Radio: Launch of Radio 1 CSP case study

 Radio 1 Launch CSP: blog tasks

Historical, social and cultural contexts

1) What radio stations were offered by the BBC before 1967?

bbc radio home

bbc light

bbc third

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

bbc radio 1 and bbc radio 2

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

Pirate stations did not have restrictions like the BBC and so they could play more music. They were, therefore, more popular with young people than the BBC.

 ‘Pirate’ radio stations who could produce these shows for young people, but were beyond the control of regulators.

4) Why did pirate radio stop broadcasting in 1967?

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.

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

The people that led the pirate radio stations were hired to Radio 1 so it brought their loyal listeners with them.

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

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. 

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

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.

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?

Many of the pirate station DJs were then employed by BBC Radio 1, thus bringing many of the their loyal listeners with them.

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

10) What conventions did Tony Blackburn's radio show borrow from pirate radio - which made it very different to previous BBC radio content?

Tony brought over the listeners