MEDIA STUDIES
INTRODUCTORY UNIT
KEY ASPECT 5: AUDIENCE
WHAT IS AN AUDIENCE?
The word ‘audience’ comes from Latin and literally means ‘the act of hearing’. So, in
times before visual media like television and cinema, audiences simply listened to
performers. There was nothing spectacular to look at, only singers standing on stage
and musicians sitting with their instruments. Certainly the theatre was a more visual
medium but, until the Victorian ‘Music Hall’ of the nineteenth century became
popular, audiences were mainly ‘listeners’.
As time passed, the term ‘audience’ became the accepted way of describing any group
of people who used any of their senses to appreciate any kind of entertainment. In the
modern world of the media, audiences listen to radio and live concerts, listen to and
watch television and cinema, read books and magazines, and so on. Our senses allow
us to appreciate a wide and ever-growing range of media, and new interactive
technologies allow us to participate in media texts. Even advertisers regard potential
consumers as audiences: audiences to be ‘targeted’.
A TARGET AUDIENCE:
Every media text has several different audiences (we’ll learn more about that later.)
However the first and most important audience for a text is known as the Target
Audience. The text-producers identify a target audience for their texts – for virtually
every media text, in every medium and in every genre. That one fact gives a clear
idea of how important it is to the success or failure of a media product. So we need to
be absolutely sure what is meant by the target audience.
In order to make this concept of target audience easier to understand, we will consider
it in the context of one medium: television. However please keep in mind that target
audiences are used by all media texts.
Even the very best television programmes (or films, magazines, posters, adverts, web
pages or whatever) cannot please everyone. Text-producers would be delighted if the
programme was so good the whole world watched it – but that’s not realistic. Look at
the examples on the next page.
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
It doesn’t matter how hard programme-makers try to spice up a programme
about gardening, most teenagers will not watch it. Would you?

In the same way, very few senior citizens will watch MTV (Music Television)
because it plays mainly current chart and alternative music.

An advert for “Kellog’s” cornflakes will be designed in a fun, exciting way to
appeal to small children. On the other hand, an advert for muesli will
probably promote a fit and healthy lifestyle – because the target audience is
likely to be adults, mainly women, who are conscious of their health.
So the producers of any programme must try to identify the type of people who are
most likely to watch the programme, even before the first episode is made, and this
process will continue throughout the series. This group of people – the likely or
targeted viewers – become known as the ‘target audience’.
A target audience may be identified and categorised in many different ways. The
spidergram below shows the principal aspects which are used to determine a target
audience for a product or text.
Age group
Marital status
Hobbies
Gender
Social class
AUDIENCE
Interests
Intelligence
Lifestyle
So, as you can see, there are many ways to identify a target audience. The important
factor is that they have a common interest in this type of text.
DESIGNING THE TEXT:
Once the target audience has been identified, the text can be designed to provide
the maximum pleasure, interest, information or whatever. The text (or parts of
it) must contain representations that interest the audience. Thus the programme
is designed to “target” the largest number of possible viewers (the target
audience).
Media Studies – Intermediate 2 and Higher – Pupil Notes – Key Aspect 5 (Audience)
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THE TARGET AUDIENCE FOR A “TEEN MAG”
The picture below is the cover of an issue of “Cosmo Girl” – a junior version of
“Cosmopolitan” magazine, targeted at teenage girls. It’s fairly easy to identify the
target audience for this text, so it’s a good place to start. However it’s not enough to
simply identify the target audience – you must also justify your decisions by giving
evidence from the text. So let’s give it a go!
“COSMO GIRL”:
Target Audience
Gender: Female because of title of the
magazine; the articles on fashion; good
looking young guys; personal issues;
handsome male celebrity on the cover.
Age Group:
14 to 17 years because of the age of the
handsome teen celebrity; articles on text
messages, spot free, romance without
sex and My mate died on our school trip
(all suggest a youngish age group.)
Social Class
No evidence to identify social class but
we can assume that the target group has
some disposable income (free spending
money) because of the articles on fashion, beauty tips and the Win a shop-like-a-star
spending spree.
Intelligence: The language is informal, friendly, chatty yet intelligent; articles on
personal issues show self-awareness/ self-improvement; also some heavy issues like
Abuse made me cut myself.
Lifestyle: Probably at school though some may be at college (school trip); into guys
and dating (lots of evidence); cares about personal appearance (Beauty Tips etc.),
shopping, texting (20 Cringiest Texts), concerned about important teen issues (articles
on self-harming, Tears of burning acid, My mate died and Can’t remember first time I
had sex).
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FROM TARGET AUDIENCE TO PRODUCTION
The producers must make sure that a new television series (or any kind of media text)
will satisfy their target audience. This is done by making the audience feel
comfortable with the product, by giving a promise of pleasure or satisfaction, by
establishing a tone and style that are familiar to them. In other words, viewers are
keen to watch a new series, as long as it appears to be similar to series they have
watched before – and liked, of course!
The audience must be able to identify with the characters and settings in a programme
by seeing something of themselves in them – or sometimes by wishing, perhaps
subconsciously, to be like them. For example:

