Radio 1 Launch

 Historical, social and cultural contexts

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

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

3) What was pirate radio and why was it popular? pirate radio was were a group of people played music illegally and it was popular because they could play whatever music they wanted for as long as they wanted 

4) Why did pirate radio stop broadcasting in 1967? the  government made a law that meant the ships weren't allowed to just stay in between England and France without a purpose 

5) How did the BBC attract young audiences to Radio 1 after pirate radio stations were closed down? they got many of there djs like tony Blackburn 

6) What was 'needle time' and why was it a problem for BBC Radio? needle time was a law that meant they could only play music for 5 hours and this was a problem as pirate radio was playing music all day so people would rather listen to that 

7) How did BBC Radio 1 offer different content to previous BBC radio stations? it was more informal a quicker pace and more relatable DJs 

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 - they were less informative and less formal 

9) Listen to excerpts from the Tony Blackburn's first 1967 broadcast - how might it have appealed to young listeners?
it was more energetic and they dj was also young
10) How was Tony Blackburn's radio show more like pirate radio rather than traditional BBC radio content?

it was less formal and there was more relatability 

Audience and industry

1) What was the target audience for BBC Radio 1 in 1967?  a younger audience 

2) Why did Radio 1 initially struggle to attract young listeners? 

It was not seen as ‘cool’ by many young people as the BBC stood for traditional, conservative value

Whilst Radio 1 tried to copy the pirate radio’s style, it didn’t quite do it effectively initially as it broadcast simultaneously with Radio 2 – so it had to have a more formal style than the pirate broadcasters.  Some young people didn’t respond positively to this.

3) What audience pleasures did Radio 1 offer listeners in 1967? (Use Blumler and Katz Uses and Gratifications theory).entertainment through the music 

4) How is the BBC funded? tv licence 

5) Applying Stuart Hall's Reception theory, what would the preferred and oppositional readings have been for BBC Radio 1 in 1967? 

preferred- new and exiting  

 

oppositional- going against traditions