BBC Radio 1 - Life Hacks: Blog tasks
Analysis
Listen to the extracts from Life Hacks above and answer the following questions:
1) What do the titles The Surgery and Life Hacks suggest?
2) How are the programmes constructed to appeal to a youth audience?
3) What does the choice of presenters (Cel Spellman and Katie Thistleton) and Dr Modgil suggest about the BBC’s approach to diversity and representation?
4) Go to the Life Hacks iPlayer page and analyse the content. What does this suggest regarding the Life Hacks audience and what the BBC is hoping to achieve with the programme?
5) Go to the Life Hacks podcast episodes page. Listen to a few episodes of the podcast and explain how the topics may a) appeal to a youth audience and b) help fulfil the BBC's responsibilities as a public service broadcaster.
The BBC's responsibilities are to 'inform, educate and entertain'
Audience
1) What is the target audience for BBC Radio 1?
People aged under 29
People aged under 29
2) Who is the actual audience for BBC Radio 1?
30% of 35-44 year olds think it is aimed at them.
30% of 35-44 year olds think it is aimed at them.
3) What audience pleasures are offered by Life Hacks? Apply Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications theory.
- Personal identity: Diverse UK representations through presenters
- Personal relationships: Known presenters or guests
4) Read this Guardian review of Life Hacks. What points does the reviewer make about Life Hacks and the particular podcast episode they listened to?
5) Read this NME feature on Radio 1 listener figures. What are the key statistics to take from this article regarding the decline in Radio 1 audience ratings?
Radio 1 has lost 200,000 weekly listeners since May, when they attracted 9.4 million listeners a week. The 9.2 million listeners that Radio 1 now pulls in each week is officially the second-lowest ever recorded ratings for the BBC station, and is close to equalling the lowest weekly rating of 9.1 million, which was posted in May 2017.
Radio 1 has lost 200,000 weekly listeners since May, when they attracted 9.4 million listeners a week. The 9.2 million listeners that Radio 1 now pulls in each week is officially the second-lowest ever recorded ratings for the BBC station, and is close to equalling the lowest weekly rating of 9.1 million, which was posted in May 2017.
Industries
1) How does Life Hacks meet the BBC mission statement to Educate, Inform and Entertain?
2) 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 BBC is the UK’s most widely-used media organisation, providing programming on television and radio and content online. 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.
The BBC’s provision of accurate and impartial news, current affairs and factual content plays a key role in helping ensure that UK citizens are well informed and able to participate actively in the world around them. The BBC is the most-used source of news in the UK. Audiences recognise it as a trusted brand providing reliable, high-quality information. Overall, respondents to our consultation agreed with the importance of safeguarding the provision and prominence of news, current affairs and information across the BBC’s services. Some argued that the BBC should have a greater focus on international content beyond news coverage.
We have set four objectives for the BBC in relation to the diversity aspect of this public purpose. Among these is an objective for the BBC to reflect the diversity of the UK’s different communities appropriately in its output and services. This should include age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation and socioeconomic background. It must also accurately represent and authentically portray the diverse communities of the whole of the UK. We recognise the widely-expressed view that the BBC should do more to improve how people are reflected on-screen and on-air
The BBC is the UK’s most widely-used media organisation, providing programming on television and radio and content online. 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.
The BBC’s provision of accurate and impartial news, current affairs and factual content plays a key role in helping ensure that UK citizens are well informed and able to participate actively in the world around them. The BBC is the most-used source of news in the UK. Audiences recognise it as a trusted brand providing reliable, high-quality information. Overall, respondents to our consultation agreed with the importance of safeguarding the provision and prominence of news, current affairs and information across the BBC’s services. Some argued that the BBC should have a greater focus on international content beyond news coverage.
