2021 BEA On-Location

The BBC states as one of its values: ‘We put audiences at the heart of everything we do’. This, coming from a broadcaster with strong paternalistic foundations, signalled the move from a unidirectional broadcaster to a symbiotic relationship with its consumers.
Linfoot (2011) dates the shift from paternalism to populism in the creation of BBC Local Radio in 1967, however the BBC’s early productions of phone-in and discussion programmes were carefully choreographed. Letters from listeners and viewers were read and discussed but rarely did they have a direct impact on output. For decades broadcasters slowly progressed from telling the audience what they thought they should see or hear to what they thought they wanted to see and hear – and that guesswork continued, arguably, until the advent of social media where everyone with the access and knowledge could interact with broadcasters directly, both the organisations and individuals.
Engagement with an audience that has become more active than passive is a key factor in 21st century broadcasting, and our students must understand the complexities of serving diverse and organically changing audiences.
This panel will take a look from both sides of the Atlantic at:
Why people engage with broadcasters
What happens when the audience becomes the broadcaster
The visual turn in audience engagement, with a look at visual gatekeeping theory, and
How we teach students how to engage with audiences.