RADIO: BBC RADIO 1 NEWSBEAT!

 

RADIO: BBC RADIO 1 NEWSBEAT:

Newsbeat analysis

Read the notes and listen to the extracts from Newsbeat above before answering the following questions:

1) Use BBC Sounds to listen to Radio 1. Scroll to a Newsbeat bulletin (8am or 12.45pm are good options) and write notes on how the bulletins may: 

a) appeal to a youth audience 

b) help fulfil the BBC's responsibilities as a public service broadcaster. 

Media Factsheet #224: Industrial contexts of Radio

Read Media Factsheet #224 Understanding the Industrial Context of Radio. You'll need your Greenford google login to access it. Answer the following questions:

Read the first two pages of the factsheet. How does the Factsheet argue that radio still has cultural significance in the digital age? 

The medium of radio is the trail-blazer of twentieth century broadcast forms of communication and even though digital platforms such as iTunes, Spotify, YouTube and many more platforms may be challenging it, it still reaches billions of people. In some developing countries in Africa where people still have limited or no access to the Internet – radio is still the dominant medium to inform and entertain them.

Look at the page 4 section on media theories. Briefly summarise the ideas of Curran and Seaton, Hesmondhalgh and Livingstone and Lunt.

• Curran and seaton: Media output is concentrated in the hands of few
• hesmondhalgh: Media puts profit before creativity 
• Livingstone and hunt: Media regulation should have a consumer based production

What is the definition of public service broadcasting?

Refers to broadcasting intended for public benefit rather than to serve purely commercial interest.

Look at the list of eight key principles for BBC Radio on page 6 of the factsheet. Choose the three you think are most significant and explain why.

• Universal geographic accessibility – you can listen to radio anywhere in the country
• Competition in good programming rather than numbers – because they are funded, they can make content that commercial outfits might not bother with
• Attention to minorities – inclusive and non-tokenistic programming.

What does the Factsheet suggest is the future of PSB radio and how might Radio 1 fit into this?

It could be that P.S.B radio broadcasting might have to have a separate licence fee, or we may see the development of individual subscriptions to stations. 

Industry contexts: reading and research

Read the first five pages of this Ofcom document laying out its regulation of the BBC. 

Pick out three key points in the 'Summary' section.

• . The public has exceptionally high expectations of the BBC, shaped by its role as a publicly-funded broadcaster with a remit to inform, educate and entertain the public, and to support the creative economy across the UK.
• To meet these expectations, the BBC must deliver the mission and public purposes set out in its new Royal Charter (the Charter). For the first time, the BBC will be robustly held to account for doing so by an independent, external regulator.
• On 29 March 2017, we consulted on a draft Licence setting out requirements for the BBC to fulfil its remit, and plans for Ofcom to measure the BBC’s overall performance. We have carefully considered more than 100 responses from members of the public and industry

Now read what the license framework will seek to do (letters a-h). Which of these points could we relate to BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat?

• Safeguard vulnerable genres such as arts, music and religious programs
•  Support a wide range of valued genres.
• Strengthen news and current affairs rules. T

Which do you think are the three most important aspects in the a-h list? Why?

• Support a wide range of valued genres: This is because without the range of genres, BBC will lose customers and that includes the older as well as the younger audience.
• Increase requirements around programmes for children: In order for BBC to reach its target of targeting younger audiences it must be able to showcase programmes that the children would like so it is important for BBC to increase the requirements of programmes for children.
• Strengthen news and current affairs rules: without having strong news the audience will lose interest and BBC will go into decline as the content produced is not interesting to the audience

Read point 1.9: What do Ofcom plan to review in terms of diversity and audience? 

The review will ask what audiences expect from the BBC to understand whether it reflects and portrays the lives of all people across the whole of the UK, ranging from younger and older audiences to diverse communities. We will take into account the outcomes of the review as we shape our future oversight of the BBC, and we will take further measures where needed to ensure that the BBC is delivering for all its audiences

Based on your reading and research, do you think BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat offers license fee payers good value for money?

NO, because I believe that in order for BBC to gain more younger audience it has to lower the fee as many younger audiences will not want to pay such an amount on BBC especially because some may not be able to afford it. So, it restricts its audience target to older with minimum wage.

Finally, read this Guardian interview with former BBC 1 Controller Ben Cooper.

What was Ben Cooper trying to do with Radio 1?

 Ben Cooper’s eye-catching and ambitious mission to make BBC Radio 1 like a Netflix for radio would make an ideal entry point to an interview with the station’s controller.

How does he argue that Radio 1 is doing better with younger audiences than the statistics suggest?

The 46-year-old is armed with some statistics of his own to illustrate his point. Using figures based on those aged 10 and up, he reckons the most common age of a Radio 1 listener is 18.

Why does he suggest Radio 1 is distinctive from commercial radio?

He says. “We will play something like 4,000 different tracks a month, commercial radio plays about 400. We need to play hit music to get audiences in to expose them to new music. I think we need to look at the fact that we are no longer competing just purely with Rajars against Capital and Kiss.

Why is Radio 1 increasingly focusing on YouTube views and digital platforms?

for its YouTube channel, it is 12- to 17-year-old females. “There is no holy grail of one single digital footprint figure in the industry, unfortunately,” he says. With the BBC facing significant cuts across the board, after taking on the £750m cost of free TV licences for the over-75s, Cooper is acutely aware that life is going to get significantly harder.

In your opinion, should the BBC’s remit include targeting young audiences via Radio 1 or should this content be left to commercial broadcasters? Explain your answer.

In my opinion, I think that BBC should just stop as younger audiences will not be interested in radio