George the Poet is an award-winning rapper and presenter of the podcast
on BBC Radio 5 Live
not a conventionally scheduled radio show - it is a recorded in chapters and released on BBC Sounds
each episode focuses on a particular theme relevant to its young, diverse, educated audience
acclaimed for its engaging mix of drama, music and poetry and intelligent discussion of social issues
in 2019, it won the prestigious Peabody Award and it was the first podcast to win outside of the USA
Historical Context
the BBC is often accused by its critics of being too white and middle class
in 2021, the BBC launched a Diversity and Inclusion Plan where they had a 50:20:12 target, with 50% of the workforce to be women, 20% people of colour and 12% disabled
the BBC remits to inform, educate and entertain - do they do this with Have You Heard George's Podcast
the BBC are funded by a license fee
Have You Heard George's Podcast? - Audience
target audience is 25 - 45, educated, ethnically diverse people
educated audiences will be engaged by the mix of poetry, politics, culture and philosophical ideas
within his podcast, he uses a variety of modern slang including street dialects which would help to engage young audiences
he focuses on issues that are relatable to black and other ethnic minority audiences
e.g Grenfell Tower fire
episodes predominantly focus on issues relating to black communities and culture to offer audiences relatable content
won a Peabody award in 2019, which will engage listeners looking for a celebrated culturally renowned content
George the Poet is a London-born spoken word performer of Ugandan heritage
his innovative brand of musical poetry has won him critical acclaim both as a recording artist and social commentator
he engages audiences who are also young, black males, interested in spoken word
they may see him as a role model
he attended Cambridge University and this might draw in educated middle to upper class audiences
he challenges traditional negative stereotypes of young black men, and many listeners would enjoy this unconventional more complex representation
predominantly black artists music is included in the podcast to add entertainment and further target modern black audiences
reasonably short episodes of approx 25 minutes reflects shorter attention span of many people
podcast format offers audiences flexibility of when, where and how to access it
as podcasts are pre-recorded rather than live, there are very few opportunities for active audiences to interact
their very basic forum 'Common Ground' allows audiences to discuss topics from the show and contribute their own thoughts
BBC Radio 5 has a mostly male, mostly white, mostly over 40 audience
the podcast has a younger audience from a different ethnic background
could be an attempt by the BBC to broaden and expand their listener base to secure their future
his podcasts often feature his mum, his brothers, nephews and wife, which make him seem relatable to listeners and family friendly
he features guests from a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds to engage diverse audiences
Sophia Thakur is Indian, Gambian and Sri Lankan
Jade Alleyne is a British mixed race actress with heritage from Barbados
Henry Stone is a black British poet
appeals to audiences who often feel black ethnicity is underrepresented in the media
the combination of guests, music, poetry and discussions will be entertaining for many as well as highly educational
clips from or references to other media products make the podcast feel fun and interesting
referencing content from the 1980s and 1990s might suggest they are targeting audiences up to 45 years of age
Have You Heard George's Podcast? - Industry
the BBC is a public service broadcaster
must inform, educate and entertain
in Have You Heard George's Podcast, there is a lot of informative and educational content about politics, culture, history, etc
they fulfil the entertainment aspect of their remit with the show with the use of music, guests, drama and clips
the BBC is funded by public license fees so doesn't need to target mass audiences to please any advertisers
this means the BBC can take more risks and make niche content for specialised audiences
the show could be considered as risky/niche as it is a radio podcast aimed at educated youngish audiences particularly from black backgrounds
may have made the podcast appealing for the BBC as it would add some diversity
BBC Radio 5 has an audience that is mostly male, over 40 and mostly white middle class
this podcast could be an attempt by the BBC to draw in more diverse broad audiences to Radio 5
reflects companies efforts to stay relevant as radio listenership in general is declining
although episodes are themed, they still feature unusual mixes of poetry, discussion, music and dramatised scenes
the episode 'Flying the Flag' covers a wide variety of topics from celebrities to the economy
the producers may have given full creative control to George due to his previous success in poetry and music
he could attract presold fans of his and engage young black audiences
he has a reputation for focusing on social and political issues
the low production costs would appeal to the BBC even though they are a wealthy organisation
the podcast has access to a range of the BBC's facilities and resources to help with production
they regularly use the BBC Concert Orchestra to record music for the podcast
they also source clips and other material from the BBC's extensive archives of old shows, documentaries and films
the podcast is available on BBC Sounds reflecting the trend for audiences using technology and wanting media on demand
as the show is a podcast on demand they don't have to consider the watershed, and can include more adult themes and language
the BBC add content warnings on to the episode descriptions to help warn audiences
the availability online of podcasts reflects growing difficulties of regulating content in an online age
the BBC take care to self-regulate a lot of their content to ensure it isn't too offensive
the podcasts success is evident in the number of prestigious industry awards it has won
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