Stuart Hall- Audience Theory

Stuart Hall- Audience Theory

Preferred reading:How the producer wants the audience to view the media text. Audience members will take this position if the messages are clear and if the audience member is the same age and culture; if it has an easy to follow narrative and if it deals with themes that are relevant to the audience.

Negotiated reading:This is when a member of the audience partly agrees with part of the product. e.g Film, documentary, TV programme. Oppositional Reading – This is when the audience are in complete disagreement with the product's message or setting.

Oppositional reading:When the audience rejects the preferred reading, and creates their own meaning for the text. This can happen if the media contains controversial themes that the audience member disagrees with.

LNWH Virginity And The Pill

What audience is this targeting? 
This radio show is aimed at young people because all of the discussions are based around them, their thoughts and their knowledge and feelings behind sex and the pill.

What is the primary/secondary audience?
I think that the primary audience for this radio show is teenagers because the discussions are surrounded by them. I also think that the secondary audience could be the parents of these teenagers because they want to educate themselves on how teenagers minds work when it comes to sex.

How is it doing this? 
The radio show is able to make teenagers the primary audience because they maintain the focus of the discussions on the young adults. This makes teens feel included in the conversations, making them more likely to listen to the show and want to join in with the topics talked about on the show.

What is the dominant reading of this episode?
The dominant reading of his episode is that women are suffering because they have to take the pill and alter the chemical balance in their bodies in order to feel safe when they have sex. As well as this, the women feel angry that they have believed and followed the myths about sex and the pill all of their lives and they have suffered in pain because of it.

What would be a preferred reading to this episode? 
The preferred reading of this or what the producer wants the audience to take away is that women don't like having to change the chemicals inside heir bodies in order to "make it easy when it comes to sex". As well as this, the women on the show want the audience to understand how angry they feel that they have been lied to for years because of myths created by the catholic church. 

What type of audiences would agree with the dominant ideology and messages within the show and why?

I think that many women in their 30's and 40's would agree with the dominant ideology because they have experienced similar feeling towards to pill and sex.

What would be an oppositional reading of this text? What examples can you give. 
The oppositional reading of this episode could be that women do not suffer from taking the pill and that if they want to feel safe when having sex then they will have to deal with the side effects from the pill.

What would be a male response to this show? Why? 
I think that a male response to this show would be heavily divided with some men agreeing with the dominant ideology that women suffer on the pill and men should do more to make both themselves and their partner feel safe when having sex. While others would say that women can't have the best of both worlds and can either "suffer" on the pill and feel safe to have sex or not take the pill and risk becoming pregnant.

Do you think the lack of male representation in the text would detract male listeners? 

I do think that the lack of male representation in both hosts and topics that are discussed would detract male listeners. This is because the issues that are talked about during the show do not directly effect men, therefore making them less interested by the episode.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/aug/21/lauren-laverne-radio-4-late-night-womans-hour-bbc


What possible oppositional/preferred readings of the text does the article raise?
I think that the tone and straight forward delivery presented by the females hosts is refreshing for some younger listeners because it is rare that phrases such as "Fuck" and “self-lubricating anuses”. however it can be said that an oder audience would find this language shocking and think that it should not be used on these radio shows even if it is broadcasted at 11pm.