BBC Radio 1 - The Surgery & Life Hacks: Blog tasks

1) What do the titles The Surgery and Life Hacks suggest?

The "Surgery" suggests that they are diagnosing and providing solutions for peoples issues, giving advice on how to overcome these problems. Life Hacks is a slang term which suggests they are aiming at a youth audience, giving tips on how to make daily life routines easier.

2) How are the programmes constructed to appeal to a youth audience?

The use of emojis on the poster is familiar to the target audience. The font is also informal which shows how they target a youth audience. During The Surgery, the presenters use lots of slang terminology which youth may use, appealing to them. The presenters are from different cities which show the progressive mindset of the target audience, as well as them being female.

3) What does the choice of presenter (e.g. Katie Thistleton) and Dr Modgil suggest about the BBC’s approach to diversity and representation?

The use of women from different cities shows the approach to diversity and representation. Usually, it is men that are seen within the industry and using women shows the more equal balance that BBC is trying to represent. Also, Dr Modgil is from a BAME background which also shows diversity.

4) Look at this promotional graphic produced by BBC for The Surgery. How does it construct a representation of a youth audience?
The use of emojis on the poster is familiar to the target audience. The font is also informal which shows how they target a youth audience. Emojis are used regularly by youth, and by incorporating this into the promotional graphic, it constructs a representation of youth as it is a part of their identity. This references social media, which is a big part of modern youth culture.

5) Now look at the graphic from a digital media perspective: how does it suggest audiences are listening to and interacting with BBC broadcasts in the digital media landscape?

This suggest that audiences engage with it in a less traditional way. Rather than listening to it on just radio, they are using their mobile smart phones to listen to the podcast through apps. YouTube is also used to interact with the radio shows as they are posted up on YouTube on the BBC's channel.

Audience

1) What is the target audience for BBC Radio 1?

The target audience for BBC Radio 1 is a young, millenial audience because of the type of language used while the show is being presented, as well as the music they usually play. They play hip-hop and grime on the radio show which is popular with youth, showing how they target youth audience. The age range is between 14-35 as they also play different tracks for a wider range of people.

2) Who is the actual audience for BBC Radio 1?

The actual audience for BBC Radio 1 is quite mainstream because of the music that is played on it. The audience is older people from 30 onwards. But the target audience is youth. 

3) What audience pleasures are offered by The Surgery and Life Hacks? Apply Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications theory.

Audience pleasures that are offered by The Surgery and Life Hacks include surveillance as the listener is learning and receiving advice to various issues they are facing. Another one is personal relationships because the listener develops an attachment to the presenters as they get to know them, their insights and thought processes. The listener feels like they are starting to know them and see them in a friendly light.

4) Read these Guardian reviews of The Surgery and Life Hacks. What do the reviews praise the programmes for?

The Surgery is praised for the presenter who is always warm and sympathetic, encouraging her young audience to not only get in touch with the programme but to talk to the right support agencies, and, indeed, to friends and family about any problems they might have.

Life hacks is praised for bringing on big celebrities such as Stormzy and how he discusses in depth topics such as difficulties black people go through and how he is trying to help change that by aiding their education. He also explores his brand and how it is developing for a positive change.

The Surgery Guardian review

Life Hacks Guardian review

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?

The key statistics to take from this article regarding the decline in Radio 1 audience ratings are Radio 1 has lost 200,000 weekly listeners since May, when they attracted 9.4 million listeners a week. The station is also still the top choice for listeners aged 15 to 24 in the UK. Despite the decline, Breakfast Show host Nick Grimshaw has actually seen a minor increase in his ratings – gaining an extra 300,000 listeners since May for a new total of 5.3 million.

Industries

1) How does The Surgery and Life Hacks meet the BBC mission statement to Educate, Inform and Entertain?

The way the The Surgery and Life Hacks meet the BBC mission statement to Educate, Inform and Entertain is by targeting their audiences by using informal tones (youth) to get across messages about issues such as mental health, giving ways to overcome it and spread awareness. Celebrity cameos keep them entertained.

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 public has high expectations of the BBC, caused 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.  For the first time, the BBC will be held to account for doing so by an independent, external regulator. Alongside responsibilities for programme standards and protecting fair and effective competition in the areas in which the BBC operates, the Charter gives Ofcom the job of setting the BBC’s operating licence (the Licence).3 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.

3) Now read what the license framework will seek to do (letters a-h). Which of these points relate to BBC Radio 1 and The Surgery / Life Hacks?

Support social action campaigns on BBC radio. We are requiring Radio 1 to offer a minimum number of major social action campaigns each year. Providing information and raising awareness of social issues affecting young people and giving them a platform to engage with is one of the key ways Radio 1 can set itself apart from other radio stations.

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

Increase requirements around programmes for children, support a wide range of valued genres and support regional and national audiences, and creative economies across the UK because this will allow them to gain a wider audience and also support the mission statement which is to Educate, Inform and Entertain. 

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

We are also announcing an in-depth review of how different audiences are represented and portrayed on the BBC. All audiences should feel that the BBC offers something for them, however, our research shows that several groups feel that it does not adequately represent their interests or lives.

Read this Guardian interview with BBC 1 Controller Ben Cooper.

6) What is 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. 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?

He is starting out with 25 hours of on-demand “phone-first” content, such as a weekly “Top 10 most-played tracks of the week” programme, but aims to increase the hours next year. “In this job, you’ve got to keep across what young audiences are doing. They want content on whatever device they are using, increasingly the phone, when they want it, and that is the key for us to stay relevant and stay young.

8) Why does he suggest Radio 1 is distinctive from commercial radio?
Major successes include the station’s YouTube channel, which now has almost 3.5 million subscribers and more than 1bn views. While BBC Radio 1 may be doing well on new digital channels, Cooper is still under pressure to bring the age of listeners of BBC Radio 1 down. The target is 15- to 29-year-olds, the average is 32.  Earlier this year, the station’s breakfast show audience reached its lowest level in more than 13 years. 

9) Why is Radio 1 increasingly focusing on YouTube views and digital platforms?
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. And 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.

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

I think that the BBC should remit include targeting young audiences via Radio 1 because they need to support their statement which is to Educate, Inform and Entertain and most youth people need this because they are young and are still part of the learning process.