The main characters may be honourable, brave, decent and kind – qualities
that the audience admires and wishes to share;

The setting for the series may be a working class, housing scheme or a middle
class estate – familiar and reassuring to viewers from those backgrounds;

The characters may have a wealthy, jet-set lifestyle with fancy cars and
beautiful clothes: something the audience desires;

Perhaps there are noble, selfless ideals in the programme: “Casualty” is often
promoting worthy, health causes; in “Crimewatch” the audience may identify
with shared concerns about crime, vandalism or law and order.
We are not interested in media texts with which we are unable to “identify.”
The POSITION of a new text:
A new series must conform to the conventions of its genre in order to attract viewers.
However that brings another problem. If it conforms exactly to conventions, it will
look and sound the same as previous ones. So why should anyone bother watching it?
“Seen it all before!” So the producers must give the series a fresh slant, a new twist,
in order to capture the viewers’ imagination. It has to find a new position in the
marketplace, in relation to similar texts.
The IDENTITY of a new text:
In the media, this fresh slant is called the identity of the product. “CSI (Crime Scene
Investigation)” is one of the top-watched programmes in the USA. Before it started,
CBS Television needed a new crime-drama series to compete with other ones on other
TV networks. The new series had to have a fresh identity. Market research had
shown that many viewers, particularly women, liked the medical/forensic aspects of
other shows – so the characters in “CSI” became not detectives or cops but civilian
scientists (criminalists as they were called). The new identity certainly worked.
Media Studies – Intermediate 2 and Higher – Pupil Notes – Key Aspect 5 (Audience)
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EXERCISE : IDENTIFY A TARGET AUDIENCE
Choose any media text and identify the target audience for the text.
1. What gender? (Male/ female/ both). Justify your answer with evidence from
the text.
2. What age range? (Children/ teenagers/ young adults/ middle-aged/ elderly).
Justify your conclusions with evidence from the text.
3. What level of intelligence and/or education? Justify your conclusions with
evidence from the text.
4. What kind of Lifestyle? (Occupation/ interests/ likes/ dislikes/hobbies). Not
all of these factors may be relevant. Justify your conclusions with evidence
from the text.
5. What do the advertisements tell us about the target audience? (If appropriate).
6. Explain how the viewers might “identify” with the main representation(s) in
the text. Justify your conclusions with reference to the text.
7. Identify one or two different audience reactions to the series (different groups
who may like or dislike the text). Justify your conclusions with reference to
the text.
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EXERCISE : THE POSITION AND IDENTITY OF A TEXT
Choose any media text, one that you know quite well, and explain its position in
relation to other, similar products. Answer the following questions.
Title of Text or Name of Product:
Medium and Genre:
1. How is the text (or product) positioned in relation to similar texts?
For example, an advertisement for a brand of perfume may emphasise how exclusive
or classy it is – worn only by the better class of woman (or those who aspire to be.)
2. What identity has been created for the text (or product)?
For example a magazine may highlight kitchen appliances like dishwashers, implying
that they are not luxuries but essential aids. For some families this may be true but,
in others, it is an unnecessary expense and less efficient than a rota of hand washing.
Nevertheless a “need” has been created and also an identity for the product.
3. Give one example of “Hard Sell” and one of “Soft Sell” advertising.
“Hard Sell” adverts are technical, informative and straightforward. They don’t dress
up adverts with fancy images because they are usually aimed at people with a special
interest e.g. computers, cars, hi-fi, fishing. “Soft Sell” involves a carefully designed
image, giving the product qualities like sexuality, romance, glamour or fun. There is
little or no information about the product. Give one example of “Hard Sell” and one
of “Soft Sell” – and give reasons for your choices.
4. Give an example of a Media Package you have seen and/or heard.
Give an example of a media text or product that has been advertised as part of a media
package. Remember to give details of the different media used.
5. What is Market Research?
Explain briefly what market research is (its purposes and its different forms.)
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OTHER AUDIENCES (not just the targeted one)
So far, we have concentrated on the target audiences for media texts. However it is
obvious that many different people consume a media text (in media terminology, the
word ‘consume’ means to use the text in any way – watch, listen, read or whatever.)
There are people who consume a text but don’t fit into the narrow categories that
make up a target audience. For example:

