Radio 1 question
How has changing patterns of audience consumption affected radio? Refer to the BBC 1 Breakfast show to support your answer. (15)
The way that audiences consume radio has changed over the years and this has had an impact on radio.The RAJAR statistics for the first quarter of 2020 show that the number of listeners to breakfast stations has decreased which may be due to new needs and wants amongst the population. This decrease in listeners will have a greater financial affect on privatised radio station companies such as Global who owns Capital FM and Absolute Radio as well as many others. Due to Global generating its revenue from commercial advertising, if listener volume is decreasing, less businesses may want to advertise using radio and therefore harm Global. The number of listeners doesn't have as great of financial impact on public radio stations such as the BBC which owns 11 national radio brands. Instead of commercial advertising, the BBC generates its revenue from TV licenses which are currently £157.50 per household. Although this change in audience consumption of radio doesn't have a huge economic effect on public radio companies, they are still effected in other ways by the changes in audience consumption.
BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show has a target audience of 15-29 year old's.This demographic only makes up 29% of listeners in the radio industry due to the generation Z audience having a bigger interest in streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, which allow users to create their own playlists to satisfy their needs. This change in radio consumption led to the BBC creating their own app 'BBC Sounds' in 2018. Users can download the app on their phones and play BBC produced content as well as listen to highlights of the breakfast show from previous days. This allows users to have more freedom and shows the affect that change in audience consumption has had on radio.
Due to BBC Radio 1 Breakfast having to compete with streaming services due to the change in audience consumption, the radio station has introduced new elements to provide an exclusivity feel to encourage audiences to turn back to radio. BBC Radio 1 Breakfast attempted this with host Greg James presenting games such as 'what's my age again?' The radio show also features regular interviews with celebrities, which have included: Sam Fender, Chris Martin and Stormzy. Greg James hosts a 10 minute takeover each day where listeners can send in their song requests, allowing listeners to have have more control just like when they use music streaming services. These features allow the radio station to be using web 2.0 in an attempt to connect to listeners and create a feeling of exclusivity due to the changes in needs and wants of radio consumption by audiences. It is important for the station to be able to present something different to listeners as some of the public were calling for the BBC to be privatised as they believed it was a waste of tax-payer's money therefore by the radio station presenting content which can only be heard on 10% of competitor's stations, this makes BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show bring originality and exclusivity to meet the new higher demands of the audience.
As well as include new features to create an element of exclusivity, BBC Radio has become digitally convergent by creating social media accounts. Radio 1's Twitter account shows followers behind-the-scenes footage, news stories and updates and has recently hit 3 million followers. Due to the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show having a young target audience, the use of social media is important to try and engage this group as many 15-29 year old's have social media and take an interest in what they see on there. Along with becoming digitally convergent, the BBC used vertical integration as it has created a series of above the line adverts for the breakfast show and featured them on BBC television channels. The BBC has had to create TV ads for their radio show to meet the change in audience consumption as more people are starting to watch the TV than listen to the radio.
Overall, the changing patterns of audience consumption has affected radio as radio has had to adapt to these changes to try and maintain an audience. BBC Radio 1 Breakfast has created an app, social media accounts, TV advertising and diversified its content to try and engage its 15-29 year old target audience who are opting out of listening to radio for more personalised playlists on streaming services.
The way that audiences consume radio has changed over the years and this has had an impact on radio.The RAJAR statistics for the first quarter of 2020 show that the number of listeners to breakfast stations has decreased which may be due to new needs and wants amongst the population. This decrease in listeners will have a greater financial affect on privatised radio station companies such as Global who owns Capital FM and Absolute Radio as well as many others. Due to Global generating its revenue from commercial advertising, if listener volume is decreasing, less businesses may want to advertise using radio and therefore harm Global. The number of listeners doesn't have as great of financial impact on public radio stations such as the BBC which owns 11 national radio brands. Instead of commercial advertising, the BBC generates its revenue from TV licenses which are currently £157.50 per household. Although this change in audience consumption of radio doesn't have a huge economic effect on public radio companies, they are still effected in other ways by the changes in audience consumption.
BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show has a target audience of 15-29 year old's.This demographic only makes up 29% of listeners in the radio industry due to the generation Z audience having a bigger interest in streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, which allow users to create their own playlists to satisfy their needs. This change in radio consumption led to the BBC creating their own app 'BBC Sounds' in 2018. Users can download the app on their phones and play BBC produced content as well as listen to highlights of the breakfast show from previous days. This allows users to have more freedom and shows the affect that change in audience consumption has had on radio.
Due to BBC Radio 1 Breakfast having to compete with streaming services due to the change in audience consumption, the radio station has introduced new elements to provide an exclusivity feel to encourage audiences to turn back to radio. BBC Radio 1 Breakfast attempted this with host Greg James presenting games such as 'what's my age again?' The radio show also features regular interviews with celebrities, which have included: Sam Fender, Chris Martin and Stormzy. Greg James hosts a 10 minute takeover each day where listeners can send in their song requests, allowing listeners to have have more control just like when they use music streaming services. These features allow the radio station to be using web 2.0 in an attempt to connect to listeners and create a feeling of exclusivity due to the changes in needs and wants of radio consumption by audiences. It is important for the station to be able to present something different to listeners as some of the public were calling for the BBC to be privatised as they believed it was a waste of tax-payer's money therefore by the radio station presenting content which can only be heard on 10% of competitor's stations, this makes BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show bring originality and exclusivity to meet the new higher demands of the audience.
As well as include new features to create an element of exclusivity, BBC Radio has become digitally convergent by creating social media accounts. Radio 1's Twitter account shows followers behind-the-scenes footage, news stories and updates and has recently hit 3 million followers. Due to the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show having a young target audience, the use of social media is important to try and engage this group as many 15-29 year old's have social media and take an interest in what they see on there. Along with becoming digitally convergent, the BBC used vertical integration as it has created a series of above the line adverts for the breakfast show and featured them on BBC television channels. The BBC has had to create TV ads for their radio show to meet the change in audience consumption as more people are starting to watch the TV than listen to the radio.
Overall, the changing patterns of audience consumption has affected radio as radio has had to adapt to these changes to try and maintain an audience. BBC Radio 1 Breakfast has created an app, social media accounts, TV advertising and diversified its content to try and engage its 15-29 year old target audience who are opting out of listening to radio for more personalised playlists on streaming services.
Yes, Hattie. Smashed it again. Good references to the show you studied - your third paragraph is particularly good when you reference the celebrity endorsements, and the segments of the show which appeal to the younger demographic. Well done. You have used the information from the lesson well, including the above the line campaign, and your writing has a clarity and maturity to it. Perhaps you could have mentioned that the breakfast show was the only major breakfast show to gain listeners in the Q1 of 2020, bucking the downward trend, which would have set up the rest of your essay quite well. But aside from that, an excellent answer.
ReplyDelete13/15