From Full Moon Radio News at 10: Police are still investigating the sudden disappearances of traffic lights across the centre of Sheffield leading to pandemonium and congestion. Expect queues and dangerous conditions especially around Trippet Lane & Kelham Island. I’m Jane Marten and that is the news for this evening.” (EXT. Jingle)
3 (s)  00.34	Oliver Clements	Introduction to Radio Drama  “Now we’ve got an all-new radio drama for you. This programme contains bad language and mature themes. This... is fractures.
10(s) 00.44	Alexandru Andrei Dumitru	Programme jingle  FX - glass smashing with the introduction to the drama. “Fractures. One.”
5 (mins est.) 05.44	Oliver Clements	Radio Drama – Fractures: Part 1  See ‘Radio Drama – Fractures’ document
10(S) 05.54	Sponsor Break	FX – jingle “Full Moon Radio is sponsored by Danny McFries.”     “Come down to Danny McFries for the all new… Spurger. Half spam, half everything else. Danny McFries is not responsible for internal bleeding, volatile sickness or dismemberment.” FX – Can opening and frying sound
3 (Mins)08.54	Oliver Clements Megan Rouse	Interview FX - Interview commences with bedding music “I’m joined with aspiring novelist and English teacher, Megan Rouse. How are you Megan?” – see interview Question document
40(s)  09.34	Oliver Clements Carlos Ionescu	Call In – Competition Winner  “Before we end our exclusive interview, we’ve got caller Carlos on the line who has won a signed copy of the Hidden Beneath trilogy! Carlos how do you feel?"
6.07 (Mins) 15.41	Oliver Clements	Song – I’m Not in Love (10cc)  “The time is 10:38pm, this is 10cc with I’m Not in Love. Absolute classic.”