A programme like “Teletubbies” is targeted at very young children but there
are plenty of teenagers who watch it. Any ideas why they watch it?

Another children’s show, “The Magic Roundabout”, was first shown in the
late 1960s and, today, its repeats attract not only a new generation of children
but also teenagers (perhaps drawn to the cool, alternative image) and adults
(perhaps recalling their own childhood or youth in the ‘swinging sixties’.)

10% of all copies of “Cosmopolitan” are bought by men, even though the
target audience is obviously women. There are many reasons for men buying
it but, after extensive market research, the main one appears to be that it
provides discussion and advice about personal relationships – things that no
magazine aimed at men does. Some men want to relate better to their partners
so, unable to talk freely to other men, they try magazines like “Cosmopolitan”.

In recent years, Hollywood cinema has been recycling the past. There have
been re-makes of classic films like “Psycho” and “The Pink Panther”; sequels
(or prequels) like the “Star Wars” films; revivals of TV series like “Charlie’s
Angels” and “The Avengers”; big budget interpretations of comic book
superheroes such as “Spiderman”, “The Hulk” and “The X-Men”. They have
a broad audience appeal – attracting not only young people (drawn to the high
action spectacles) but also older age groups (drawn to the nostalgia of familiar
characters and a time when cinema catered better for their tastes.)

