The Archers is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 7.02pm Sunday to Friday, repeated at 2.02pm the next day (excluding Saturdays) with the omnibus edition of the whole week's episodes every Sunday at 10am.
Technology used
The technology being used is a podcast. A podcast is a series of digital-media files, which can be downloaded and played back on either computers or mp3 players. You can either directly download from a website or online stream the podcast. You can subscribe to podcasts and have the newest edition automatically downloaded to your computer.
The Media being used
Podcasts work by using RSS feeds, direct file downloads and mp3 files.
Podcasts are being used by the audience to download their favourite radio programmes, comedy hours amongst other things. They are replacing radio listening because the audience can now listen to the programme whenever they want, wherever they want, rather than having to tune in to the radio and have reception. It provides them with more flexibility.
The main target audience is people who regularly listen to a particular radio show, in this case the Archers, a story about rural life in the UK. The people who would listen to The Archers are people who enjoy dramas, particularly those which are different from the mainstream ones in some way - The Archers is set about a family and their local community in an English countryside village. People who listen to The Archers are either people interested in rural life, people who live in a village and like the similarities/differences to their lives, or people who just enjoy the gossiping side of the drama.
The benefits of using the podcasts for the audience is the flexibility it offers their consumption of the media. Previously they would have had to tune in at a set time, and if they missed an episode for some reason there wouldn’t have been an opportunity to catch up. With the website and the podcast however they can subscribe to download it to their computer, meaning they do not have to remember to listen to each show, it is automatically downloaded. This gives them greater flexibility in their consumption.
Audience's used to have to sit by the radio and listen to the program everyday at the appointed time, or listen to the omnibus on Sunday, but now they have more freedom in what time they listen as well as the technology that they listen to it with. The Archers is available on the TV via Radio 4's channel, on the internet via online streaming, in a podcast and is now internationally available in places such as Continental Europe and in areas with British Forces Broadcasting stations as well such as Germany and Cyprus.
Institutions
The BBC is behind the Archer’s podcast, which is hosted on their website.
They use the podcasts as a way of encouraging more regular listeners. If the audience don’t have to tune in to each airing of the programming, but can instead download it directly to their computer they are more likely to listen to it on a regular basis, resulting in higher ratings for the BBC as well as a better service for the audience.
The use of podcasts allows the BBC to distribute their programme more effectively to a wider number of listeners who possibly couldn’t listen before due to the time.
Key concepts
The key concepts which have made podcasts so successful are non-linear, immediacy, portability, miniaturisation and time-shift.
Non-linear
The non-linear aspects of the podcast lie in the fact that you can consume it wherever and whenever you want. You no longer have to work around scheduling times, but instead can listen to it anywhere, even places where previously a radio programme couldn’t be listened to due to a lack of signal, such as the tube.
Immediacy
With the ability to subscribe to the podcast the audience has an immediate update when the new one is released. Meaning they don’t have to keep checking back on the website to see if a new one has been released. Again this just stops the audience having to fit their life around the programme.
Portability
The ability to put the podcast onto a mp3 player means that you can travel with your podcast, you no longer have to sit by the radio to listen to the programme. This again provides the audience with more freedom.
Miniaturisation
The creation of mp3 players means that it is possible to take podcasts anywhere with you.
Time-shift
The audience now have portability with the media and do not have time constraints because there is the flexibility of being able to listen to the podcast whenever they want, not just at the scheduled time.
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