4.2 Past Masters Podcast: 'The Truth is in Here: UFOs at The National Archives'

Podcast Genre Conventions

• An audio/video programme formatted to be played on a portable media player

• Horizontal media form - people who make podcasts also listen to them, anyone can do it

• Etymology - merging of ‘broadcast’ and iPod

• Spoken language typical to spontaneous speech, however may be pre-drafted like a radio broadcast

• Informal register; varieties in tone, interruptions possible

• Framing devices such as introductory remarks and conclusions

• Rhetorical devices used. Question types (interrogative, rhetorical, tag) and adjacency pairing to control discussion.

• Turn-taking if there are multiple people on the podcast.

Purpose

• To entertain/inform/engage/educate the listener - done so through humour, argument and debate, description appealing to senses

• To discuss/debate a specific subject matter

• To be able to be listened to anywhere

Audience

• Listeners of the Past Masters podcast

• People interested in UFOs, history, the National Archives, sci-fi

• Producers of the podcast (primary audience)

Typography + graphology

Transcript, meaning it is not pre-written (like a script)
White font on a darker background to introduce the podcast - sets this first information apart from the rest
Genre conventions of a script - names of people speaking on the left-hand side, colon to separate that from the rest of the speech

Structure

Q&A format, genre boundaries slightly blurred with interview (typical for many podcasts)
Adjacency pairs
Starts with named introduction. Moves to talking about subject matter.

Context

Transfer of files on UFO sightings from Ministry of Defence to National Archives happened in 2008. These files were digitalised.
Title a reference to phrase commonly associated with conspiracy theories and ET sightings - “the truth is out there” to “the truth is in here”, play on words.

“Hi there, you are listening to the Past Masters podcast… I’m Bob.” “And I’m Jo.”

Introductory greeting, direct address and awareness of listener - typical of podcast.
Introducing hosts’ names.
Fronted conjuction ‘and’ gives fluidity, conversational.

“the British government’s very own X-Files”

Cultural reference, makes the podcast seem relatable to the listener.

“Mysterious lights in the sky, unexplained radar traces. Reports from military sources… and the Admirality.”

Elliptical phrases - syntactical patterning. Introduces a lot of information at one time.

“And it’s secret files on aliens! How good is that?”

Exclamatory for comedic effect. Creates an excitable voice.
Rhetorical question.

“they’re “unexplained aerial phenomena”, aren’t they? Where’s the evidence they’re aliens?”

Quote gives credibility. Q tag and interrogative gives a skeptical voice to Bob.

(Bob) “What have you got?” “How far back do they go?”

Questions, interrogatives. Colloquial language (1).
A condescending tone created, showing of growing irritation and almost disinterest, especially considering the short questions.
Q&A format facilitates the furthering of the conversation.

(Bob) “Well, since they went on to bomb cities up and own Britain in 1915 that sounds very sensible. But it’s nothing to do with aliens. What else have you got?”

Colloquial language - more relatable to listener. Historical reference suited for this historical podcast.

(Jo) “Oh. Okay. World War II.”
“Well, sort of, but not -”

Non-verbal utterance as a response to the harshness of Bob.
‘sort of’ = hedge. Creates a softening, not as direct. Interruption also shows meekness of character.

Voices created

Bob: domineering, condescending, skeptical, sarcastic. The leader out of the two.
Jo: enthusiastic and knowledgeable, but more submissive.