Introduction
BBC Radio is a business division of British Broadcasting Corporation that was established in 1927. The radio station was meant to meet the domestic and international needs of the listeners in Anglophone countries. Its popularity grew after the First World War as it was considered to provide accurate information about the progress and the events during the war. The Second World War also provided this corporation to gain popularity both locally in Great Britain and among the international audiences (Scales, 2015). After the war, it became one of the most important tools used by the West to sell their ideologies to the rest of the world.
This made it necessary for the firm to broadcast in various other languages to reach a larger audience within the international community. It grew very fast to become the largest broadcaster in the world, using over 27 languages. In the twenty-first century, BBC Radio has been faced with stiff competition as numerous radio stations emerge in regions that it previously dominated. This increasing threat in the market has forced this corporation to come up with ways in which it can protect its market share locally and internationally.
The management of BBC Radio realized that the needs of its clients in terms of the content of information presented to them were getting highly diversified, especially across people of different ages. The aging population had different content needs from the middle-aged population. The teenagers and young adults had a taste that was very different from that of the middle-aged and the elderly members of society. At first, the BBC tried to balance the needs (Petridis, 2011). With the knowledge that teenagers spend most of their weekdays in school, programs meant for them were pushed to the weekends. The middle-aged members of the society were served early in the morning and in the evening after work. The elderly had their programs during mid-days because it was assumed that most of them are retired hence spend much of their time at home. This strategy did not deliver the expected success. After careful market research, this firm realized that the best way of meeting the needs of its diversified audience is to come up with a series of radio stations that target different classes of audiences. Currently, this corporation has a series of radio stations available in analog, digital, and online platforms.
Views on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is one of the radio stations owned and operated by British Broadcasting Corporation that started its operations on September 30, 1967. It primarily uses English as its mode of communication. BBC started this radio station following the pressure from the market to come up with a station that specifically targeted the youths. This market segment had been ignored for a long time both locally and internationally, but their relevance to this firm was becoming more conspicuous. Its content (music and newscast) was primarily meant for the youth aged 15-29 years. This radio station became a huge success in 1970 not only among the local audience but also internationally. It has been restructured over the years to meet the national and international legal requirements in terms of the content it provides and the program timing to correspond to the age-appropriate requirements. It is currently available both in the analog and digital platforms. Currently, it has a 6.7% market share in the United Kingdom.
According to Thornham and Popple (2014), one of the most important factors that define the popularity of a given radio station among a given group of audience is the type of music it plays. BBC Radio 1 plays a mix of popular current songs, especially hip hop, rock, rap, house, drum and bass, electronic, dance, pop, and dub-step, and even gospel. Most of its presenters are always keen to identify and play the latest hit songs irrespective of their genre. This has enabled it to remain appealing to a wide group of teenagers and young adults. This strategy was based on the belief that even people of the same age bracket may have different preferences in terms of music. The station has short Newsbeat bulletins after every one hour. It also has a number of programs meant for its target audience locally and internationally. BBC Radio One has been successful in understanding the needs of its audience and providing services that meet these needs in the best way possible.
Views on BBC Radio 1xtra
Founded on August 16, 2002, BBC Radio 1Xtra was largely seen as an offshoot of BBC Radio 1 that had been very successful. This radio station was meant to fill the market gap that was not taken care of by its sister station. It specifically broadcasts in the United Kingdom. The management realized that in its attempt to reach out to the international teenagers and young adults through Radio 1, the local population was ignored. People aged 15 to 30 years living in the United Kingdom are its primary audience (Sharp, 2011). It is only available on the digital platform and specializes in urban music. Some of the common types of music commonly played in this station include hip hop, dub-set, bass-line, drum and bass, R&B, gospel, house, soca, dancehall, and UK funky. The choice of songs is always based on their popularity in the market. It has a market share of about 1% in the United Kingdom.
BBC Radio 1Xtra is exclusively English in its content and programs it runs. It provides its audience with a 24-hour music output that is punctuated by news beats, news bulletins, and speech that is designed specifically for its target audience. Its presenters are particularly keen to understand the current affairs in the country that affect its target audience either directly or indirectly. Inasmuch as BBC Radio 1Xtra has not been able to match its sister station in terms of the number of its daily audience, it has been a success. The industry is currently flooded by many other radio stations which are increasingly becoming niche broadcasters. Kildea (2014) says that convincing the United Kingdom audience to change their loyalty from the stations that they are currently using is not easy. That is why the slow growth of this firm in the market is justifiable. However, it is important to note that some of its programs are very closely related to the programs offered by its sister station.
