Radio 1 podcast evaluation

What was the task you were assigned?

We had to make a 3 minute audition to be the new R1BS presenter. We had to include a jingle, a celebrity interview, play a British song, news and weather, public interaction.

Who was in your group and what was everyone's role in the task?

Tom and Joe. My role was the main presenter, Tom was presenting the News, weather and was our British artist, Joe was our member of the public calling in and doing the quiz.

What fresh ideas did you bring to the programme?

Our prize for the quiz had never been offered before - cash

Who did you interview?

We didn't have an interview.

What tracks did you choose and why?

We played Right Here by Jess Glynne. We chose this because she is a young British artist.

What was the running order?
We did the news and weather first, then played a song and finished of by quizzing a listener.

Who is your target audience?

Teenagers and young adults - 15-20.

How did you relate to/attract your audience?
We used interesting news topics which young people would find interesting.

How does your product fit in with the BBC/PSB remit?
We played a song to promote British artists, we educated through the news and quiz, and entertained through the quiz and music.

What do you think you could have improved in terms of content?

We should have added a celebrity interview, added background jingle throughout.
What was your initial feedback? 

What did others say about your production?
They said we had good enthusiasm and inclusion of certain topics, but we were missing some things such as the celebrity interview.

Radio 1 test questions

1. How long has Greg James been presenting?
Since 20th August 2018

2. Target audience?
15-29

3. What are the differences between R1BS and other commercial breakfast shows?
The main difference is there are no adverts on the radio 1 show, but also there is more audience interaction on the Radio 1 breakfast show.

4. How can audiences access the Breakfast show?
Radio
Website
App
TV

5. How can the audience interact with R1BS?
Phone in
Social media; twitter, instagram, facebook, snapchat

6. Which professional body regulates radio and how might this affect what is broadcasted?
OFCOM, they also regulate TV.

7. How does the R1BS fulfil its remit as a PSB?
They play up and coming British artists' songs.
No adverts
Offer prizes to listeners and allow a lot of interaction.

8. Why is the controller of Radio 1 unconcerned with the drop of listener figures?
The growing popularity of social media, specifically YouTube for Radio 1, as they get hundreds and thousands of viewers on their YouTube channel per video.

With reference to R1BS give examples:

9. How does the programme promote British music?
They play young artists' songs and sometimes have them on as a guest talking about their songs and career in general. They also play other British music in general, for example in one breakfast show they played a song by the 1975, which could teach the younger target audience more about how British music used to be, and how it has developed.

10. What genre of music was played during your slot?
Pop, Hip-Hop.

11. Celebrity interviews - who is being interviewed and what are they being interviewed about? How many of the interviews are with British people?
A recent interview was with Chris Pratt which was promoting his latest movie the Lego Movie 2. They do a lot of interviews with celebrity interviews, for example Rita Ora and Liam Payne.

12. News items:
News on Brexit, main news story was the sport specifically the SuperBowl and FA cup. Most of the news was on the UK other than the American sports news.

13. Quizzes and games - what can you win?
In my section the main prize from the quiz was FA cup final tickets.

14. How does it fill the PSB remit?
It informs and educates through the news, entertains through the quizzes, games, celebrity interviews and music, and it promotes British artists.

15. How does it differ from commercial radio shows?
There is more audience interaction with more prizes and chances to get on the show than other radio stations.

16. What do you think the audience is from the content of 'your section'. Why do you think this is?
From my section I think the audience is older around the early 20s. This is because there was a lot on the news, and a few songs were played, however there weren't many games or a celebrity interview, just 1 quiz with a member of public.

17. How large is the audience for R1BS?
5.1 million weekly

18. Which five audience categories did the BBC trust use to measure audiences in 2016?

19. Which BBC radio station is most targeted at a mass audience?
Radio 2 - 35 years and older.

20. Which BBC radio stations were aimed at a niche audience with high levels of culture capital?
Radio 3 - classical music
Radio 4 - talking - politics

Radio 1 Podcast

Radio 1 essay

Radio 1 Breakfast show essay

How is the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show reaching, targeting and encouraging audience interaction?

The BBC Radio 1 breakfast show reaches, targets and encourages audience interaction in a few different ways. One of the main ways is the daily quiz where a listener calls in and answers questions live on air. There are always a variety of prizes available for people to win if they complete the quiz. This reaches the audience as everyone has access to a mobile phone, and they can call in from anywhere, such as work or on public transport. The prizes available also encourages a high level of audience interaction due to the value of the prizes, for example tickets to sport events, concerts, holidays and more.

