R1BS essay

How is the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show reaching, targeting and encouraging audience interaction? 750 words

Use your headings from the presentation to guide you so for example a whole paragraph on social media with real examples of what they share and the same with radio one weekend or the Greg James slots or pass the pasty etc…

Answer: 

Since BBC radio 1 first aired, its biggest aim has been to encourage a larger audience interaction and popularity. The shows intended target audience is 15-29 year olds, however this differs slightly according to what is happening on the show. For example, the majority of content consists of popular/requested music tracks and interviews/casual chat with popular celebrities or current personalities.

The arrival of Nick Grimshaw was hoped to bring in an even larger amount of listeners to the show (especially due to his celebrity status and connection to younger audiences), however Grimshaw's appearance as the show's new host brought only a heavy rating fall… leading to the search for a new host for 2018.

The Radio One breakfast show was put in place to encourage audience interaction by involving audience participating quizzes and games. This includes the show's famous 'pass the pasty' which enables listeners to call in and answer or even talk directly to the DJ. This results in a closer relationship between the listeners and the show's team. Radio One also hosts numerous competitions throughout the year, in which prizes such as tickets to the Super bowl, or popular concert can be won. This allows Radio One to gain popularity and interest around the show, due to people wishing to participate in the giveaway.

The Breakfast show reaches out to its daily audience via many different platforms…Its most popular being the radio show. This Air can be hear across different media hosts such as a car/home radio, the BBC website, Radio One App, TV station and computers. However a good WIFI connection is always needed to access the show on your phone/app. On Radio One's social media platforms, The shows DJ is frequently active, allowing audience/listeners to find out live updates and join in with any activities.

The most popular and followed platform for Radio 1 is Youtube, on which they have 5.5 million subscribers, and more listeners daily. Radio One upload an average of 6/7 videos per week, consisting of a wide variety of content… from channel activities and crew footage, to interviews and collaboration videos featuring popular guest stars.

Across Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, the station shares behind the scene videos/photos to distribute and advertise the show's uniqueness.

The Show attracts an average of 7.14 million listeners per week (with Greg James as host) compared to 5.7 million in 2018 (with Nick Grimshaw as host). This is due to Greg James' larger consideration of requests and audience input… to get an idea of what music and content people want to hear. By playing popular and requested songs at the time, BBC Radio One are able to attract even more listeners than in the past.

Another way Radio One are increasing the number of its listeners is by carrying on the Annual event 'Radio 1 Weekend'. This is when Radio one host a 4 venue festival/weekend concert featuring a wide and all time popular range of artists like Sam Smith, Craig David, Ed Sheeran etc… which is then brodacast on TV, BBC app and of course… Live Radio.