Reference to two South African examples Essay

In at least(prenominal) unitary point in the day, every-one makes themselves tuned into one direct station or a nonher, be it receiving commit or television Be it for diversion, slakeation, to be in organise or merely a means of escapism. For whichever reasons it is, tuner and television turning period an active role in our everyday breeding whether we argon aw atomic number 18 of it or non. Using South Afri preempt examples, this date seeks to discuss two tuner and two television genres. It is virtually unrealizable to discuss the issue genre before defining this term. Both the Oxford dictionary as well as Creeber (2001), defines genre as type or kind.Genres allow for the types or kinds of things to be categorised. For example in wireless set broadcasting, thither are various variant programs airy, such as mouth visualises, harmony shows, news broadcasts, drama shows and so on. Each of these shows are categorised into a p deviceicular genre ground on thei r characteristics. The two radio genres that will be discussed are express shows and euphony shows. The phenomenon of genre is not exclusive to radio and television alone. In feature according to Greeber, it genre has play an important role in the study of literature, theatre, film, television and other art and media forms (Creeber, G 2001 pg.1). Radio-Talk Genre Radio stations like SAFM and 702 are to a greater extent or less entirely dedicated to the genre of clack show however to the highest degree every radio station incorporates this genre if not at least for a few minutes. The success of berate shows lie in confederacy by the adduce. The listening is urged to call into the radio station and each enamor their scene on the government issue of discussion or pose questions to either an officiator or a panel. On SAFM for example, there was a program authorize The Life and Times of Dr. Bayers Nordea. The show was as the title implies, discussing and talking or so Dr.Nordeas life. The show hosted family, colleagues and booster stations, who spoke about his life. Listeners likewise got the opportunity to add their comments, thoughts, as well as pose headways to the panel. The show was also officiated by the host or disk jockey (D. J) of the show, who not only directed more or less of the discussion, but also made sure that the show, ran smoothly. The nature of talk shows is such that the audience phones in either agreeing or disagreeing to the topic or question macrocosm discussed.This opens the door for others to portion their opinions. According to Barnard (2000), phone-in encourages a free track d cause of opinion and conversation within the safety of an artificially created community (Barnard, S 2000). With out this element, the talk show would be deemed unsuccessful. Talk shows do not follow a particular protocol, meaning that any topic can be addressed. The mere action of a D. J. posing a question relating to any topic and recei ving feedback from the audience constitutes the genre of talk show to be exercised. As any topic makes way for talk shows, it is common to take a chance small inserts of talk show, even within a primarily medication radio station.Highfeld Stereo is an example of a South African music radio station. It is common to find a situation where a D. J. poses a question and opens the lines to receive feedback. The D. J is hence officiating a talk show, within a music show. Listeners of talk shows however, are required to turn on the discussion if they are to understand what is being discussed, thus ones slangfulness cannot divert from one thing to another. For example, one cannot talk to a friend on the phone, as well as remain focused on the discussion. Radio-Music Genre.Although there is audience participation in the music genre, it differs from that of the talk genre. Regarding music radio, the audience is urged to call in to send dedications to friends or loved ones, prefer forms they wish to hear, or vote for their favourite song alternatively than voice their opinions on a matter. Music as a genre is not so clear-cut like talk shows. Within the music genres, there are sub-genres, where by music is categorised according to style. Rock, rave, hip-hop and pouch would all be examples of sub-genres of the music genre.The music genre requires less wariness from the listener to be focused on the show. Namely, the listener can do various other activities without loosing out on the entertainment. For example, while driving a car and focusing on the road, or while working at ones desk, one can refer to listen to his or her favourite song and not be side tracked. Unlike the talk genre where if one was driving a car and focusing on the road they would more than likely loose track of what was being discussed-alternatively, they would possibly have an accident. As the genre implies, the emphasis in music shows is in fact music. so it is common to find very little t alking by the D. J. and more music being played. The show usually consists of popular songs in the peculiar(prenominal) sub-genre being aired. This genre also usually has a top 40 show, where the 40 most popular songs are aired. This is commonly known as contempory hit radio (Tomaselli/de Villiers 1998). 5FM radio station for example has the Coca-Cola Top 40 music show which is aired every Sunday morning from 1000- 1400. Other radio stations like East glide Radio host the Top 10 at 10 show, which aerate the 10 most popular songs every Tuesday night at 2200.These songs which make it onto the top 10 or top 40 lists, are songs which have been voted for by the public. Jacaranda FM in contrast to the mainstream radio stations of say 5FM for example would air music of a different sub-genre, however one would still find the most popular tracks of that peculiar(prenominal) sub-genre being aired, as well as top 10 shows occurring. In the music genre, the D. Js primary job is to play musi c and possible talk a little bit about the artist of the track, earlier than being an officiator or a mediator of discussion, as is found in talk radio. Television-Documentary Genre.As the term documentary implies, these shows are usually fact based and require research to be done on the particular topic being showed. Events are documented by a team of researchers and aired to the public. An example of a documentary would be found in the SABC 2 show 50/50. This is a documentary program that focuses on various aspects of the wild life. Documentaries however could focus on a kind of topics, including an event, person or idea. As the emphasis of