Jazz and Folk musicians have always revived classic songs, giving their own
individual interpretations. This has become increasingly common in Pop and
Rock music. Sometimes the new version is almost identical to the original.
Other times the song is given a fresh treatment, for example giving it a Rap
rhythm or a modern Dance Music beat. Again this widens the appeal of the
song – though older listeners may dislike the new treatment.
Okay, so these are a few examples of ‘other’ audiences. It is clear that every media
text attracts more people than just the target audience – but how do we identify them?
Unfortunately there is no simple formula to help identify other audiences (though the
criteria for a target audience will still help.) In the main though, we must use a little
commonsense and personal judgement. After all, to use a cliché, you don’t have to be
a rocket scientist to work out the ‘other audiences’ for the above examples.
Media Studies – Intermediate 2 and Higher – Pupil Notes – Key Aspect 5 (Audience)
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DIFFERENT AUDIENCE REACTIONS
As we have seen, there are other audiences for every media text – different from the
“target audiences”. So, when deconstructing (analysing) a media text, you must be
able to explain how different audiences react to the text – how and why they like the
text. Let’s look at a couple of examples in more detail.
In the 1960s, an animated series for
television, The Magic Roundabout, was
targeted at young children and it was
very popular with them. There is, of
course, a remake in the form of a bigbudget, cinema film, released in 2005.
The producers of the original series
were very surprised when they
discovered that many adults were
watching the programme – not just
Mums and Dads sitting down with their
wee kids, but also university students. It
became really “cool” for intelligent
young adults to discuss the latest
adventures of Dougal, Florence, Dylan,
Ermintrude and company, in between
lighter discussions about nuclear physics
and Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. It
may sound daft but it’s true (well, apart
from the Einstein theory.)
In a similar way, The Simpsons, has a
strong appeal for a wide age range. The
kids like it because it’s a cartoon, it’s
full of silly fun and action, and the
Simpson kids are always doing naughty
or outrageous things. However adults of
all ages like it too – because it has many
clever references to the absurdity of adult life (with families and at work), and also
mocks politicians, churchmen, lawyers, indeed every institution in society.
The producers of the sitcom, Friends, were also surprised by huge, unexpected, new
audiences – which resulted in massive, worldwide popularity. Originally the series
was targeted at a mid-teen to early-twenties market (they identified with the youthful
characters and the awkward, funny messes they got themselves into.) However, as it
turned out, many people of their parents’ and even grandparents’ generations liked the
programme too. They were drawn to the positive representation of young folk – nice,
decent, honest and a bit daft (maybe like they wanted their own kids to be) – and, in a
nostalgic way, it reminded them of their own young years.
Media Studies – Intermediate 2 and Higher – Pupil Notes – Key Aspect 5 (Audience)
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THE “PREFERRED READING”
As you learned earlier in the course, the reading of a text is how the audience
interprets the text – the precise meaning they take out of it. No matter how simple a
text seems, there are always different interpretations of it.
Consider two newspaper reports on the same subject – raising taxes from those who
earn large sums of money. The Daily Record (which supports the Labour Party)
present the report in a way that suggests this is an excellent idea, probably because
they believe that the rich should pay more in order to help the poor. In contrast, The
Sun (which supports the Conservative party in England) would make the idea seem
bad because they believe that, if the rich keep their money and spend it, the whole
economy will benefit. These different political ideologies mean that though the
information given by the two newspapers is the same, the reports will be given greatly
different treatments – so that the readers are drawn to the “preferred readings”.
So the Preferred Reading is the particular meaning that the text-producer (editor
of a newspaper, director of a film and so on) wants the audience to take out of
the text.
It’s easy to see how a preferred reading can be achieved in a political report – for
example, by using strong, emotive language. In a story about a contest to become the
leader of the Labour Party, one broadsheet newspaper (that sees itself as reasoning
and objective) carries the headline, Labour Leader Challenged. Another newspaper
(a right-wing tabloid) carries an emotive, biased headline: Loony Left Smashes Blair.
In another story – one about the terrible mistakes the SQA made with exam results in
2000 – a polite and informative headline read, Inquiry into SQA Exam Failure. In
another paper the headline was critical and insulting – The Big SQA Cock-up!
When it comes to other types of media texts, particularly works of fiction, it can be
more difficult to identify the preferred reading. However it is done all the time, often
using technical and cultural codes. Consider this scenario.
