Radio: BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat

Newsbeat analysis

Use BBC Sounds to listen to Radio 1. Select a Newsbeat bulletin (8am or 12.45pm are good options) and then answer the following questions: 

1) What news stories were featured in the bulletin you listened to?

Belfast knife attack + football + med

2) How does Newsbeat appeal to a youth audience?

It's very fast paced which attracts and helps focus a younger audience, as due to the development of social media, such as tiktok which is short form videos has lead to the younger generations to have shorter attention span. Paired with music and talking about current things which may interest them such as football rather than serious indents such as the Belfast knife attack. 

3) How might Newsbeat help fulfil the BBC's responsibilities as a public service broadcaster? 

Inform - Such as through what it currently happening for example the Belfast knife attack even though it may not be an appropriate subject for youngers, BBC one talks about in a way which informs the public rather than scare them

Entertain - Music + interesting topics such as football

Educate - Talks about if someone has a heart attack and what to do

Media Factsheet #246: BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat

Read Factsheet #246 BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat. You'll need your Greenford google login to access it. Answer the following questions:

1) How is the history and launch of Radio 1 summarised in the factsheet?

In response, Radio 1 was set-up to rival these pirate stations and put them out of business, which it successfully did. Tony Blackburn opened Radio 1 on 30th September 1967 at 7.00am, The station set out to emulate the new ‘DJ style’ of radio, heard only on the pirate radio stations. The first words spoken by him were, “Welcome to the exciting new sound of Radio One.

2) Look at page 3 of the factsheet. How is Radio 1 attempting to appeal to its 15-29 age demographic? 

Today, Radio 1 is supposed to cater for the 15-29 year old demographic. It aims to entertain and engage young listeners with a distinctive mix of contemporary music and speech. The programmes showcase a wide range of new music styles and support emerging artists, in particular those from the UK; with at least 60 hours a week dedicated to specialist music programming. News, documentaries and other speech content focuses on areas of relevance to young adults in the UK today and aims to help them make sense of the world around them.

3) What did young people used to get from radio? Focus on audience pleasures / Uses & Gratifications here (see top of second column on page 3).

To connect themselves to popular culture products (identity) To gain an insight into the world beyond their own experience: relationships, romance, politics (information and surveillance). To build para-social relationships with media personalities (both musicians and DJs) – create fandoms. For pure entertainment.

4) How has Radio 1 and Newsbeat in particular diversified its content for the digital age? 

Newsbeat is both a traditional radio programme with regular, scheduled broadcast times, but it is also available online after broadcast. The broadcast itself and the use of digital platforms provides opportunities for audience interaction

5) How is Newsbeat constructed to appeal to audiences? 

Newsbeat uses several ways to engage its audience such as Multiple voices, regional and national accents; Welsh, Irish, Scottish, Code-switching from formal to informal is used in order to target and appeal to different demographics. Simplifying of language and content. Personalisation and anecdotes. Use of sound beds/effects: also known as imagining, that run underneath the voices. Recorded interviews with diegetic sound.

6) What are the three key ideas from David Hesmondhalgh and which apply to Radio 1 Newsbeat?

Music can uniquely reflect an identity to a listener and smaller stations do not have to make money for shareholders. For example, Mark Lucke who ran the KHIL station in Willcox, Arizona, personally looks for records that his listeners ask for, he will repair scratched records and play them and also scours e-bay and the internet to find the music they want. He likens curating music for his listeners to painting. Writing about the station in The Guardian, Debbie Weingraten states, ‘He boldly mixes formats and weaves genres; his library is 75% female artists, even though he knows the old-timers will complain about too many women on the radio. And he’s forever on a search for what he calls “nuggets” to add to his library – those songs with such emotional heft that the listener is entirely consumed by the story or the feeling and is transported to a different world.’ Arguably Apple is doing some of this through its curated music and podcasts, but it’s not serving local communities in the way that local radio does.

7) Now look at Curran and Seaton. What are their key ideas and can they be applied to Radio 1 Newsbeat? 

