Radio: Woman’s Hour (exams from 2024) Typeit

The primary obligation of a public service broadcaster (PSB) is, unsurprisingly, public service. PSBs are owned by the public and run by the on behalf of the public. Their central aims are to inform, educate and entertain the audience. In many ways, Woman’s Hour meets the guidelines of a PSB, particularly as it matches Radio 4’s -based production output. On the other hand, it could be accused of misrepresenting the public as it is almost entirely comprised of guests. Furthermore, some audiences might contend that the show’s talking points, rude language and array of guests appeal to a liberal audience and is, therefore, not impartial in the way the BBC is obligated to be.

When a monarch approves the creation of an organisation through an official document, this is known as a . For example, King George V approved the BBC in 1922 as a media platform designed to entertain and inform the British public. In the year , a new charter amended some of the ways in which the BBC is regulated.

As of then, a single BBC board is now responsible for any initial regulation of BBC content. However, if the board is unable to regulate the BBC's output effectively then external regulation is required. (the Office of Communications) is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing the UK’s mass communications industry: broadcasting, telecommunications and postal services. Under this organisation, any mass communications company that breaches set standards can receive penalties ranging from large fines to broadcasting suspensions. Regulation is something that the BBC takes incredibly seriously. For example, in May 2019, long-standing Radio DJ was immediately dismissed for tweeting a picture that many audiences considered to be racist towards Meghan Markle and her newborn baby. Despite the DJ’s insistence that he had made a genuine and unintentional error, the BBC maintained that his tweet went against their broadcasting standards.

The development in new media and its ability to essentially expand the broadcasting time of radio shows and eradicate scheduling can highlight the arguments made by Curran and surrounding regulation. Woman’s Hour is a radio programme that has run since , with various evolutions over the many years of being on air. A broad range of topics are discussed on the show, ranging from abortion and reproductive rights, the gender pay gap, domestic violence and relationship dynamics, all viewed from the perspective of female hosts and contributors. 

Some of these topics are potentially emotionally distressing or controversial, but they are also extremely important to discuss. This exemplifies the BBC’s constant struggle to strike a balance between protecting the public from harmful content and keeping media-savvy audiences engaged, and relates to and Lunt’s theory of regulation.

Woman’s Hour is undoubtedly targeted towards a predominantly female audience, but not to the exclusion of male listeners. Women of the 30–49 age demographic are particularly likely to have a reading of the programme (according to Stuart Hall’s theory). In 2020, the long-running hosts of the show left and were replaced by Emma Barnett and Anita Rani. Barnett is a British broadcaster and journalist known for her work writing for The Daily and The Sunday Times as well as her work presenting on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC One’s Sunday Morning Live. Notably, she interviewed Labour Leader in the run-up to the 2017 general election, securing her status as a serious political journalist. The host claims to have always been a feminist and is a member of the Women’s Party in the UK. She is likely to appeal to aspirational young women. Rani is a TV presenter, working primarily in documentaries and on shows such as Countryfile. With these new hosts, who are more familiar and recognisable to a younger demographic, Woman's Hour may hope to gain a larger listenership through increased podcast listenership.