We have set four objectives for the BBC in relation to the diversity aspect of this public purpose. Among these is an objective for the BBC to reflect the diversity of the UK’s different communities appropriately in its output and services. This should include age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation and socioeconomic background. It must also accurately represent and authentically portray the diverse communities of the whole of the UK. We recognise the widely-expressed view that the BBC should do more to improve how people are reflected on-screen and on-air
3) Now read what the license framework will seek to do (letters a-h). Which of these points relate to BBC Radio 1 and Life Hacks?
A) Strengthen news and current affairs rules.
B) Increase requirements around programmes for children
C) Secure a more distinctive BBC
D) Support social action campaigns on BBC radio.
E) Safeguard vulnerable genres such as arts, music and religious programmes.
F) Support a wide range of valued genres.
G) Support regional and national audiences, and creative economies across the UK.
H) Require the BBC to reflect the full diversity of the UK population.
A) Strengthen news and current affairs rules.
B) Increase requirements around programmes for children
C) Secure a more distinctive BBC
D) Support social action campaigns on BBC radio.
E) Safeguard vulnerable genres such as arts, music and religious programmes.
F) Support a wide range of valued genres.
G) Support regional and national audiences, and creative economies across the UK.
H) Require the BBC to reflect the full diversity of the UK population.
4) What do you think are the three most important aspects in the a-h list? Why?
- The BBC's main purpose is to inform, educate and entertain the public, in addition to supportying the creative economy of the UK as a whole.
5) Read point 1.9: What do Ofcom plan to review in terms of diversity and audience?
Read this Guardian interview with BBC 1 Controller Ben Cooper.
6) What is Ben Cooper trying to do with Radio 1?
On Friday, the BBC announced that Cooper would be getting a new boss, and a controversial one at that. From the end of this month James Purnell, the BBC’s director of strategy and education, will be taking responsibility for radio as part of a new, expanded division.
7) How does he argue that Radio 1 is doing better with younger audiences than the statistics suggest?
For one, Rajar, the official body in charge of measuring radio audiences, only publishes figures on audience survey respondents aged 15 and over, which he feels is unfair. “You have a target age of 15 to 29, but nothing is measured for under-15s but everything is to death beyond the 29 target, which means, using averages, you are going to get skewed much older,” he says. “I think it is an old-fashioned metric for an old radio industry. You have the maths against you.”
8) Why does he suggest Radio 1 is distinctive from commercial radio?
Cooper talks innovation but Radio 1’s rivals, and a report submitted to the culture secretary that informed this year’s charter review white paper, accuse the station of not being distinctive enough. He bristles at the suggestion. “Are we distinctive from commercial radio? Yes we are,” 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.
9) Why is Radio 1 increasingly focusing on YouTube views and digital platforms?
6) What is Ben Cooper trying to do with Radio 1?
On Friday, the BBC announced that Cooper would be getting a new boss, and a controversial one at that. From the end of this month James Purnell, the BBC’s director of strategy and education, will be taking responsibility for radio as part of a new, expanded division.
7) How does he argue that Radio 1 is doing better with younger audiences than the statistics suggest?
For one, Rajar, the official body in charge of measuring radio audiences, only publishes figures on audience survey respondents aged 15 and over, which he feels is unfair. “You have a target age of 15 to 29, but nothing is measured for under-15s but everything is to death beyond the 29 target, which means, using averages, you are going to get skewed much older,” he says. “I think it is an old-fashioned metric for an old radio industry. You have the maths against you.”
8) Why does he suggest Radio 1 is distinctive from commercial radio?
Cooper talks innovation but Radio 1’s rivals, and a report submitted to the culture secretary that informed this year’s charter review white paper, accuse the station of not being distinctive enough. He bristles at the suggestion. “Are we distinctive from commercial radio? Yes we are,” 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.
9) Why is Radio 1 increasingly focusing on YouTube views and digital platforms?
Youtube allows the branch of the BBC Radio to the younger crowd to attempt to get more opinions from the radio. Podcasts are also a nice way to attract spectators as they are popular with younger audiences.
10) 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.
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