The horizontal integration of companies and buying up smaller stations leads to the concentration of ownership in the hands of large conglomerates. This can lead to the reduction of other radio broadcasters being able to reach audiences. Radio stations can be set-up cheaply but they still need advertising revenue to survive. For example, in America rural  radio stations serve the specific culture and values of their population and they are finding it hard to survive. When they struggle, big conglomerates come in and buy the stations’ broadcast frequency cheaply for the sole purpose of relocating them to urban areas. In a more affluent market, they then become more valuable and can be sold for a higher price. With limited frequencies available, larger broadcasters purchase as many as possible – especially those higher on the dial. Currently Apple and Spotify are dominating the streaming of music and challenging the traditional radio stations.

8) What key idea for Livingstone and Lunt is on the factsheet and how does it link to the CSP?

The deregulation of radio businesses with the 1996 Telecommunications Act changed the radio landscape dramatically and led to the rapid consolidation of the industry. In the months after the act’s passage, Reed Hundt, then the FCC (Federal Communication Commission) Chair, spoke before Congress about “fostering innovation and competition in radio” and “[promoting] diversity in programming and diversity in the viewpoints expressed on this powerful medium that so shapes our culture.”

9) How can we apply Stuart Hall's Reception theory to Radio 1 Newsbeat?

The BBC tries to appeal to young people with its content, but it faces competition from other platforms that appear to be catering for them in a better, more appealing way.

10) Choose one other audience theory on the factsheet and explain how it links to Radio 1 Newsbeat.

Audiences select media products in an active way, for various reasons. Newsbeat could satisfy the need for information and surveillance. Radio 1 has many aspects of entertainment.

Industry contexts: reading and research

Read the first five pages of this Ofcom document laying out its regulation of the BBC. 

1) Pick out three key points in the 'Summary' section.

- "For the first time, the BBC will be robustly held to account... by an independent, external regulator."

- "Our new regulatory conditions raise the bar for the BBC."

- "We will not accept falling standards on the BBC's output and services. If the BBC falls short, we will step in for audiences."

2) Now read what the license framework will seek to do (letters a-h). Which of these points could we relate to BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat?

Radio 1 will be required to broadcast an extended news bulletin in peak time each weekday.

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

I think the most important aspect is (a) because providing trustworthy news helps people stay informed about what is happening in the UK and around the world.

I also think (d) is important because Radio 1's social action campaigns encourage young people to learn about important issues such as mental health and voting.

Finally, (h) is important because the BBC should represent everyone in the UK so that all audiences feel included and see their lives reflected in its programmes.

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

an in-depth review of how different audiences are represented and portrayed on the BBC. The review will look at on-screen diversity and whether the BBC reflects the lives of people from different ages and communities across the UK. It will also consider what audiences expect from the BBC and whether they feel represented.

5) Based on your reading and research, do you think BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat offers licence fee payers good value for money?

Yes, I think BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat offers licence fee payers good value for money because it provides free, reliable news that is designed for young audiences. It also covers important topics such as politics, health, technology and social issues in a way that is easy for younger listeners to understand. This supports Ofcom's requirement that "Radio 1 will be required to broadcast an extended news bulletin in peak time each weekday."

A/A* Extension tasks

As an extension, read this Guardian interview with former BBC 1 Controller Ben Cooper. It's a few years old but has some excellent discussion of the challenges facing radio and public service broadcasting. You may want to answer the following questions:

1) What was Ben Cooper trying to do with Radio 1?

He wanted to make Radio 1 "the Netflix of music radio" and attract younger audiences.

2) How does he argue that Radio 1 is doing better with younger audiences than the statistics suggest?

He says Rajar does not measure under-15s, and the most common age of a Radio 1 listener is 18, while its YouTube audience is mainly 12- to 17-year-old females.

3) Why does he suggest Radio 1 is distinctive from commercial radio?

He says Radio 1 plays about 4,000 different tracks a month, while commercial radio plays about 400.

4) Why is Radio 1 increasingly focusing on YouTube views and digital platforms?

Because young audiences want content on whatever device they are using, increasingly the phone, when they want it.

5) 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.

Yes. The BBC should continue targeting young audiences because it provides free, public service content that informs, educates and entertains without advertising.