The Creation of Creativity in Radio: How does radio as an industry define, practice and negotiate creativity?

Bettison, Emily (2020) The Creation of Creativity in Radio: How does radio as an industry define, practice and negotiate creativity? Doctoral thesis, Birmingham City University.

Preview

Text Thesis.pdf - Submitted Version Download (7MB)

Abstract

This dissertation explores the way that creativity manifests within the everyday labour of practitioners at radio stations in the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, the radio industry is framed in policy as a creative industry by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) (1998; 2001; 2015). However, understanding and defining creativity is complex and exploring the creativity of radio specifically is an under-researched area within radio studies. This research synthesises debates around creativity and radio to consider how radio as an industry defines, practices and negotiates creativity.

This study responds to the challenge of researching creativity by introducing a combined and multi-level methodological approach to study creativity within the radio industry. Using interviews, autobiographical analysis, and an exploration of work and policy documents I explore individual, workplace, organisational and industry framings of radio’s creativity in community, commercial and public service (BBC) radio in the United Kingdom. To analyse this data, I draw on theoretical frameworks from both creative industries and radio research to explore the way that creativity manifests within the specificities of radio work and production.

Exploring radio practitioners in a variety of roles, I argue that to some extent radio workers can be framed as creative workers. However, these individuals also face distinct elements of work that are unique to roles in the radio industry, and this has implications for understanding creativity in a specific radio context. These workers use certain phrases when articulating their notions of creativity in radio, and these align with the paradox of radio that results from the routinised production of new, but familiar outputs. Therefore, radio’s creativity manifests in a particular way through the practices and processes that individuals undertake when making radio. These practices are shaped by the wider radio environment which influences the conceptual space that radio practitioners have to be creative. I suggest that the nature of radio’s creativity can only be understood as tied to the specificities of the radio workplace, radio practice and the wider radio environment. Using this notion opens up possibilities for future research to further advance academic understandings of radio’s creativity.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Dates:	Date Event 21 July 2020 Completed
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Radio, Radio Studies, Creativity, Creative Industries, Community Radio, Media, Media Studies
Subjects:	CAH24 - media, journalism and communications > CAH24-01 - media, journalism and communications > CAH24-01-05 - media studies
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts, Design and Media > Birmingham Institute of Media and English > Birmingham School of Media Doctoral Research College > Doctoral Theses Collection
Depositing User:	Kip Darling
Date Deposited:	27 Jun 2021 20:47
Last Modified:	12 Jan 2022 16:17
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/11842

Actions (login required)

View Item