Week 4 Production Planning:

The show ‘Is the Music Industry Sexist’ was an incredibly interesting and fulfilling show to be a part of. I, as a presenter alongside Grace Leonard, hoped to bring to light the engaging topic, whilst debating any possible information that came to us through packages and interview throughout the broadcast.

However, initial discussion for the shows content was very mixed. Simon, as our producer, felt strongly about covering music in some description, as he felt that many members of the group had a natural passion for the subject that could be utilised to develop a powerful show. We eventually, after a meeting with Dylan, decided that the idea of sexism in the industry would be a controversial and riveting topic to analyse.  The group had a few more meetings after this to check on details of packages and content for the show.

Week 4 Packages:

My personal production preparation was centered around my development of two packages, each focusing on a different strain of sexism within the local and international music industry. My interview with Lincolnshire based band manager and event coordinator Nicci Snook was an especially fascinating discussion. It covered an established name with the local world of music, known for her organisation and prowess with new and upcoming gigs, she had a slightly alternative angle to the views of sexism in the music industry, offering a more holistic opinion than others. She detailed her personal experiences, whilst giving advice to young females working within the industry.

My second package was an interview discussion with two young, budding singer songwriters Jade & Rowan, who attend a local music college. The talked about their personal problems from tutors, fellow students and general opinions of them as female singers and performers, discussing their own issues that they have endured and on-going struggles they’ve been a part of. This allowed the listener to understand the younger generation of opinions on the matter, whilst showing how artists and performers have to deal with the issue of sexism on a daily basis.

Week 4 Live Show:

I believe the show went incredibly well, mixing a variation of engaging discussion and light-hearted entertainment. Every member of the team worked hard to maintain this level of professionalism and listen-ability throughout the broadcast. My fellow presenter Grace Leonard did a fantastic job at discussing issues and questions raised by packages and interviews with me, keeping the listener involved in the conversation whilst keeping an open mind to new angles and thoughts as they arose.

Our producer Simon Nunn had a difficult role in keeping the show going and full of content, but I believe did a great job at this. He kept a level head whilst keeping us as a group on a path to finish the show. He led us well, gave us effective feedback and assistance when necessary and I feel could not have done a better job. Similarly, I feel Jack Kendrick as our BA kept good levels and understandings of the mix throughout the show. He fit his role well in controlling the audio as the broadcast continued. Jake Berry worked well on his packages, making high quality content for the listener, despite this being very close to not being finished for the live show.

I felt Robert Ellis did a good job in completing the OB for the show, but I felt he did very little else in the production stages of the show. I was also heavily disappointed in Joseph Healey, who sadly only turned up to the very first show meeting and the actual show’s broadcast, doing no actual production work or packages for the final show. This was a let down for the whole group who had to split extra responsibilities to make sure content was of significant quality for the listeners.

Week 4 Listener Engagement:

I would feel that the previously discussed younger target audience of Siren FM would have found this topic incredibly interesting to engage with and discuss amongst themselves. The show tackled themes of local sexism, whether targeted towards performers or management based roles, whilst also discussing gender attractions to certain types of instrumentation and finally looking at the international state of famous singers and songwriters, as well as their effect on sexist views. This would be highly captivating for the various listeners who would each have their own thoughts on the matter.