Gavin O Connell
I wanted to find out what affects a radio presenter’s performance, thinking about the design and setup of the studio, anything from the style of chair used (whether it’s swivel or it’s stationary) to the lighting (whether it’s on full or dimmed), to the layout of the studio (is the presenter left-handed or right-handed?) to the psychological effects and stresses and anxiety associated with live broadcasting.
Aim:
To investigate how the working environment affects a radio presenter’s show.
Objectives:
To research the societal, cultural and historical impact of radio.
To research the impact on the presenter of a variety of factors e.g. Lighting, Furniture, Scripted/Unscripted, Live/Pre-recorded, Stress, Programme Type, etc.
To measure by survey/questionnaire how the working environment affects the performance of radio presenters.
Record & interview radio presenters to further investigate the impact of the work environment.
To show and demonstrate findings and make recommendations.
27 responses to the survey.
The key findings are:
In relation to the studio design, most prefer to do their show sitting down using a swivel chair (88%) while some prefer to stand (7%).
Results show studio lighting doesn’t affect performance (70%). Presenters prefer the lights not to be too bright as can cause headaches and a negative impact on concentration.
All the presenters are happy that the setup in their studio meets their physical requirements. With comments such as:
Spacious,
Desk is easy to handle,
Comfortable and works well,
All the equipment close to hand,
Information seen at a glance and,
Presenters prefer to do live radio shows.
The issue of whether training on how to use the studio is received and how comfortable the presenter is at solving technical issues was researched. Most presenters said they have received training; a handful of presenters said they feel comfortable at solving technical issues when they arise. Also, nearly all the presenters said that doing a live show can be demanding.
The project thesis, in the download button below, researches history of radio, role of community radio, design considerations and psychological effects of radio broadcasting. The thesis also goes through the project methodology, quantitative and qualitative research, the analysis and key findings from the research and project conclusions.
