The Importance of Audience.

One of the most important concepts within Media Studies is that of audience.

Every media text is made with a view to pleasing an audience in some way.

Success is measured by the audiences response to a media text and those that do not attract and maintain an audience do not survive. At the heart of this is the fact that all media texts are created in order to make money. They do this in a number of ways: 
• Films – via box office takings, DVD and other related merchandise sales 
• Newspapers and magazines – via advertising revenues and sales 
• Television programmes (commercial TV) – via advertising sales, sponsorship and audience participation 
• Television and Radio etc. (Public Service Broadcasting) - The BBC are not funded by advertising but they need to be able to justify the money they receive via the licence fee.

The way they gauge the popularity and the success of the television and radio programming is through the viewing/listening figures.

If a media text is deemed successful it needs to attempt to ensure it offers appropriate pleasures (gratifications) its audience. Each media text will be targeted towards a specific group and the way it is constructed will be carefully considered in light of who the target audience is.