Radio 1 Launch Case Study CSP
Historical, Social and Cultural Context
1)The Radio stations that were offered by the BBC before 1967 were: BBC Radio Home which then became Radio 4; BBC Third which then became Radio 3; BBC Radio Light which then became Radio 1 (pop music) and Radio 2 (easy listening music entertainment).
2)
The BBC realised that the content that their audiences were paying the license fee for wasn't actually appealing to everyone. Younger people found that there was not enough content for them which led to them looking to things such as pirate radio which did appeal to them. In order to counter this and prevent it from getting any bigger the BBC decided to reorganise and rename their channels. BBC Radio 1 offers continuous 'popular' while BBC Radio 2 provides for 'easy listening'. BBC Radio 3 offers classical music and cultural programming whereas BBC Radio offers news and non-musical content like quiz shows, readings, dramas and plays.
3)
Due to the changing attitudes of young people towards music and youth culture in the early 1960s pop music was becoming more relaxed meaning that the need for a new radio outlet was imperative for a less formal presentation style which the BBC could not offer. This is how pirate radio stations came about as they could produce shows for young people however it was also beyond the control of regulators. After Needle Time was introduced it meant that only 5 hours of music could be played per day though this restriction could not be imposed on them because the law was difficult to apply off shore which only made pirate radio more popular with young people than the BBC.
4)
Pirate radio stopped broadcasting in 1967 as the Marine Broadcasting offences Act officially outlawed pirate radio stations. The Government had closed the legal loopholes that allowed pirate radio stations to broadcast music past the Needle Time.
5)
After pirate radio stations were closed down the 10-15 million British audiences they had didn't have a choice but to listen to BBC Radio 1 if they wanted to listen to pop music. Due to the fact that the pirate radio stations did close down BBC Radio 1 employed many of them which brought their loyal listeners along with them. Commercial radio wasn't out yet and so the BBC didn't have any competition either.
6)
Needle Time was introduced out of fear from the Government as they thought the amount of music being played on radios was going to lead to no one buying records anymore. Due to this, they decided to restrict the amount of music played by the BBC per day to 5 hours this was a huge problem for the BBC as they were already losing popularity to pirate radio stations. This new restriction made them lose even more popularity which was detrimental to the BBC.
7)
BBC Radio 1 offered content that was actually tailored to younger audiences and what they wanted to hear which was very different to the previous BBC Radio stations which were more focused on the enjoyment of the older audiences.
8)
The first presenter for BBC Radio 1 was Tony Blackburn these new Radio 1 DJs caused upset at the traditional BBC as it completely went against the traditional conservative values that the BBC stood for.
9)
Upon listening to the excerpts from the Tony Blackburn's first 1967 I think that his way of speaking was quite informal and comical much like what you would expect from younger people at the time which may have in turn appealed to some young listeners.
10)
Tony Blackburn's radio show borrowed the informality that was more associated with pirate radios which was completely different to previous BBC Radio content.
8)
The first presenter for BBC Radio 1 was Tony Blackburn these new Radio 1 DJs caused upset at the traditional BBC as it completely went against the traditional conservative values that the BBC stood for.
9)
Upon listening to the excerpts from the Tony Blackburn's first 1967 I think that his way of speaking was quite informal and comical much like what you would expect from younger people at the time which may have in turn appealed to some young listeners.
10)
Tony Blackburn's radio show borrowed the informality that was more associated with pirate radios which was completely different to previous BBC Radio content.
Audience and Industry
1)
The target audience of BBC Radio 1 in 1967 was 15-29 years old. However, the people that actually listened to it were far older than what the BBC had initially anticipated.
2)
BBC Radio 1 initially struggled to attract young listeners due to the fact that generally the DJs that were broadcasting were actually far older than the young people they wanted to attract. Additionally, the fact that the BBC was associated with its conservative values and having a majority of the content targeted at older people the idea of a radio station targeted at young people might have been seen as quite mediocre.
3)
In 1967 Radio 1 offered listeners: Information through the news summary and weather forecast that was given at the start of the broadcasts along with the end; Entertainment through the liveliness of the broadcasters and the pop music being played; Relationships after listening to the same broadcaster multiple times especially when they speak informally allows for listeners to build a greater connection with the broadcasters.
4)
The BBC is funded by the mandatory license fee that you are required to pay when owning a television in the 1960s it was about £4 but across the years it has now increased to a large amount of £154.50.
5)
Applying Stuart Hall's reception theory I believe that the preferred reading of BBC Radio 1 in 1967 was that the BBC was finally making an effort to provide content that actually appealed to those who were paying the license fee. Additionally, the fact the the BBC was now something that stretched out to a wider age group and catered to the needs of young people was quite a big improvement.
The oppositional reading of BBC Radio 1 in 1967 however was that although the BBC was trying to target young people it was still attracting older people and not exactly providing what younger people wanted to hear.
The target audience of BBC Radio 1 in 1967 was 15-29 years old. However, the people that actually listened to it were far older than what the BBC had initially anticipated.
2)
BBC Radio 1 initially struggled to attract young listeners due to the fact that generally the DJs that were broadcasting were actually far older than the young people they wanted to attract. Additionally, the fact that the BBC was associated with its conservative values and having a majority of the content targeted at older people the idea of a radio station targeted at young people might have been seen as quite mediocre.
3)
In 1967 Radio 1 offered listeners: Information through the news summary and weather forecast that was given at the start of the broadcasts along with the end; Entertainment through the liveliness of the broadcasters and the pop music being played; Relationships after listening to the same broadcaster multiple times especially when they speak informally allows for listeners to build a greater connection with the broadcasters.
4)
The BBC is funded by the mandatory license fee that you are required to pay when owning a television in the 1960s it was about £4 but across the years it has now increased to a large amount of £154.50.
5)
Applying Stuart Hall's reception theory I believe that the preferred reading of BBC Radio 1 in 1967 was that the BBC was finally making an effort to provide content that actually appealed to those who were paying the license fee. Additionally, the fact the the BBC was now something that stretched out to a wider age group and catered to the needs of young people was quite a big improvement.
The oppositional reading of BBC Radio 1 in 1967 however was that although the BBC was trying to target young people it was still attracting older people and not exactly providing what younger people wanted to hear.
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