documentaries is on information, enlightenment and facts, informants usually watch documentaries as a means of being informed, kinda than being entertained.The nature of documentaries is such that each episode is fully formed and has a definite conclusion even if left as an enquiry for the peach to think about what they have just viewed. This allows the viewer to respect their knowledge of the topic against that of the show. Documentaries are also not usually in series(p) form, as would be the case in a sitcom for example. Rather, they incline to be self-contained episodes with definite endings. Documentaries usually also adopt a narrative structure & psychological relationship of the viewing audience to the program.The viewer is practically addressed directly, in array to persuade the actual person observation at home that he or she is the you to whom the addresser is speaking (Allen,C 1992 pg. 118). This also keeps the viewer interested in the show as well making them tactile sensation as if they actively involved in what is going on. Due to the fact that documentaries are not entertainment focused and are rather a means of transferring information, events, people or animals being documented are envisioned as graphically as possible.Animals, which are filmed in the 50/50 program, for example are filmed i n their natural environments, rather than in zoos, in order to give the viewer the most realistic experience. As they are based on real occurrences, documentaries, unlike entertainment programmes such as sitcoms, do not focus as much(prenominal) on a specific plot. Television-Soap Opera As slime operas were originally targeted at the female audience (Brown, M 1994), it is not surprising to find that many of the central characters within this genre are women.More importantly, they are strong, powerful and influential characters, rather than the stereotype housewife women. SABC 3 pose the grievous bodily harm opera Isidingo. Charel de Villiers and Leigh Haynes are two examples of strong, powerful and ambitious characters that play central roles in the show. It is important for these kinds of characters to exist, in order for the audience to which the show is targeted at to be able to relate. They women recognise some of there own identity in this product created by the media (Brow n, M 1994). People watch soap operas for a number of reasons.The fact that they are entertaining, allows the viewer to unwind, relax or escape from the stresses from every day life, for the duration of the show, as the audience get lost in the humankind of the program (Anderson, M 2004). viewers could also be using the decision-making techniques and outcomes of the soap opera to work by means of their own issues (Anderson, M 2004). Isidingo is an example of a program that deals with AIDS-an issue that the whole of South Africa is facing it also provides solutions in the form of Nandipe-a married women septic with human immunodeficiency virus.Her positive attitude allows her to live a productive life. Viewers may see Nandipe as a role model. Those viewers infected with HIV may in fact even echo her actions in order to try and increase productivity in their own lives. Characters in soap operas are usually found in the form of multiple characters (Brown, M 1994) meaning that chara cters emphasize the group over the individual (Brown, M 1994 pg 53), thus many people can relate to one specific character.This also makes way for viewers to find similarities amid themselves and various other characters rather than one particular character. Brown believes that rather than relating to characters in soap operas, viewers implicate themselves to various characters, meaning that the viewer will see similarities between a particular character, or even characters, but when the character acts in a way that the viewer does not agree with, or feel comfortable with, the viewer will distance him or herself from the character (Brown, M 1994).Soap operas adopt a visualization style, which gets the viewer to focus and come in with a specific character (Brown, M 1994 pg. 53). On a radio talk show for example, a TV viewer called in with the opinion that the Isidingo villianess, Cherel de Villiers should be punished, as if the viewer could not differentiate between reality & fict ion. (Anderson, M 2004). Apparently actors who play villainous characters are shunned offset by the public (Anderson, M 2004).It is not only the relatable characters and entertaining style of soap operas that keep the audience hooked. It is also the continuous open-ended nature of episodes, set in the present and containing a number of alternating story lines which gives the audience sense of continuous merriment (Brown, M 1994, pg. 58). The fact that soap operas resists narrative closure, meaning that the story is continuous and never ending, means there is endlessly hope for the future (Anderson, M 2004).Thus viewers will continue to watch future episodes in order to come closer to visual perception what will happen at the end (which never really comes). prank Davies (1984) suggests about soap opera viewers that once hooked, they oscillate between their need to know, or the pleasure of anticipation that keeps viewers watch (Brown, M 1994). In discussing two radio and two tele vision genres with reference to two South African examples, it is evident that the complexities and intricacies of various broadcasts and genres are not as simple as one would imagine.As seen above, various genres and broadcasts shit in different audiences, and evoke various different responses in the viewer or listener. As technology continues to move forward, where will these broadcasts find themselves in the future? For now though, radio and television will continue to play an active part in almost all of our lives.BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, Robert C. 1992. Televisions modes of address & the social context of T. V. viewing. In Channels of Discourse, reassembled. 2nd ed. Edited by Robert C. Allen. capital of the United Kingdom Routledge.Anderson, Muff. Soapies mirror SAs soul. Mail & Guardian. 24 March 2004. Barnard, S. 2000. Studying Radio. unexampled York Arnold Hodder. Brown, Mary Ellen. 1994. Ch. 3 Soap opera and womens talk The pleasure of resistance. Thousand Oaks Sage. Creeber, G. (ed. ). 2001. Introduction What is genre? In Creeber, G (ed),The television genre book. London British Film Institute, 1-7. Teer-Tomaselli, R and de Villiers, C. 1998. Radio Theatre of the Mind. In De Beer, A (ed). Mass media toward the Millennium. Pretoria Van Schaik, 147-175.