BBC Radio 1 - Life Hacks: Blog tasks

BBC Radio 1 - Life Hacks: Blog tasks

Analysis

Read the notes and listen to the extracts from Life Hacks above before answering the following questions:

1) Go to the Life Hacks iPlayer page and analyse the content. What does this suggest regarding the Life Hacks audience and what the BBC is hoping to achieve with the programme?
The age range of life hacks could be around 16 to 25. The radio shows targets people from adolescents range and tries to tackle problems they face too, providing solutions and experience from others too. They are hoping to help younger people and tackles social issues which tend to be ignored or not taken
 about

2) Go to the Life Hacks podcast episodes page. Listen to a few episodes of the podcast and explain how the topics may a) appeal to a youth audience and b) help fulfil the BBC's responsibilities as a public service broadcaster. 
It may appeal to younger people cause the flow of conversation is light and relatable and when other young people talk about their experiences for forms it makes young people know they are not alone.
Inform educate and entertain
Educate teaches about the solution for adolescents problems and the science behind the problems
Informs the problems and their solutions to it, Informs audience how to deal with their struggles.
When they talk about their experience



Media Factsheet

Read Media Factsheet #196 Close Study Product: Radio - Life Hacks. You'll need your Greenford google login to download it. Answer the following questions:

1) Read the first page of the factsheet. What content does Life Hacks offer to listeners?
Provides advice for common adolescent problems and usually invites other young people to share their problems, experiences or advice.

2) Which of the five central purposes in the BBC's remit does Life Hacks cover?
1. To provide impartial news and information to help
people understand and engage with the world around
them.
- Provides information for young people and backs it up with scientific knowledge-

2. To support learning for people of all ages (including
educational content to help support the learning for
children and teenagers across the UK).
-Provides knowledge which is helpful to anyone mostly people who fall in the adolescent bracket-

3. To show the most creative, highest quality and
distinctive output and services.
-It is high quality and creative-

4. To reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities
of all of the United Kingdom’s nations and regions and,
in doing so, support the creative economy across the
The United Kingdom.

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

3) Read the history of Radio 1 on page 2. Why was the launch of Radio 1 both significant and controversial?
The Critics from the businesses and politics wondered why the BBC should take over popular music broadcasting in the UK when commercial alternatives could be found. Allows young people to understand political and social issues.

4) Do you consider Life Hacks to be a 'distinctive offering' that helps the BBC to fulfil its public service broadcasting remit? Why?

5) Look at the figures on page 3 of the factsheet. How much does the BBC spend on Radio 1?
BBC spends more on funding Radio 2, 3, 4 and 5 than Radio 1 (Radio 1 accounts for about 1.6% of the licence fee spend).

6) How has new technology impacted on the radio?
It makes the audience have more flexibility and control over listening and demanding. Audience have different ways to interact with the content and can communicate in many ways

7) What has Radio 1 done in response to the changes new technology have had on radio?
They launch an app called BBC sounds

8) What are the audiences targeted by Radio 1 and Radio 1 Xtra? What is their actual audience?
Radio one
Target audience- age 15 to 29
Actual audience- Audiences with a medium age of 30

Radio 1Xtra’s
Target Audeince- 15-24
Actual Audience- Medium age of 24

9) Applying Gerbner's Cultivation theory, how might Life Hacks influence its listeners (or 'cultivate' certain views)?
Change the views and perceptions of a young person when they were to face a problem. Also, have a more in-depth understanding of their problems.

10) Applying Hall's Reception theory, how might different audiences 'read' Life Hacks? What pleasures or reactions might different audiences have to the programme?
dominant
or preferred reading
Understand adolescent problems, why they occur, how to solve, what maybe the science behind it, other people's experience from the same problem and solution
Negotiated reading
Create irrelevant attention to problems that not needed, Everyone is different so the solutions the radio may offer won't help and might make it worse.


Audience contexts: additional reading

1) Read this short Guardian review of Life Hacks. What points does the reviewer make about Life Hacks and the particular podcast episode they listened to?

2) Read this NME feature on Radio 1 listener figures. What are the key statistics to take from this article regarding the decline in Radio 1 audience ratings?
Lost 200,000 weekly listeners since May- only 9.2m listeners when back in 2012 they had 11.2m

Industry contexts: final tasks

1) How does Life Hacks meet the BBC mission statement to Educate, Inform and Entertain? 
Educate teaches about the solution for adolescents problems and the science behind the problems
Inform
Informs the problems and their solutions to it, Informs audience how to deal with their struggles.
Entertain
When they talk about their experience

2) Read the first five pages of this Ofcom document laying out its regulation of the BBC. Pick out three key points in the summary section.
They are widely used media organisations which create tv programmes, radio content and online content.
BBC will be held for doing independent, external regulator.

3) Now read what the licensing framework will seek to do (letters a-h). Which of these points relate to BBC Radio 1 and Life Hacks?
Support social action campaigns on BBC radio- Addressing struggles and problems for young people and raising awareness of social issues for younger people

4) What do you think are the three most important aspects in the a-h list? Why?
d) Support social action campaigns on BBC radio.
It is more important than the BBC continue to update and educate the audience about current social affairs and provide awareness because the BBC can reach to a lot of people
h) Require the BBC to reflect the full diversity of the UK population.
It's important to include all ethnicities and races and make sure the audience knows that diversity is accepted. 
Support a wide range of valued genres
A range of genres will make sure that the audience enjoys BBC 

5) Read point 1.9: What does Ofcom plan to review in terms of diversity and audience? 
Ofcom feels as if the BBC is unable to portray different groups of audiences(interest and lives) and as a result, they would like to increase diversity.

Read this Guardian interview with BBC 1 Controller Ben Cooper.

6) What is Ben Cooper trying to do with Radio 1?
Netflix for audio

7) How does he argue that Radio 1 is doing better with younger audiences than the statistics suggest?
The 46-year-old is armed with some statistics of his own to illustrate his point. Using figures based on those aged 10 and up, he reckons the most common age of a Radio 1 listener is 18. And for its YouTube channel, it is 12- to 17-year-old females. “There is no holy grail of one single digital footprint figure in the industry, unfortunately,” he says.

8) Why does he suggest Radio 1 is distinctive from commercial radio?
Radio 1 plays around 4000 different tracks a month whereas commercial radio plays abut 400.

9) Why is Radio 1 increasingly focusing on YouTube views and digital platforms?
Youtube has 3.5m subscribers and over 1b views, so they can cover a larger ground.

10) In your opinion, should the BBC’s remit include targeting young audiences via Radio 1 or should this content be left to commercial broadcasters? Explain your answer.
They should continue to target the younger audience because BBC will continue to evolve more and become a threat to commercial broadcasters

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