Radio 1 Launch CSP: blog tasks

 Radio 1 Launch CSP: blog tasks


Work through the following questions to complete your first Radio case study on the launch of BBC Radio 1:

Historical, social and cultural contexts

1) What radio stations were offered by the BBC before 1967?
In response, the BBC reorganised and renamed their radio channels. On 30 September 1967, the Light Programme was split into Radio 1 offering continuous "Popular" music and Radio 2 for more 'Easy Listening'.
  
The "Third" programme became Radio 3 offering classical music and cultural programming. The Home Service became Radio 4 offering news, and non-musical content such as quiz shows, readings, dramas and plays. 

2) How was BBC radio reorganised in September 1967? What were the new stations that launched?
In response, the BBC reorganised and renamed their radio channels. On 30 September 1967, the Light Programme was split into Radio 1 offering continuous "Popular" music and Radio 2 for more 'Easy Listening'.

3) What was pirate radio and why was it popular?
There were changing attitudes to music and youth culture in the early 1960s.  ‘Pop’ music was becoming more popular and attitudes in young people were becoming more relaxed.  There was clearly a need for a radio outlet for this music with a less formal presentation style; but there was nothing on the BBC. This led to the growth of ‘pirate’ radio stations who could produce these shows for young people, but were beyond the control of regulators.

4) Why did pirate radio stop broadcasting in 1967?
There were concerns that too much music on the radio would mean that people would no longer buy records, so the  Musicians' Union and Phonographic Performance Limited (a music licensing company) restricted the amount of recorded music that could be transmitted by the BBC during the course of any 24-hour period. This was called ‘Needle Time’ and in 1967 meant they could only play five hours of music per day. Pirate stations did not have these restrictions imposed on them because the law was difficult to apply offshore - and so could play more music. They were, therefore, more popular with young people than the BBC.


5) How did the BBC attract young audiences to Radio 1 after pirate radio stations were closed down?
The Radio 1 target audience in 1967 was young people who were listening to pirate radio. Today, the BBC Radio 1 target audience is 15-29 year olds but they are struggling to attract these listeners. The median age for a Radio 1 listener is 32 and only 41% of the audience today are aged between 15-29.

6) What was 'needle time' and why was it a problem for BBC Radio?
There were concerns that too much music on the radio would mean that people would no longer buy records, so the  Musicians' Union and Phonographic Performance Limited (a music licensing company) restricted the amount of recorded music that could be transmitted by the BBC during the course of any 24-hour period. This was called ‘Needle Time’ and in 1967 meant they could only play five hours of music per day. 

7) How did BBC Radio 1 offer different content to previous BBC radio stations?
Radio 1 also developed better content more suitable to the target audience as it became more popular. In the 1970s and 1980s, Radio 1 became the most listened to station in the world with audiences regularly over 10 million. 

8) Who was the first presenter for BBC Radio 1 and why did these new Radio 1 DJs cause upset initially at the traditional BBC?
Tony Blackburn

9) Listen to excerpts from the Tony Blackburn's first 1967 broadcast - how might it have appealed to young listeners?
It had a upbeat, modern style and also featured popular music which would attract a younger audience rather than playing old music which would not be appealing to the younger audiences.

10) How was Tony Blackburn's radio show more like pirate radio rather than traditional BBC radio content?
It adopted more of an informal and youth-oriented style, drawing heavily from the presentation of pirate radio stations.

Audience and industry

1) What was the target audience for BBC Radio 1 in 1967?
The Radio 1 target audience in 1967 was young people who were listening to pirate radio. 
2) Why did Radio 1 initially struggle to attract young listeners?

3) What audience pleasures did Radio 1 offer listeners in 1967? (Use Blumler and Katz Uses and Gratifications theory).
Today, the BBC Radio 1 target audience is 15-29 year olds but they are struggling to attract these listeners. The median age for a Radio 1 listener is 32 and only 41% of the audience today are aged between 15-29.

4) How is the BBC funded?
Primarily funded by the UK license fee.

5) Applying Stuart Hall's Reception theory, what would the preferred and oppositional readings have been for BBC Radio 1 in 1967? 
The preferred reading would be that they were something that the youth would be interested in and had popular things playing on.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mise-en-scene;stranger things analysis

Create a new blogpost called 'Mise-en-scene: Stranger Things analysis'.  1) Choose   THREE  aspects of mise-en-scene (e.g. costume, lighting and setting) and write a short paragraph for   each  about the   denotation  and  connotation  and what is communicated to the audience.   Lighting: At the start of the scene you see a man running through a hallway with flickering lights which portrays a eerie affect. There also was a scene at the end of the video where the light bulb kept on flashing which makes the audience feel suspense. Lighting is a very important factor in this episode/scene as the genre is very science-fiction type so they added these effects where it is a scary and uneasy feeling to portray the genre and type of vibe hey wanted to give. Settings: There were a lot of dark settings where there would be dark hallways, dark houses, going home on a bike at night which makes the audience feel apprehensive. The scene where they wer...
Read more

Camerawork blog task

Image
  Blog tasks: 1) Pick  three  camera  shots  from the Doctor Who scene and explain what type of shot it is and what meanings or effect they have on the audience. 1 .In second-0:30 they put the actors face close up (CU) which allows the audience to see their emotional reaction and in this clip she is frustrated and felt left out. The director may have put the close up to show her facial expressions, and how she feels. This gives the viewers a clearer view of the character and their facial expressions as well as small detail that you might not be able to see from a far. 2 .In the second 0:53 they show the actors surroundings and the setting. It is shown to be a long shot which shows a lot of the background. This also gives the onlookers a wider perspective of the environment and shows us anything he director might want us to see and notice.  3. In second 0:23 there is a 2 shot which shows two of the actors and in the clip it is a medium close up. This allows ...
Read more

Denotation & Connotation task.

Image
  Denotation & Connotation blog tasks: advert analysis Create a  new  blogpost in your GCSE Media blog called ' Denotation and connotation '. 1) Write an analysis of the  WaterAid advert above  using denotation, connotation and analysis. What can you see? What are the deeper meanings in the advert? What does the advert communicate to the audience? How might an audience react after seeing the advert? Denotation: This printed advertisement consists of a young African boy stood in front of a rural suburban village(technical code).It also displays that the child looks malnourished and hungry(symbolic code).It also features a rustic back round(technical code) and the Water Aid logo on the top left(symbolic code) with the slogan(written code). Connotation:  The slogan is deliberately made large next to the little boy who looks emaciated to emphasise what Water Aid is trying to get across so its made clear what they want and what the underfed and vulnerable b...
Read more