It’s the start of a drama programme on television and there is total blackness on the
screen. Not a sound can be heard. This lasts for thirty seconds – not a long time but
long enough to make the viewers feel uncomfortable. Something should be
happening! We’re not used to this nothingness. Then, suddenly, a flash of light
illuminates the screen, accompanied by a terrible noise that sounds something
between a scream and an explosion. We haven’t seen or heard anything that we can
interpret but already we’re caught. Our minds conjure bizarre and terrible events. We
wait expectantly, impatiently, desperate to know what’s going to happen next. And
whatever the director decides to show us next, we will follow eagerly. S/he has
started to direct us towards his/her preferred reading.
Media Studies – Intermediate 2 and Higher – Pupil Notes – Key Aspect 5 (Audience)
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ESSAY PLAN : Target Audience and Other Audiences
Remember to justify your answer with evidence from the text, at all times.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
1. Give the title of the text and the medium and genre. Also give any other
information that is relevant, for example, date and time of transmission,
production company, certification.
2. Identify the gender (male/ female/ both).
3. Identify the age range (children/ teenagers/ young adults/ middle-aged/
elderly).
4. Identify the level of intelligence and/or education.
5. Identify the lifestyle (occupation/ interests/ likes/ dislikes/ hobbies – only
those that are relevant.
6. Explain what do the advertisements and/or sponsors tell us about the target
audience – if there are adverts or sponsors.
7. Explain how the viewers might “identify” with the main representation(s).
OTHER AUDIENCES:
8. Identify at least one other audience for the text.
DIFFERENT AUDIENCE REACTIONS:
9. Identify at least one audience which would not like this text.
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EXAMPLE: ESSAY ON AUDIENCE
(Intermediate 2)
The target audience for “Carla’s Song” includes various groups. The “Glasgow Film Fund”
and “Scottish Film Production Fund” promote the making of films in Scotland – which will
appeal to a Scottish audience because of the characters or stories. “Carla’s Song” might
appeal quite widely in Scotland. Bobby Carlyle, who plays George, is a popular actor on
television in “Hamish McBeth” and also appeals to young people through his role in
“Trainspotting” (“Carla’s Song” was made before he starred in “The Full Monty”). The
use of Scottish accents and settings in the first half of the film might appeal
particularly to an audience in the West of Scotland.
Ken Loach films are very popular in France and other European countries. The target
audience is really people in the West who are interested in civil rights or films which are
not blockbusters. In Britain the film was shown in regional film centres and on ‘Channel
4’. The ‘Channel 4’ audience is supposed to be quite young and alternative, and the
characters in the film are like that.
The audience is not as wide or big as that for an American blockbuster but the filmmakers do want to appeal to a fairly wide audience.
The film is not targeted at an American audience. The Glasgow accents have been toned
down for the production. American audiences may also dislike the ways in which
Americans as represented as bullies and corrupt. The positive Americans in the field,
the “Witnesses for Peace”, might be thought of by some American audiences as
Communists even though they were supporting, for example, a Catholic priest. Some
people might think that the Contras were right to fight the Sandanistas.
This not what the film-makers think and the film is not aimed at people who would react
in that way.
The film was also shown in the Nicaraguan villages where it was shot. People packed into
small cinemas to see their own people on screen. For the film-makers, the Nicaraguans
were also a target audience. The film was also popular in Spanish-speaking countries.
This is an example of a fairly good essay response, at Intermediate 2 level, on the
single key aspect of Audience. It would be awarded a mid “C” pass at Int. 2.
Media Studies – Intermediate 2 and Higher – Pupil Notes – Key Aspect 5 (Audience)
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EXAMPLE: ESSAY ON AUDIENCE
(Higher)
In this essay, I will write about an episode of the 1970s crime-drama series, “Starsky
and Hutch”. The episode is entitled “Savage Sunday”. It is a crime-drama series,
produced in America and shown here in Britain originally on ITV, though it has been
repeated on various terrestrial and satellite channels. In the 1970s it was broadcast on
the 9.00 pm watershed as it was considered adult viewing because of the subject matter
and violence. Today it is shown at virtually any time of the day or evening.
In terms of gender, “Starsky and Hutch” appeals to both men and women. Men tend to
be drawn to the violent action scenes – fistfights, gun shoot-outs and high-speed car
chases – and also the “Buddy-Buddy” relationship between the two male leads (“Starsky
and Hutch” was the first major TV series to use this “buddy” formula and it proved so
successful that many other series copied it.) There are also many pretty young women
which would appeal to the male audience. The humorous banter between the leads also
has a male-orientated feel to it.
