home work questions

 how has digital convergence affect how the media product is distributed, produced and circulated? (12 marks) 

women's hour is produced by the BBC and is there for publicly funded and has no need to 'make money', however it is required to provide a service to its audience, this can be through entertaining, informing or educating. as a result the show needs to be accessible to a diverse audience and this is made more easily accessible to its audience through digital convergence. 

women's hour, a radio show has been digital converged with the website and app BBC sounds. as a result the show is not only accessible through radio but a wide range of platforms including the website and app. this website is an indicator the the modification of the BBC and their effort to maintain and attract new audience. due to an increase in platforms of streaming services such as Spotify, listeners area able to access not only music but podcasts at any time convenient to them. this can be more desirable to a modern audience, through BBC sounds women's hour and other shows are able to do this as well. providing a better and more efficient listening service that now feels personalised to the audience as they have more control over what they listen to. this modification to the distribution and circulation of the product overall provides a better service and attracts a larger audience. 

women's hour can easily be accessed through BBC sounds, an online website and app available on smart phones or computers. this website meets the needs of its audience through the variety of brand identities in each station broadly targeting a different audience demographic. this variety then attracts a wide range of audiences, those who may use the app for mainstream shows such as BBC radio on may then be introduced to more niche shows such as women's hour. 

the show is also no longer reliant on recording during certain hours, when the show relied on a limited audience as of 2015 it was only broadcast at 11pm. this made it hard to access for a large audience, through new forms of distribution, the show can be recorded and produced and then posted to be accessed at any time, increasing its audience. this format also makes the show more appealing to audiences as they have control over the subject matter being discussed as they can pick an episode they want to suit their needs. 

in conclusion through digital convergence of listening platforms including the radio, online and the app, women's hour is more easily accessible by its audience 

how does this product and its marketing target its target audience? (12 marks)

women's hour targets its audience through its niche narrative and ideologies, targeting women problems through an exclusive radio show dedicated to women. this show does not include men or voice their opinion, through this it only allowing for a woman's perspective. 

women's hour has a niche audience- the topics within the show target its audience through stereotypically famine issues and topics of discussion such as make up and 'hygge'. these topics centred around the home and appearances, focusing on an older age group as its assumes the audience is home orientated i.e. they are old enough and have enough money to afford their own home and value its importance as a sense of comfort. this creates an audience that would at least be 30+, this is further anchored through the use of lexis by the shows guests and host, reflecting a feminist ideology through topics such as the patriarchy. 

women's hour is no longer just on the radio, through a wider distribution and circulation of the product as a result of digital convergence the radio show is accessible to a larger audience. this can be seen in the website and app BBC sounds where the show can be accessed at any time by a large audience. the audience is also not limited to certain radio stations, as all shows are available, introducing a new audience that may not have been previously aware of the niche show.  

as demonstrated in Shirky's theory, media consumers have now become producers as they 'speak back' to the media, this can be in various ways as they consume and create media sharing it. this can be seen when the audiences of women's hour post about the show and share their opinions about the show. creating their own branch and dialog within the product through hashtags and calling into the show. this has impacted how the show is reached by its audience and how the audiences uses the product. this is due to advance in technology and digital convergence which allow the product to be accessed by a larger audience and by digitalizing and making it easily accessible on the internet this make's it easier to share on social media platforms, allowing the audience to further interact with the show. this is important to allow the audience to have a voice as the shows purpose and ideologies is to give women a voice for their problems and a safe space to feel heard. these platform also allow audiences to negotiate the ideological perspectives of the product as suggested by Stuart hall, the show can then be seen through either the preferred or oppositional reading, however a variety of perspectives on the show can then be accessed that may not be heard on the show itself. 

in conclusion, through the use of digital convergence and a wider accessibility through the internet allows women's hour to be reached by a larger audience who can access the how at any time. the choice of topics discussed and guests invited them further anchor the type of audience the show attracts, being cantered around women's problems.