Assignment 5: Radio Station Analysis

Assignment No. 5

Radio Station Analysis

Mass Media and Society

Choose one radio station from each of the following categories and listen to it for at least half an hour. When you finish the listening portion of the assignment, you will have listened to three different stations. You can do the listening at home, in your car or through the Internet. Once you’ve listened to the three stations, answer the following questions in a 1- or 2-page response paper. Be sure to itemize which three stations you listened to.

Commercial radio - Listen to either of the following:

1. KFI – AM 640 – The No. 1 ranked station in Los Angeles
2. KIIS – FM 102.7 – The No. 1 ranked music station in Los Angeles

Public radio - Listen to any one of the following:

1. KPFK – FM 90.7 – A listener-supported public radio station

2. KPCC – FM 89.3 – A partially listener-supported radio station

3. KXLU – FM 88.9 - Non-commercial educational station broadcasting from Loyola Marymount University in Westchester

Your radio – What’s your favorite station?

3. K??? – ??? – Your favorite radio station

1. Go to each station’s website and check out the programming schedule listed online. What kind of programming (Music? Talk? Sports?) does each station carry? What kind of programming did you hear when you listened?

2. Did any of the stations carry more advertisements than the others? If yes, why do you think this is?

4. Who do you think the average listener is for each station? What makes you think that and why? Be specific here. Was it the ads, the disc jockeys, the callers, the shows?

5. What did you think of the public radio station?  Would you listen to it again?  If so, why?  If not, why?  Please be specific.

6. Based on what you heard, do you think the public radio station is serving a purpose in Los Angeles? Elaborate. Would you say that this station serves its community or no?

7. Come up with a list of five words that describe the commercial station you listened to. Then come up with a list of five words that describe the public radio station you listened to. Compare the lists. What do you think? (Be sure to include the two lists in your response)