Female viewers probably like the action and speed too but they are also drawn to other
elements – the camaraderie between the two leads, their handsome good looks and witty
personalities, the sense of fun and caring that run through the episode. Some women
would find Starsky’s self-evident eye for the ladies appealing – those who didn’t like it
might prefer Hutch’s more restrained, personal and singular interest. In this text,
Starsky eyes every pretty woman, Hutch none (presumably waiting for “Miss Right”.)
In terms of age, the text was targeted at young age group (late teens to late twenties)
because of the youthful characters, stylish clothes and car, and high-action scenes. It
was definitely not for children (too much violence – post-watershed transmission time.)
However the series quickly attracted a wide age range, older viewers appreciating the
dashing yet wholesome qualities of the leads. Once again the humorous tone of the text
helped hold back some criticisms of violence. In fact many 70s children did watch the
series and today the repeats are shown at virtually any time of the day. The spin-off
merchandise (toys, puppets, games, magazines) indicate that many children did watch it.
The average intelligence level of the target audience for the text was quite broad. The
narrative is simple and undemanding; the representations were progressive but not too
controversial; everything was typical of the genre bt fresh and stimulating. Perhaps the
some high-brow people sneered at it but it appealed to a wide range of intelligences.
The lifestyle of the target audience encompassed family people, as well as single ones.
The original transmission time of 9.00 pm on a Saturday night suggestsstay-at-home
people. At that time of the weekend, most young, single people would have been out on
the town therefore most regular viewers would be at home, probably looking after kids
(who should be in bed by that time.) However I believe that the young, stylish leads and
the high-action scenes might well have enticed many single people to stay in and watch.
(Video recorders were not available in the 70s.)
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It’s obvious that the target audience is interested in crime-drama but they wanted
something with better quality. They were into fast car chases and the explosive fights
but they wanted it with a bit of style. The structure and style of “Starsky and Hutch”
fits in with the upbeat mood of the time. The episode was different from earlier crimedramas – it moved at a faster pace and has a whole 70s look to it. Also there is more
humour in it – not so much it could be classed a sitcom but enough to entertain viewers.
It is fair to assume that many of the target audience were from a range of social
classes however style is a recurring theme. The advertisements before and during
“Starsky and Hutch” tended to be for fashion and stylish items – flashy cars, fashion
clothes and perfumes – though there were practical ones that were necessary for
everyone, regardless of income or status. The villains in this episode are pretty downto-earth types, coming from working class backgrounds, and they don’t commit “whitecollar” crimes. This also hints at an audience that is not living in middle-class suburbia.
The audience identified with not only the lifestyle of the main characters but also their
personal qualities: courage, honesty, integrity, dedication to work and caring for other
people. The two leads are consummate examples. If the viewers did not possess all of
these qualities, certainly they wished they did. These qualities tend to suggest that the
audience held traditional values. Also the viewers probably aspired to the exciting,
glamorous lifestyle of the characters.
As with any programme, there were other audiences for “Starsky and Hutch”. Older
people might have been drawn to these traditional values and the basic goodness of the
duo; younger people to the violent confrontations and fast pace. Wealthy people might
have been fascinated by glimpses of a low, seedy side of life they had never experienced
(we may be horrified by something yet still take a perverse pleasure out of it.)
“Starsky and Hutch” is set in New York – the capital of America and the city that
attracts thousands of young people like a magnet, all seeking their fame and fortune.
Much like Hollywood, New York is a symbol of the American dream – yet it houses every
type of person. So there is no doubt that ethnic groups would provide other audiences.
It is likely that the producers of “Starsky and Hutch” deliberately chose to use two
Afro-American characters as regulars in the show, however I doubt that they predicted
the huge success of Huggy Bear. Many people from ethnic minorities tuned in week by
week to watch a character who lived in their world (if a little stereotypically.)
The aggressive brass section, played in minor keys, in the Opening Titles Sequence set a
dark, exciting tone for the episode. Played on traditional instruments, it appealed to
older viewers however the arrangement was inventive and fresh for a younger audience.
In conclusion, though the target audience for “Starsky and Hutch”is clearly definable,
the show had an incredibly broad appeal – a major factor in its success.
This is an example of a very good essay response, at Higher level, on the single key
aspect of Audience. If it linked well to other key aspects, it would gain an “A” pass.
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