Radio 1 Launch CSP: blog tasks

Historical, social and cultural context

1) What radio stations were offered by the BBC before 1967?
Radio home and Radio light and third
2) How was BBC radio reorganised in September 1967? What were the new stations that launched?
They just renamed it then put more poopular songs at the time and more of quizes and dramas
3) What was pirate radio and why was it popular?
It was a radio station which played pop music this was very popular for younger people as it played newer songs and more popular  as they wnjoyed it
4) Why did pirate radio stop broadcasting in 1967?
Because they were beyond control of their regulators
5) How did the BBC attract young audiences to Radio 1 after pirate radio stations were closed down?
They created a new radio station called needle time
6) What was 'needle time' and why was it a problem for BBC Radio?
It was another radio boradcasting station wich only played 5 hours of music then the rest were like dramas and comdeys etc. it was later a problem asit struggled financialy and younger people didin't really enjoy it as much and they tried to copy pirate radio which didn't really go well
7) How did BBC Radio 1 offer different content to previous BBC radio stations?
It was more developed and more suitable for the people who were listening to it
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? Tony blackburn,but when they tried to copy pirate radio many young people weren't very happy as they tried to but failed in impressing the young people's needs.

9) Listen to excerpts from the Tony Blackburn's first 1967 broadcast - how might it have appealed to young listeners? It may have appealed to them in a way in which they may have hooked them on into radio 1 and then they would have listened to it and later it would grow in popularity for them and then later on to be a successful radio broadcasting channel.

10) What conventions did Tony Blackburn's radio show borrow from pirate radio - which made it very different to previous BBC radio content? He borrowed the aspects of the pop culture and then shaped it into a way where people would enjoy the music and content that was being broadcast ed by the company 

Audience and industry

1) What was the target audience for BBC Radio 1 in 1967?
It was aimed for younger audiences as they played pop music on it 
2) Why did Radio 1 initially struggle to attract young listeners?
because they originally didin't seem cool to the younger people and it wasn't financially doing so well
3) What audience pleasures did Radio 1 offer listeners in 1967? (Use Blumler and Katz Uses and Gratifications theory).It  broadcast ed pop music at the time, the word pop means popular so having a radio channel which broadcast ed pop music was something that many people enjoyed

4) How is the BBC funded?
by a licence fee like a tv fee so that the people who watch it have to pay for it 
5) Applying Stuart Hall's Reception theory, what would the preferred and oppositional reading have been of BBC Radio 1 in 1967?  The oppositional reading would have been that radio 1 was just a way that BBC would have gotten more money as they tried to copy pirate radio in which didn't go very well which just caused more hate toward the radio station, so in this case this would make them a dishonest company and radio broadcasters.


Grade 8/9 extension tasks

Read this Guardian interview with the second DJ to broadcast on BBC Radio 1. How does he describe the 1960s and his move to the BBC? He describes it as being the best job being offered to him and that he had landed in the centre of the universe, this shows that being a DJ on the BBC radio might have been the most popular job at the time. 

The BBC is a public service broadcaster. What does this mean and why is it an important part of the history of BBC Radio 1? Everything and anything said on the radio channel means that it is notifying the public and that they should be fully aware of what they are saying, so its like a news channel but not entirely as they have to focus on broadcasting music.