Improving your media language In an age of audience fragmentation, the challenge for media institutions is to produce texts which

unify audiences, positioning a product to attract and retain as wide an audience share as possible. TV programmes such as Sherlock, produced by the BBC, are examples of successful texts which generate income for the company from exports through BBC Worldwide and DVD sales. According to the audience research bureau, BARB, such programmes regularly generate audiences of 6 to 8 million which represents about 30% of total audience share. This is a significant number of viewers, taking audiences away from commercial rivals such as ITV and confirming the BBCs position as one of the worlds top media institutions. It is becoming increasingly difficult to separate the three platforms (broadcast, print and e-media) as there is so much crossover between them. This convergence is a dominant trend in modern media. (TV programmes are now increasingly available by being streamed over the Internet (i-player, 4OD, ITV player). Films can be downloaded rather than watched on TV or in the cinema. Games consoles function as DVD players, and can access the internet allowing users to stream or download content. Newspapers have a strong online presence. Print media often just serves as an add-on supplement to the online version. Websites provide a range of content and interactivity which traditional media cannot. Print media is the most traditional media form and is the weakest of the three platforms. It lacks the immediacy of online services as it cannot respond quickly to changing content in a rapidly moving technological world. E-books are gaining popularity over traditional books and newspaper circulation (and therefore advertising revenue) is declining. In the case of Sherlock, the print presence is clearly minimal and less important than the TV text. There are TV tie-ins in the form of re-issued versions of the famous Conan Doyle stories, branded with the BBC logo and containing introductions by people involved in the BBC series. Print references to the programme also appear in the form of broadsheet reviews which have been very enthusiastic. There may be occasional pieces of celebrity gossip in the tabloid / redtop press around the actors but so far they have remained scandal-free. We cannot however dismiss print media completely as magazine sales are healthy (a look at the packed shelves of newsagents is evidence of this). Advertisers like magazines and advertising still drives magazine revenues. ABC market research shows that magazine sales are holding up well.

Bringing in theory The strong emphasis on entertainment in broadcasting suggests that audiences are passive consumers of media, happy to sit back and soak up media content. This fits in with the hypodermic needle model (also called the magic bullet theory) which suggests that audiences are passive consumers of media content. It also implies that attitudes and behaviour are shaped and influenced by media products. The question as to whether audiences are influenced by media is a difficult one. Advertising clearly relies on persuading audiences to act in a certain way by buying a product - a form of commercial propaganda. Cultivation theory suggests that, over a longer period of time, users are desensitized or numbed to the effects of violent computer games or films. This may be true for heavy users of violent media but so much depends on the personality of the user. Exposure to too many negative, dystopian representations of the world could give audiences a very bleak, depressing and negative view of reality. In this respect, Gerbners Mean World Syndrome has some value. Many modern media texts, including Sherlock, make audiences work, think and participate. In this respect, the Uses and Gratifications Model is more relevant in explaining Audience Reception of media. Audiences are active in choosing media to suit certain needs. There are also links with Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. In the case of modern broadcast fiction such as Sherlock, viewers are encouraged to watch actively engaging with the enigma narrative, recognising intertextuality and trying to follow the various plot twists. All these conventions add to the gratifications (pleasures) of the text and add to the various possible readings. According to the Uses and Gratifications model, consumers choose media at different times for entertainment and information but also in order to define their identity and to enable them to interact with others. Social networking is a good example of how people use media to feel part of a community. Live- blogging (tweeting about a programme whilst watching it) adds to the buzz around a programme and creates digital communities and virtual friendships. It also helps to promote the product informally, bypassing advertising professionals.