A background to the history of UK radio plus an independent research task

1. Component 2 Evolving Media
Section A: RADIO
BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show
Media Industries & Media Audiences

2. Lesson 1
Survey and BBC History
Research all BBC radio stations and contents

3. What decade was the radio invented?
What year was the BBC formed?
How many UK radio stations are there
today?
What do you already know?

4. • Guglielmo Marconi: Italian inventor.
• He sent and received his first radio signal in Italy in 1895.
• 1897 set up the Marconi's "Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company,
Chelmsford Essex.

5. What is a radio?
A radio is a device that transmits sound

7. 1922 - Formation of the British Broadcasting Company -
John Reith
1927 Becomes the British Broadcasting Corporation est. by
Royal Charter
‘Nation shall speak peace unto Nation’

8. The BBC duty/remit:
To Inform,
Educate
and Entertain

9. 1932
George V giving the first Royal Christmas
Message on BBC Radio

10. What is this and where is it?

11. What is this and where is it?
Broadcasting House
Portland Place
Marylebone
London
The first radio broadcast from the
building was made on 15 March
1932

12. EARLY TV
1932 – Test transmissions alternating between Logie Bairds 224 lines
and Marconi's 405 line
1936 – First televised programmes
1937 - First televised Outside Broadcast (OB) – Coronation of George
IV
1939 – Suspended with out break of WWII

13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtJ_zbz1NyY

14. Winston Churchfield
used radio to keep
British people’s morale
high

15. 1939 – BBC Home Service
and The Third programme
1945 – BBC Light Programme – entertainment/music
1945 – BBC television resumes
1939-46 RADIO

16. Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II shown on live TV.
Thousands of TV sets purchased
1953

17. Portable Transistor Radios
Sony introduced their first portable
radio in 1954 and then a better
version in 1957 that was truly a
“pocket radio”.

18. BBC radio Monopoly 1922 – 1960s

19. Early 1960s "Pirate radio stations"
Broadcast from offshore ships –
not illegal because they were in international waters.
Set up to meet the demand for pop and rock music, which
was not catered for by the legal BBC Radio
Radio Caroline broadcast from a ship off Essex coast in 1964.
By 1967 10 pirate radio stations were broadcasting to an estimated daily audience of
10 to 15 million.
Influential pirate radio DJs included John Peel, Tony Blackburn, Kenny Everett.
The format was influenced by American radio stations - top 40 format with informal
DJs- the antithesis of BBC radio at the time. Land based pirate stations took to the
air on medium wave at weekends, such as Radio Free London in 1968

20. Radio 1 is launched
BBC Light programme becomes Radio 2
BBC third Programme becomes radio 3
Home Service becomes Radio 4
First local BBC radio station in Leicester
1967

21. Independent Local radio Stations begin broadcasting
BBC loses its monopoly
1973

22. 1990 deregulation
Radio stations go from 46 – 267 by 2010
Independent Radio audience over takes BBC radio for the 1st time
Mercia Sound,
Hereward
Radio2CR
Radio
TaySevern
Sound
DevonAir
Radio
NorthSound,
RadioRadio
Radio Essex
Radio Chiltern
RadioWiltshire
Radio Saxon
RadioCounty
SoundGB
RadioSouthern
Viking Radio
Invicta
Mercury

23. Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) radio in launched (Commercial DAB receivers
began to be sold in 1999)
Over 50 commercial and BBC DAB services were available in London by 2001
1996 - 2001
31 million people in UK now own a DAB radio

24. 2000’s internet radio stations MEDIA
CONVERGENCE
Gold fm radio
Box UK radio
KISS hits fm
Dance Radio UK

25. New communications regulator Ofcom established replacing:
•the Broadcasting Standards Commission,
•The Independent Television Commission (ITC)
•the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel)
•the Radio Authority
•the Radio communications Agency
2003

26. 2007 BBC iplayer launched
2007

27. Today there are over 800 radio
services and 250 licences are
awarded each year

29. What can we listen to the radio on nowadays?
How many devices do you have in your house
that you can access radio programmes?

30. Desktop computers, laptops, smart phones,
television, tablets, iPods, DAB radios, smart
Watches….?
What can we listen to the radio on nowadays?

31. What decade was the radio invented?
What year was the BBC formed?
How many UK radio stations are there
today?
Do you NOW know?

32. What decade was the radio invented?
1890s
What year was the BBC formed? 1922
How many UK radio stations are there
today? > 800
Do you NOW know?

33. Summary
•UK dominance of radio
•The BBC’s monopoly
•Competition from TV, deregulation,
commercial radio and internet

34. INDEPENDENT RESEARCH
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)
10 radio stations
6-8 national regional stations
40 local radio stations
+>800 UK commercial stations
What are their different styles/content and target audience?
Research 10 different types of radio stations CREATE A PPT
(inc at least 5 BBC radio stations)
SUMMARISE YOUR FINDINGS – WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON STYLE OF STATION? WHY?

35. BBC Radio 1: to entertain and engage a broad
range of young listeners with a distinctive
mix of contemporary music and speech. 15-
29 year olds
DJs and music
Competitions
Informal mode of delivery
Regular news reports

36. Radio Brand Identities
• BBC Radio 1: to entertain and engage a broad range of young listeners with a distinctive mix of
contemporary music and speech. 15-29 year olds
 BBC Radio 1 Xtra: to play the best in contemporary black music with a strong emphasis on live music and
supporting new UK artists. DAB an on-line
 BBC Radio 2: to be a distinctive mixed music and speech service, targeted at a broad audience, appealing
to all age groups over 35.
 BBC Radio 3: to offer a mix of music and cultural programming in order to engage and entertain its
audience.
 BBC Radio 4: to be a mixed speech service, offering in-depth news and current affairs and a wide range of
other speech output including drama, readings, comedy, factual and magazine programmes.
 BBC Radio 4 Extra: to provide speech-based entertainment. Its schedule includes comedy, drama, stories,
features, readings and programmes that appeal to children.
 BBC Radio 5 Live: to provide live news and sports coverage.
 BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra: to bring a greater choice of live action to sports fans by offering a part-
time extension of BBC Radio 5 live.
 BBC Radio 6 Music: to entertain lovers of popular music with a service that celebrates the alternative spirit
in popular music from the 1960s to the present day.
 BBC Asian Network: to provide speech and music output appealing to British Asians, with a strong focus
on news and current affairs.
 The World Service is broadcast internationally and provides news, analysis and information. 27 languages

37. Radio 4 has a weekly reach of almost 9.5 million and has an 11% market share.
Sex:
Men (51%)
Women (49%).
Age:
15-24 (4%)
25-34 (9%)
35-44 (14%)
45-54 (20%)
55-64 (23%)
65+ (30%)
Social grade:
AB (38%)
C1 (37%)
C2 (13%)
DE (12%)

38. Summary of your research?
Many radio stations play popular music and are
aimed at a mainstream audience so maximize their
ratings – especially commercial stations that rely
on advertising revenue for their funding.
Main stations appeal to the C2DE socio-economic
demograph who may have jobs where they are
able to play the radio all day. eg manual workers
etc

39. Don’t forget your Big Issue deadline
26th Jan (MDA A1 have until 30th)
Upload all completed work to your
Mahara journal

40. Start listening to Nick Grimshaw's
Breakfast Show BBC Radio 1