Radio: Launch of BBC Radio 1 CSP

 BBC Radio 1 launch 1967

Our first Radio CSP is the launch of BBC Radio 1 in 1967.

Our Radio products are targeted CSPs and need to be studied with reference to two elements of the Audiences and Industries as well as Historical, Social and Cultural Contexts. This means we need to study the way radio audiences and industries have changed over time and what impact this may have on society.

Notes from the lesson: BBC Radio 1 launch

The launch of Radio 1 was an event of historical and social significance and an important turning point in the history of radio. You would not normally be aware of this historical period in radio, but it provides a useful point of contrast with modern radio stations that can be online / niche / youth-orientated / available on a number of different platforms.

The history of BBC Radio

It is key in this unit of work to understand the importance of radio in 1967. Television was not yet universally available and radio was the key entertainment device. The radio provision in the mid-1960s was:

BBC Radio Home (1939-1967) broadcasting education programmes and news. Mainly speech-based. Replaced by Radio 4.

BBC Radio Light (1945-1967) broadcasting mainly light entertainment (comedy / drama) and music. Replaced by Radio 2.

BBC Third (1946-1970) broadcasting intellectual arts-based talk and music. Replaced by Radio 3.

BBC: funding and reorganisation of radio

As you have seen from our work on Doctor Who and His Dark Materials, the BBC is funded through the compulsory licence fee (£159 now; it was around £4 a year in the 1960s). As everybody pays, then everybody should receive content suitable for their needs. Given the growth of pirate radio in the mid-1960s, the BBC realised that it was not providing content for this growth market of younger people. 

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. 

Historical context: the 1960s and pirate radio

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.

Needle time

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.

Radio 1 target audience

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.

BBC Radio 1 launch: successful?

When first launched in 1967, Radio 1 was not as popular as the BBC had hoped. There were a number of reasons why Radio 1 was not a success initially:

• It was not seen as ‘cool’ by many young people as the BBC stood for traditional, conservative values.
• It struggled financially as there was no increase in the licence fee to pay for this extra radio station.
• Whilst Radio 1 tried to copy the pirate radio’s style, it didn’t quite do it effectively initially as it broadcast simultaneously with Radio 2 – so it had to have a more formal style than the pirate broadcasters.  Some young people didn’t respond positively to this.

However, the 1967 Marine Broadcasting Offences Act officially outlawed pirate radio stations. The Government had closed the legal loophole that allowed these stations to broadcast and these had a British audience of 10 to 15 million. This meant the audience had to go to Radio 1 if they wanted to listen to popular music.

Many of the pirate station DJs were then employed by BBC Radio 1, thus bringing many of the their loyal listeners with them. Commercial radio didn’t broadcast until 1973 so it had no competition. 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. 

You can read more about the history of Radio 1 on this timeline here.

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?

The BBC home service, the BBC light programme and the BBC Third programme.

2) How was BBC radio reorganised in September 1967? What were the new stations that launched?

In September 1967, BBC Radio was reorganised with the launch of Radio 1, a pop music station, replacing parts of the Light Programme to counter the popular pirate radio stations

3) What was pirate radio and why was it popular?

Pirate radio refers to unlicensed, unauthorised radio stations, often broadcasting from ships or land-based locations to circumvent government regulations and control of the airwaves.

4) Why did pirate radio stop broadcasting in 1967?

Pirate radio stopped broadcasting in 1967.because of the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act, which made it illegal for British citizens to work for or assist these offshore stations.

5) How did the BBC attract young audiences to Radio 1 after pirate radio stations were closed down?

The BBC attracted young audiences to Radio 1 by employing former pirate DJs, adopting a more relaxed and informal presentation style, playing popular music, and leveraging its national presence to become the sole legal source of pop music  after pirates were shut down in 1967.

6) What was 'needle time' and why was it a problem for BBC Radio?

Needle time was a restrictive agreement from the 1950s to 1980s that limited the amount of recorded music a broadcaster could play on air, designed to protect record sales for the industry and live performance opportunities for musicians.

7) How did BBC Radio 1 offer different content to previous BBC radio stations?

BBC Radio 1 offered different content by focusing primarily on pop and rock music.

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?

The first presenter for BBC Radio 1 was Tony Blackburn, who began broadcasting on September 30, 1967. The new DJs caused upset because their relaxed, informal style, use of jingles, and focus on pop music.

9) Listen to excerpts from the Tony Blackburn's first 1967 broadcast - how might it have appealed to young listeners?

Tony Blackburn's 1967 Radio 1 broadcast appealed to young listeners because it adopted the informal, music-focused "DJ style" of the now-closed pirate radio stations.

10) How was Tony Blackburn's radio show more like pirate radio rather than traditional BBC radio content?

Tony Blackburn's show on the newly launched Radio 1 was like pirate radio due to its focus on pop music, innovative use of jingles and on-air personality, informal and upbeat style, and a focus on appealing to a young audience.

Audience and industry

1) What was the target audience for BBC Radio 1 in 1967?

The primary target audience for BBC Radio 1 in 1967 was young people, specifically teenagers and young adults.

2) Why did Radio 1 initially struggle to attract young listeners?

Radio 1 struggled to attract young listeners because it was not seen as cool by them, as the BBC stood for traditional, conservative values. BBC Radio 1 also had to be broadcast simultaneously with Radio 2, so it had to have a more formal style than the pirate broadcasters. This made it more unpopular with young listeners.

3) What audience pleasures did Radio 1 offer listeners in 1967? (Use Blumler and Katz Uses and Gratifications theory).

Diversion: music being played, Radio host jokes, sound affects, competition announcements 

Personal Relationships: Tony Blackburn was previously featured on Radio Caroline, any loyal fans would've followed him onto BBC 1, fans may have personal relationships formed with the bands played on the radio station, fan mail, the unconventional way the tv station is run is something teenagers may identify with.

Surveillance: Learning about music that is currently popular, learning about new record releases, learning about new facts in exclusive interviews

4) How is the BBC funded?
The BBC is funded through their compulsory licence fee paid by the public, which was around £4 a year in the 1960s. Now, a TV licence costs £174.50 a year.

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 for BBC Radio 1 would be that teenagers find the station interesting, cool and new due to how it breaks away from the way radios are traditionally run, much like a pirate radio with all the new songs being played from different upcoming genres and the jokes that the host cracks.

The oppositional reading for BBC Radio 1 would be that it is uninteresting, "cringey" and lame as the audience it is aimed at may find the jokes in poor taste or simply unfunny, alongside the music being unappealing.