R1BS: LESSON 1 - CONTEXTS
ECONOMIC CONTEXT:
FALLING LISTENERS HITS COMMERCIAL RADIO
//PSBs are free from the pressure of ratings driven by advertising revenue but need to compete for listeners to show they are still relevant.
//Some commercial radio stations say BBC has an unfair advantage and this is stunting growth in the radio market.
//The BBC can cross-promote across all it's media platforms.
//The BBC can continue to invest in content even though listeners are falling and it doesn't depend on ratings for revenue.
//BBC Radio 1's core target audience of 15-29 year olds are digital natives who are listening to less radio.
//According to RAJAR audience figures, thew numbers of 16-24s reached by radio has fallen by nearly 15% in a decade. In 2017, Nick Grimshaw recorded the lowest listening figures for R1BS since records began.
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
//Listening to linear radio is no longer part of youth culture in the way it used to be in the peak of Radio 1. This audience has migrated online.
//Increasingly digital audiences prefer user-generated content - furthermore, they expect to have more control over what they listen to and when.
//Popular music and youth culture are traditionally seen as having a lower cultural status than other content (e.g. classical music or dramas) making it harder for the breakfast show to meet it's obligations to provide culturally important content.
//BUT - live music is seen as more authentic and more culturally valuable hence programs like live lounge and Radio 1 marketing itself as the 'home of live music'.
BBC'S NATIONAL TREASURE STATUS
//Culture Secretary, John Whittingdale, told parliament: "At it's best, the BBC sets international standards of quality, even in a multi-media age it's most popular programs continue to draw the country together in a shared experience, as happened with the Olympics and dramas like Sherlock."
//British actors wrote an pen letter to the Prime Minister, David Cameron, reminding him of the BBC's importance to national life. JK Rowling, Judi Dench and Chris Evans among other celebrities signed the letter, stating "a diminished BBC would mean a diminished Britain"
CHALLENGES OF THE BREAKFAST SHOW
POLITICAL CONTEXT:
//Because it is publicly funded, Radio 1 must justify its existence and prove that it's 'worth the money' and providing distinctive and worthwhile content.
//Funding an entertainment station is often a political issue, especially given the economic pressures on other government spending.
//Revelations about the huge salaries given to presenters and the gender pay gap at the organisation put extra pressure on the station.
//Calls to privatize Radio 1 add to the pressure on the station to show content that is both popular and worthwhile.
PRIVATISING RADIO 1, FOR £200 MILLION?
//The BBC's flagship music stations, Radio 1 and Radio 2, should be privatised because their public service role is minimal, a report by a media think tank said.
//More than £500 million could be raise by selling off the channels to the private sector, the report by the European media forum said.
//The UK radio market is currently suffering from 'stunted growth' because the stations have an unfair competitive advantage, the report adds.
//"The BBC's ability to tap all of it's various media platforms to cross-promote and cross-subsidize it's radio output has added to the commercial sector's woes." the report said.
//Both stations have come under the spotlight recently after leaks claimed to reveal the salaries being earned by the station's top presenters.
DOES THE BBC DESERVE PSB FUNDING?
//Richard Huntingford, runs commercial radio stations:
"I personally see very little public service benefit in Greg James Breakfast show on radio 1 or Steve Wright in the Afternoon on Radio 2." "If they don't provide a public service, then why should they be licence fee funded?"
//BBC Spokesman:
"The government hasn't recommended closing any BBC service but rather a rigorous system of service licences to ensure transparency, both for liscence fee payers and the commercial sector, about the BBC's activities." "Radios 1 and 2 offer innovative and distinctive content that the market alone would not provide."
FALLING LISTENERS HITS COMMERCIAL RADIO
//PSBs are free from the pressure of ratings driven by advertising revenue but need to compete for listeners to show they are still relevant.
//Some commercial radio stations say BBC has an unfair advantage and this is stunting growth in the radio market.
//The BBC can cross-promote across all it's media platforms.
//The BBC can continue to invest in content even though listeners are falling and it doesn't depend on ratings for revenue.
//BBC Radio 1's core target audience of 15-29 year olds are digital natives who are listening to less radio.
//According to RAJAR audience figures, thew numbers of 16-24s reached by radio has fallen by nearly 15% in a decade. In 2017, Nick Grimshaw recorded the lowest listening figures for R1BS since records began.
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
//Listening to linear radio is no longer part of youth culture in the way it used to be in the peak of Radio 1. This audience has migrated online.
//Increasingly digital audiences prefer user-generated content - furthermore, they expect to have more control over what they listen to and when.
//Popular music and youth culture are traditionally seen as having a lower cultural status than other content (e.g. classical music or dramas) making it harder for the breakfast show to meet it's obligations to provide culturally important content.
//BUT - live music is seen as more authentic and more culturally valuable hence programs like live lounge and Radio 1 marketing itself as the 'home of live music'.
BBC'S NATIONAL TREASURE STATUS
//Culture Secretary, John Whittingdale, told parliament: "At it's best, the BBC sets international standards of quality, even in a multi-media age it's most popular programs continue to draw the country together in a shared experience, as happened with the Olympics and dramas like Sherlock."
//British actors wrote an pen letter to the Prime Minister, David Cameron, reminding him of the BBC's importance to national life. JK Rowling, Judi Dench and Chris Evans among other celebrities signed the letter, stating "a diminished BBC would mean a diminished Britain"
CHALLENGES OF THE BREAKFAST SHOW
POLITICAL CONTEXT:
//Because it is publicly funded, Radio 1 must justify its existence and prove that it's 'worth the money' and providing distinctive and worthwhile content.
//Funding an entertainment station is often a political issue, especially given the economic pressures on other government spending.
//Revelations about the huge salaries given to presenters and the gender pay gap at the organisation put extra pressure on the station.
//Calls to privatize Radio 1 add to the pressure on the station to show content that is both popular and worthwhile.
PRIVATISING RADIO 1, FOR £200 MILLION?
//The BBC's flagship music stations, Radio 1 and Radio 2, should be privatised because their public service role is minimal, a report by a media think tank said.
//More than £500 million could be raise by selling off the channels to the private sector, the report by the European media forum said.
//The UK radio market is currently suffering from 'stunted growth' because the stations have an unfair competitive advantage, the report adds.
//"The BBC's ability to tap all of it's various media platforms to cross-promote and cross-subsidize it's radio output has added to the commercial sector's woes." the report said.
//Both stations have come under the spotlight recently after leaks claimed to reveal the salaries being earned by the station's top presenters.
DOES THE BBC DESERVE PSB FUNDING?
//Richard Huntingford, runs commercial radio stations:
"I personally see very little public service benefit in Greg James Breakfast show on radio 1 or Steve Wright in the Afternoon on Radio 2." "If they don't provide a public service, then why should they be licence fee funded?"
//BBC Spokesman:
"The government hasn't recommended closing any BBC service but rather a rigorous system of service licences to ensure transparency, both for liscence fee payers and the commercial sector, about the BBC's activities." "Radios 1 and 2 offer innovative and distinctive content that the market alone would not provide."
Comments
Post a Comment