BBC Radio

Component 1 Section B Radio Industry

With Radio, you might get asked on:

• Historical, industrial and social/cultural context ownership

• Funding and its importance in the creation, distribution and production of media products

• Regulation

• The impact of technology

• Global production and distribution

PSB- Public Broadcasting Service

Niche Audience- A niche audience is a relatively small audience with specialised interests, tastes & backgrounds.

Mainstream Audience- A broad audience. A text with mainstream appeal will appeal to a broad range of people.

Global Audience- Audiences from around the world. In the digital age, distributing to global audiences is much easier but it means constructing texts that may have more global appeal.

BBC

• The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a public service broadcasting corporation of the United Kingdom.

• The BBC is the worlds oldest national broadcasting organisation and the largest broadcaster in the world.

• It’s main responsibility is to provide impartial PSB in the UK.

• BBC deals with products such as broadcasting, radio & web portals.

• The BBC was formed on 18 October 1922.

• John Charles Walsham Reith became general manager of the BBC on 14 December 1922.

• There were no rules, standards or established purpose to guide him.

• Lord Reith wanted the BBC to belong to the British Public.

BBC Charter/ Royal Charter

The Charter includes both a mission & a purpose.

The BBC’s mission is:

‘‘To act in the public interest, serving all audiences through the provision of impartial, high-quality & distinctive output & services which inform, educate & entertain.’’

This is reflected in their purposes which are:

1. To provide impartial news & information to help people understand & engage with the world around them.

2. To support learning for people of all ages. e.g. BBC Bitesize

3. To show the most creative, highest quality & distinctive outputs & services. e.g. smaller creators

4. To reflect, represent & serve the diverse communities of all the United Kingdom’s Nations Regions & in doing so, support the creative community across the UK. Similar to Channel 4.

5. To reflect the United Kingdom, its culture & values to the world.

What is PSB today?

The BBC is totally subject to PSB rules:

• No adverts – only trailers for their own shows

• Funded by the licence fee (£169.50 per year)

• This pays for 9 TV channels (BBC1,2,3,4, HD, CBeebies, CBBC, News and Parliament), national radio (BBC1 to 7, 1Extra, 4extra, 5live Sports Extra, Asian Network) and around 40 local radio stations, plus huge online presence – iPlayer, etc)

Public Service Broadcasting vs Commercial Broadcasting

Does the BBC serve Diverse Communities?

• The BBC is too white and middle-class.

• In 2017, an Ofcom report stated that there was too little diversity both on and off-screen. young people and ethnic minorities felt particularly alienated from BBC content.

  
  

  In 2021 Diversity and Inclusion Plan was launched – employment and content.

• Part of this strategy is to have a 50:20:12 target;

  i.e. 50% of the workforce to be women, 20% POC and 12% disabled.

BBC Sounds

Historical contexts:

• The BBC is often accused by its critics of being too white and middle-class. In 2017, an Ofcom report stated that there was too little diversity at the corporation, both on and off-screen. It also reported that young people and ethnic minorities felt particularly alienated from BBC content.

• In 2021, the BBC launched a Diversity and Inclusion Plan, overhauling recruitment and commissioning content that “authentically and accurately represents diversity in the UK”.

• Part of this strategy is to have a 50:20:12 target, i.e. 50% of the workforce to be women, 20% people of colour and 12% disabled

REGULATION

• gOVERNED BY THE rOYAL cHARTER- REMIT TO ‘INFORM, EDUCATE AND ENTERTAIN’ SET DOWN BY lORD rEITH (oFCOM CHECK IT IS ENFORCED)

• % of it shows have to be produced outside of M25/London and they have to show the cultural diversity of the UK and the regions of the UK

• Have to produce shows utilising talent from across the UK

• Programmes for all kinds of specialist groups due to funding by license fee

• The BBC mainly regulate themselves- they check they are following Ofcom guidelines and their remit-editors are involved

• Ofcom ensures that the BBC conform to their remit/public duty, as per the requirements of The Royal Charter

• The public can complain so they play a part in the regulatory role

• The govt can pass bills that then impact on the BBC and Ofcom e.g. with it’s new Online Safety Bill

• NB Ofcom regulate commercial radio stations directly

• BBC need to be accountable to license fee payers and play a key democratic role

REGUALTION PROCESS