A second way the Breakfast show encourages audience interaction is through the Radio 1 big weekend which is a festival which targets young adults and teenagers. It brings artists from all over the world and up and coming British artists to perform live. The festival is promoted through the breakfast show where they also give away tickets on the daily quizzes. This is very appealing to the younger audience, so this is another important way that Radio 1 reaches its target audience.

Another way they encourage audience interaction is through their social media pages. A large number of their 15-29 target audience spend a lot of time during the day on social media such as twitter, Instagram, Facebook and snapchat. Greg James incorporates this into the breakfast show by encouraging the audience to join in with a conversation on social media, for example the topic could be on peoples’ stories from the weekend, or peoples’ opinions on things, or song suggestions. This is a large part of the audience interaction as the target audience is normally on their phones and on social media in the mornings before school or work, whether they are in the car or commuting.

There is another way similar to this where people call in and talk about a topic that Greg James suggests, for example living with multiple siblings. This encourages the audience to interact because they can share their stories and opinions on things close to them, and it is another medium that Radio 1 can use to reach the audience, so now all most everybody is able to interact with the show in some way.

BBC Radio 1 also have another medium in the form of their website. On their website you can access the live show at the top of the screen, any videos they have done with celebrities, for example interviews or games. Other things the website shows includes the music charts, podcasts, latest tracks and more. The website is important for Radio 1 as it offers the audience an easy way to listen to the radio on the go, such as on the commute to school or work.

A very popular part of the Breakfast show and the Radio 1 YouTube channel is the celebrity interviews. They normally have big celebrities on the show when they are promoting a new movie they are in. for example, last week there was an interview with Rami Malek who starred as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody uploaded onto their YouTube channel. Usually they also do an interview or game with them on the Breakfast show to, so then fans of the film and the actor will tune in and listen. There is also added incentive when Greg James allows the listeners to call in and talk to the celebrities. An example of this is when Chris Pratt was on the show and people called in talking about their hot takes, for example one person said, ‘baths are overrated’, Chris Pratt and Greg James would then respond to this with their own opinions about it.

Overall, the Radio 1 Breakfast show reaches, targets and encourages audience interaction in many different ways, and although listening figures are decreasing, overall the popularity of Radio 1 is increasing, due to the growing number of platforms you can access it on, and the variety of content they are releasing is expanding its audience and allowing everyone to have access to it.

BBC Radio 1 questions

Radio 1 questions

Go online and look at the BBC Radio programmes today – radio 1 through 6:

1.    Which programmes are most clearly fulfilling their PSB remit?

Radio 1 is mainly fulfilling the entertain and inform aspect, but not much education. However Radio 4 is fulfilling the educating part of the PSB remit.

2.    What range of programmes are offered?

The breakfast show with Greg James, a live lounge show with Clara Amfo in late morning, and a newsbeat programme early in the afternoon.

3.    Which audiences are being targeted?

The age group is 15-29 year olds.

4.    Which one of the three principles are most evident in which programme?

The entertain principle is most evident in the breakfast show with the music, quizzes and games.

General facts:

1.    Who was the first ever breakfast show presenter on Radio 1?

Tony Blackburn

2.    Other DJs

Noel Edmonds, Chris Evans, Sara Cox, Chris Moyles.

3.    Biographical information on Greg James

He was born in South East London and went to the University of East Anglia.

4.    What are the current listening figures for the Radio 1 breakfast show?

Towards the end of 2018, when Greg James took over, the figures were at around 5.5 million listeners.

5.    Who is the controller of BBC Radio 1?

Ben Cooper

6.    How is Radio 1 funded?

From the general public’s TV licenses.

7.    How does Radio 1 try and be distinctive?

By involving audiences more than any other radio station, and its scheme for promoting up and coming British artists.

8.    What is the difference between BBC Radio stations and commercial stations?

There are no adverts on Radio 1.

Look at the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show website, and a variety of its social media:

1.    What can you see that is aimed at the target audience of 15-29-year olds?

The main things that show the target age group is 15-29 is the genre of music that is played, as most of it is charts music. Also the prizes for the quizzes are aimed more at this age group, such as football tickets and concert tickets.

2.    What can you see that might appeal to audiences outside the target group?

They have a dedicated news programme which older people may be more interested in listening to.

3.    How can you see Radio 1 fulfilling PSB responsibilities?

They provide entertainment through different forms, such as music and quizzes and they inform and educate through the news and current issues in the UK.