newsbeat

• Radio 1 been on air since

  1967
• when did commercial radio stations start in the uk?

  1973
• News Beat launched to compete with rivals

  1973
• Newsbeat used experimental jingles and background music which proved popular – created own signature music
• Newsbeat distribution

  • Radio 1
  • Radio 1 extra
  • Radio Asian Network
• BBC


  • Largest public service broadcaster in UK
  • Mission is to provide "accurate, impartial and independent news that should be placed at the heart of daytime output"
  • Newsbeat aligns with their aim as it provides current affairs for younger audiences
  • No adverts – funded by general public through licensing fees
• criticisms of BBC

  
  

  Many suggest the institution should be defunded and compete against other subscription services as critics question why we should pay a license fee
• BBC often accused of political bias as they reinforce more liberal ideology
• BBC distinguishes between factual reporting using machine-readable labels in six categories


  • News
  • Analysis
  • Ask the audience
  • Explainer
  • Opinion
  • Review
• Lord Reith was the first BBC director general.
• Radio 1 extra

  • Digital only station
  • Aimed at more black audiences- demonstrates BBC'S aim to bring in more diverse audience
• Newsbeat distribution

  • 15-minute programmes transmitted live over digital audio broadcast (DAB) frequencies at 12:45 and 17:45 during weekends
  • Distributed on Radio 1, 1Xtra, and the Asian network- simultaneous transmission= simulcast
  • Stories about entertainment, gossip, sports headlines
  • Can hear programme online, need to sign in with BBC account – enables corporation to offer personalised suggestions based on BBC sounds history. Also share your personal data with TV licensing to ensure you're paying your hypothecated tax
  • They offer a range of ways to listen to the show so they can connect with a larger audience, improve ratings and secure the viability of the format
  • Bulletins 2-3 mins long – short attention span of younger audiences
• Curran and Seaton argue that media is owned by a few corporations which hinders creativity and choice, giving more power and influence to those that are the producers and editors of media
• Curran and Seaton acknowledge that BBC is not performing in the same competitive market as companies supported by advertising
• Minority audiences are catered for as BBC can take 'risk' as they don't seek profits- gov funded
• Hesmondhalgh argues media products exist only for economic purposes
• Hesmondhalgh states that BBC iPlayer has successfully brought the BBC into the digital age
• Hesmondhalgh argues that the license fee ensures that both diverse and niche content can be produced without risk
• Hesmondhalgh argues that the BBC provides culturally sound and quality products which challenge the variable output paraded on digital platforms
• Gerbner's cultivation theory states that repeated patterns convince us the way things are represented are true
• Intro

  • Short burst of music fading bassline signals the start of the programme
• Bulletin

  Presenter reads out list of today's stories
• Soundbites

  
  

  Supported by pre-recorded clips of interviews and commentary
• Outro

  Presenter signs off
• Radio 1 faces competition with other forms of media such as TV, streaming, podcasts
• According to Statistica, Radio 1 reached just under 9 million listeners every week in the first quarter of 2020 – still able to attract a mass audience
• Radio 1 also has to compete with mobile-first audiences as they now learn important events from social media networks such as TikTok, Instagram etc
• Newsbeat responds to competition by serving content on their website, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram - a multiplatform approach
• Hall's reception theory

  • Hall argues producers encode meaning and values into texts which is then decoded by the audience
  • dominant, negotiated, oppositional reading
  • Factors that may affect our reaction could be: age, value, ideology, mood
• preferred reading

  The Newsbeat producers hope their short-form news stories will engage their audience and keep them up to date about the latest events around the world
• negotiated reading

  Some listeners might appreciate the snackable content but will then turn to other sources for the stories behind the headlines
• oppositional reading

  
  

  Other listeners will simply reject the encoded message and construct their own meanings. Perhaps the news stories are irrelevant to their own situations. They might even tune into another station if they just want to hear music
• Newsbeat has a separate office staffed by younger people- know its content needs to be different to appeal to/ make it more relatable
• BBC Trust states Radio 1 targets people aged 15-29
• RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research) suggests the average listener is 30, however this data is from 2005-2014 and is quite outdated
• Recent data from YouGov in 2021 shows Radio 1 is popular with older groups
• Psychographics

  • Aspirers- materialistic, deem fashion, image and appearance important, typically younger, seek status
  • Reformers- believes in the freedom for growth and loss of restrictions. Have social awareness and independent judgement. Antimaterialistic but aware of good taste. Seek enlightenment
• radio 1 remit

  "entertain and engage a broad range of young listeners with a distinctive mix of contemporary music and speech"
• BBC remit

  provide impartial and reliable reporting
• simulcast

  simultaneous transmission through multiple channels