Comparing and Contrasting BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra
Similarities between BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra
These two sister radio stations share a number of factors in common. The first similarity between these two stations is the age bracket of their target audience. They both target teenagers and young adults aged 15-29/30 years. This explains why the content of their broadcasts is also very similar. They both offer a wide range of popular urban music to their audience. Dub-set, house, dance, and hip hop are some of the types of music common at both stations. Both stations are dominated by music programs throughout the day, punctuated with news beats and news bulletins, and sometimes speech (Melanie, 2015). In fact, they have both been described as 24-hour music stations.
Most of the talk shows in both stations focus on youth affairs and trends in the society that affects them either directly or indirectly. They both seek to empower the youth by providing them with information that is relevant to their development. The two stations, which are both available in the digital platform, have been keen on involving their audience in defining the content of their programs. They encourage their audience to choose their preferred playlist by voting for their best songs on a regular basis. Topics of discussion are in most of the cases generated from the audience who share some of their challenges and experiences in life. The strategy of engaging their audience actively has made them very popular among their target audience (Kershaw, 2014). Both of them are fully owned and operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Differences between BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra have some fundamental differences which are worth noting. First, BBC Radio 1 broadcasts to an international audience while BBC Radio 1Xtra broadcasts to a local audience within the United Kingdom. This difference means that while BBC Radio 1 will try to have a global perspective when choosing the content of its programs, especially the music, news, and talk shows, BBC Radio 1Xtra will focus on content relevant to the locals. The above analysis also shows that BBC Radio 1Xtra specializes in urban music. On the other hand, BBC Radio 1 focuses on a wide range of music, only dedicating one program coming late at night for urban music (Rogers, 2013). The popularity of these two radio stations is also different. While BBC Radio 1 is popular among people aged 26-32, BBC Radio 1Xtra is very popular among the younger population aged below 24 years.
The difference in the age bracket of the main target audience of these two stations also creates a difference in the content of what is discussed. For instance, while most of the discussions at BBC Radio 1Xtra on how these teenagers can gain self-confidence and acceptance among peers, BBC Radio 1 focuses more on issues about families, financial security, and forces that affect the economy. BBC Radio 1Xtra is available exclusively on the digital platform while BBC Radio 1 is available both in the digital platform and analog frequencies. The operations of BBC Radio 1 are only influenced by both local and international laws. Besides abiding by the existing laws in the United Kingdom about the content of its programs and time appropriateness, this station must also understand and abide by the laws put in place by individual countries where services are available. On the other hand, BBC Radio 1Xtra are only bound by the laws and regulations put in place by the government of the United Kingdom.
Personal Opinion Usage of Cultural Talk
The two stations’ usage of cultural talk shows is almost similar given that they target people of almost the same age bracket. BBC Radio 1 talk shows always focus on family issues and finance. These are the primary factors that influence young adults. Most of them are just married, with young kids, and lack financial security. The station’s main purpose is to make these individuals understand how to deal with their situation without despair. Some people often gave up when faced with such serious challenges in life. Through the talk shows in this station, they get to learn about the culture, values, and socio-economic norms of the society that gives them hope. Sharing these challenges makes them realize that they share common problems with many other people across the world. They realize that others are going through worse situations. This knowledge gives them the strength to fight on and achieve success in life.
The usage of cultural talk in BBC Radio 1Xtra has been of benefit to the teenagers in understanding how to deal with the issue of low-self esteem and acceptance among peers (Savage, 2015). At this critical stage of development, these teenagers would want to be noticed, appreciated, and accepted among their peers. Some may go to the extreme by engaging in drug abuse and in criminal activities to gain acceptance. These stations offer them advice and ways of earning respect and acceptance among their peers and the rest of the society without necessarily engaging in activities that may harm them. It offers them parental guidance that most British teenagers lack due to the heavy work schedule of their parents.
References
Kershaw, L. (2014). The Bird and the Beeb: The facts of life at the BBC. Liverpool: Trinity Mirror Media.
Kildea, P. F. (2014). Benjamin Britten: A life in the twentieth century. London: Penguin Books.
Melanie, M. (2015). BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra launch 1 million hours.UK Fundraising. Web.
Petridis, A. (2011). G2: Arts: Liked Tinie Try this lot: Does Radio 1 still has the power to make – and break – new bands? As it night-time ‘specialist’ DJs take over its prime-time shows, Alexis Petridis talks to the people behind the playlists. The Guardian, p. 19.
Rogers, J. (2013). The death and life of the music industry in the digital age. New York : Bloomsbury Academic.
Savage, M. (2015). Stars gather for BBC Music Awards. BBC News. Web.
Scales, H. (2015). Spirals in time: The secret life and curious afterlife of seashells. London: Bloomsbury Sigma.
Sharp, R. (2011). Radio 1 boss: our DJs’ picks turn listeners off. The Independent, p. 8.
Thornham, H., & Popple, S. (2014). Content cultures: Transformations of user generated content in public. New York: I B Tauris.