1. The document analyzes how a student radio news bulletin both follows and challenges conventions of radio news bulletins for their target younger audience. 2. It follows conventions like a serious tone for the newsreader and typical story structure, but challenges conventions like having a longer 4 minute runtime instead of the typical 3 minutes. 3. It also challenges conventions by including more entertainment news and using techniques like introductions, dates/times, and an outside broadcast that are less common for older audiences but fit their younger target audience.

1. Waysour media productuses, develops or challengesforms and conventions of
real media products
Through our investigations, we discovered the most common conventions within a
generalised radio news bulletin. Some that we found crucial, we followed to sound more
professional and legitimate, however some were challenged or adapted to fit with our
target audience.
We followed the formality of the newsreader, involving a serious tone and lack of humour.
All bulletins have this – no matter the target audience – and it makes the bulletin more
ambiguous and respectful.
We also follow the typical structure of the majority of bulletins. The most important –
usually breaking – news is first and the less important, usually involving something of leisure
and entertainment, come last. However, since our target audience was of the younger
generation this was adapted slightly. We did follow this structure but entertainment based
stories towards the end took up the largest chunk of time. It still came last, but did not
follow the convention of usually keeping this side of the news minimal. Our research proved
that our focus on these particular areas was more popular for our target audience, which
shaped our decision.
As any bulletin does, we included clips with a variety to give more detail and to involve the
audience more for added appeal. Usually stations have an average of 5 minutes to fit in all
important stories. However, we discovered that stations like Radio 1, Capital and others
that fit into this genre had a shorter bulletin usually of about 3 minutes. Our original
decision was to stay with this convention for a younger audience but after further discussion
we felt that listening back to our bulletin felt quite short and abrupt. This is when we
decided to challenge the convention and aimfor 4 minutes because it was still short but we
could show our full potential with a longer bulletin and give more detail to take the edge off
of the more hard-hitting stories. In this allotted time, the expected amount of stories is 6 –
8. We made the decision to have seven. With our news update included on the end, we felt
that eight would be too many and would not fit with our target audience because it may
become boring. However, previously having six felt too short so our end result of seven
seemed the most appropriate.
With a more informal convention, we decided to introduce our newsreader. Though this is
common in stations with a similar target audience to our own, we found that it was not as
common within those of an older audience. We also introduce the date and time, popular in
our survey. It introduces the news with a less serious edge to make it more attractive to a
younger audience so that they will be more inclined to pay attention. The date and time
seems efficient. We added it not only because it was popular but also because it could just
be a helpful reminder, it again added a friendlier attitude. We end the bulletin with the
same idea. We gave contact details, which we also discussed as a popular convention
amongst radio bulletins like our own. It ends with the reminder that our station is up-to-
date and relatable to the younger audience and draws back the attention. It again gives a

2. more casual attitude and aids the alteration between the more serious bulletin to a more
casual station.
Stations usually have an allotted time for each bulletin. Doing only one was hard to prove
that we had a pattern but beginning with the time – twelve o’clock – and ending ‘we’ll be
back at one o’clock’ indicates that we have chosen to have an hourly bulletin. Most stations
have this with exception of a few that had them more frequently. However, news is
generally not popular amongst the younger generation so we decided against having it more
than necessary.
We challenged/avoided some of the conventions. Partially the shorter timing, for example.
We decided to include the weather update after further thought because our research
showed it to be popular. However, we did not include travel. A lot of younger people can be
assumed to not have the ability to drive. Those at the top of our target audience however,
will. Since our station is local to the Isle of Wight, traffic is not as important because we
have no busy motorways or extreme necessity for this type of story. We did notice, though,
that Isle of Wight radio does include traffic/accident updates so perhaps if we were to do
the bulletin again we may have included it.
Clip conventions
‘Copy stories’ are often in bulletins, especially those we focus on for our target audience.
They keep the bulletin short or are used when there is no extra detail needed/there has not
been any received or if the story is not as important. We noticed this theme of copy stories
a little in our stations but even less in stations aimed at the older audience. We chose to do
a copy story for sport and technology. This was to give variation to the bulletin and make it
more interesting. However, it was more because sport was not very popular in our research
and that we hadn’t asked about technology in our surveys so we were unsure of the
popularity. These stories lacked information and were of least interest which is why we
decided to keep them as copy stories.
We did ‘cue and cuts’ often. We noticed that this was a broad convention over all bulletins
to give extra detail and more interest. Though it wasn’t especially in bulletins for our
audience because all we listened to included them, it was important that we followed it.
Another common theme was the ‘voice piece.’ This was not as often in bulletins aimed at
the younger audience. The idea seemed boring and unnecessary and did not fit our target at
all. This is why we decided not to include any. Similarly, this is why no ‘two ways’ were
involved in our bulletin. Discussions are not as important amongst young people and we
wanted to keep our bulletin short and interesting.
However, we did include a large ‘vox pop.’ This felt more interesting to get opinions from
the public instead of a journalist. We felt it broke up the bulletin and took it away from the
more serious feel of the news. It related to the audience with us asking younger people
about festivals which were more interesting for younger people to attend. Tying with this,
we had an ‘O.B.’ This outside broadcast served the same reason, taking the audience out of
the studio and in a more interesting environment. However, this challenged conventions

3. because we noticed that ‘O.B’s’ were not popular in a lot of bulletins, especially those with
our target audience.
We included a bed, a common convention amongst stations with our target audience, to
keep it more upbeat and interesting, taking pressure off of the serious bulletin. We did not
include a stab, despite it being a convention, because it did not sound right with our
bulletin. However, if it had we would’ve used one because it breaks up the stories, shows
change and draws in the attention of listeners.
Ways it follows rules
1. We used contractions. It was a more casual, relatable bulletin for the younger
audience and it took away the serious edge to give the bulletin more appeal.
2. We ensured to say all vital parts of the story (who, what, when, how etc.) necessary
to the story, especially in those larger and more complex.
3. We kept it simple. Short, simple sentences for ambiguity so anyone can understand
the basis of the story without having to put in too much effort. It makes the bulletin
easier to listen to and more appealing.
4. We followed the correct amount of lines – 4 for a cue, 3 for a copy – and tried to
stick to it closely. This ensures the stories are kept short and interesting and that the
correct amount of detail necessary is given.
5. We did not write the numbers in letters. Though this was a convention, we did not
include it. After practicing we realised our mistake but it did not seemto be a
problem so it wasn’t changed and the bulletin still sounded the same.
6. We ensured we gave all necessary information to understand the story.
7. We made sure not to repeat what was in the cue, because the cue gave extra
information that the prelude did not. Repetition is unprofessional and boring.
8. We wrote phonetically for names/words with pronunciation in our script so our
reader was accurate and it was easier to read.
9. Rounding up statistics. We did not have statistics to round, however, if we did we
would’ve rounded them for quick listening and ambiguity.
10. We specified the time of day (EG evening.) Listeners expect the news to be recent so
saying ‘today’ is too broad. It makes the story more important if it has a time very
recent and the time could be important to the story.
11. We challenged the convention of not using quotations. Though it is meant to be only
in a clip, we felt that when we used one – during the sport – it was vital because it
was a copy story and it was supposed to be short. Sport was not popular enough to
have a clip and we felt that not having one fit with our research and our target
audience.
12. We avoided abbreviations for ambiguity.
13. We practiced thoroughly so that our reading could be perfect and that all our
bulletin made sense.