Why You Love Your Radio Station

What radio station do you listen to? Are you a chart listener who is glued to BBC radio 1 every Sunday? Or do you prefer the more adult chat and pop you can hear from BBC radio 2? Is it BBC radio 4 whose stories you find yourself drawn to? Whatever your choice in radio you listen to it because the content appeals to you. Have you ever thought about how the broadcasters deliver the content? The way in which the presenters speak and use language is greatly important in radio broadcast. Would you like to listen to Alan Titchmarsh present the top 10?

 

According to the BBC service review in 2009 radio 1's main function is to appeal to a young audience. The review also states that "The primary aim of Radio 1's presenter speech in daytime is to entertain listeners." Whilst other stations have different aims and so use different types of speech. It is interesting to then note how these stations achieve their goals.

 

Sarah Thorne in her book 'Advanced English Language' talks about prosodic features in radio broadcast which is the use of pitch, volume, pace and rhythm to draw attention to key elements. In radio 1 lots of pitch change is used and the speed at which the presenters talk to create a lively personal feel connecting to a young audience. However radio 4 uses much more slowed down speech and less of a difference in pitch to seem more formal and so appeals to a more specific audience.

 

Another couple of interesting factors to consider when analysing radio speech is the formality of the speech; some presenters speak using a lot of colloquial slang whilst others make more formal lexical choices. Another factor is the grammar used and the dropping of some sounds from less formal stations.

 

Another interesting point is how do we all still feel connected to the presenters we know and love? If someone is talking to us in a formal way how come we are still able to create a strong bond with that person and also be entertained by what they have to say? If all radio stations were the same would we all still listen or would it only appeal to certain people? There used to be only a few radio stations and still hundreds of people sat in front of the wireless.

 

So next time you are sitting listening to the radio just think for a minute what it is that draws you to that station. Maybe try another and see if that language use appeals to you.

Jack Lewis-Edney

Sources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/regulatory_framework/service_licences/service_reviews/yar/yar_review.pdf

Advanced English Language – Sarah Thorne