m1 structure of a radio station

In this objective I will be analyzing a radio programme that has been broadcast by my chosen radio station of BBC Radio 1. The programme that I will be analysing is Radio 1 Breakfast. The BBC has 40 radio stations that cover the whole of the UK and target a variation of different audiences.

This radio show airs between 7am and 10.30am. The radio show is available to listen on FM, DAB, Freeview, Freesat, Virgin, Sky and BBC IPlayer. The show attracts 6 million listeners. This specific show is presented by Jordan North. The target audience of Radio 1 is 15-29 years old with an interest of music that is trending at the time. This appeal to this target audience is reflected in the music choice for the programme, including playing songs that have been released during the year (e.g. Bad Habit - Steve Lacy).

Radio 1 Breakfast Show depends on the presenter as the programme is lead by this person and they effectively produce the show. This programme includes many different radio features such as: the presenter, stings, interviews, phone-ins, competitions and music. 

The programme starts immediately with the presenter talking and giving a little bit of a hint about the upcoming content in the programme. Then the music begins. The first song played in this programme was Anne-Maire and Aitch - Psycho. Clearly, this song immediately appeals to the young target audience as it is recent and popular. In between this song and the next, a sting can be heard, reminding the listener that they are listening to BBC Radio 1.

The presenter frequently mentions the time and date through the programme. Furthermore, the presenter communicates with the audience through social media platforms. For example, in this show, listeners can respond to topics through Twitter and tag the station in their tweets, as well as use a dedicated hashtag. During this time of talking to the audience, an extended intro of the next song can be heard in the background which acts as a seamless transition as the music actually begins to play.

In between the 4th and 5th song, a quiz show takes places with callers calling in and taking part with the quiz show. In this case it was a quiz about things that happened yesterday, which further connotes the modern theme of the radio show. This is then followed by another song - which was Bad Habit - Steve Lacy, which is an incredibly popular song with nearly 500 million streams on Spotify alone.

After this listeners can text into the show and talk about the quiz show that happened before. This allows the audience to further interact with the show and the presenter. Furthermore, during this the production team can be heard laughing which makes the radio show seem more authentic and entertaining. The song that follows this is Anti-Hero - Taylor Swift which is a very recent song that came out in October.

As seen by the track list above, this radio show clearly caters to a young target audience that are interested in modern and trending music. A lot of the music are songs that have trended on Tik Tok, therefore further reasoning for them to appeal to the young target audience.

The stings used in between songs and breaks are sound quite technological and upbeat. This further connotes the modern aspect of the radio station. It also keeps the tone of the radio station very positive, which is key for a morning radio station as it intends to motivate the listener for the day ahead.

30 minutes into the radio show, there is a news section which includes recent news from the day before or the same day. This news was focused on the football results from the World Cup and also the earthquake that occurred in Indonesia, for example. This news includes audio clips of people talking - such as the commentary from the Welsh football game and fans. This news also reoccurs at the 1 hour mark of the show, therefore keeping new listeners updated. The section is called Newsbeat and is occasionally introduced by the presenter - including at the 1 hour 30 mark. The presenter of this news show is Callum Lesley.

The show also does a '10 minute takeover' where someone can text in a song and if it is in the selection of songs that the radio have, it gets played. This encourages listeners to get involved and listen to this specific show as it gives them a slight bit of control. This happens once the show has hit 2 hours.

Due to the BBC being a public service radio station, this programme doesn't feature adverts. This is because the BBC get their funding through public service (or tax). It is not a commercial station so does not rely on adverts to gain funding. At one point, however, there is a bit of promotional audio for the World Cup as it is available to watch on BBC IPlayer and platforms.

References

BBC Radio 1 Schedule - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/schedules/bbc_radio_one#on-air

Radio 1 Breakfast - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001f2mw

Bad Habit listening stats - https://open.spotify.com/artist/57vWImR43h4CaDao012Ofp?si=QHpsOtXGSRGlblYn_hMwJw