Radio Industry

The Radio industry is divided into BBC Stations and commercial radio.

 

BBC Radio

 

1.)  When did the BBC start broadcasting Radio?

In 1922, the British Broadcasting Corp (BBC) began its daily Radio transmissions, and ‘listening in’ to the wireless quickly became a social and cultural phenomenon in the UK

 

        2.) When and why did Radio 1 start broadcasting?

BBC Radio 1 was established in London on the 30^th of September 1967 following the Marine Offences Act in 1967 which outlawed the unregulated pirate ship and fort radio stations broadcasting in Britain from the sea such as Radio London, Caroline and Swinging Radio. From its inception and throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s BBC Radio 1 was hugely successful commanding weekly audiences of up to 24 million listeners.

 

3.)  What is the license fee and how much is it?

The license fee is a fee paid to the government for the privilege of being licensed to do/have something.  The annual cost of colour TV licence is £145.50 (as from April 2010). A black and white TV licence is £49. TV Licensing is committed to making it quick and easy for you to pay for your TV license in a way that suits you. The fee you pay provides a wide range if TV, radio and online content, as well as developing new ways to deliver it to you.

 

4.)  What is the Royal Charter?

The Royal Charter is the constitutional basis for BBC. It sets out the public purposes of the BBC, guarantees its independence, and outlines the duties of the Trust and the Executive Board. The current Charter runs until 31 December 2016.

 

5.)  What is the BBC Trust?

The BBC Trust is the governing of the British broadcasting Corporation. The BBC exists to serve the public, and its mission is to inform, educate and entertain. The BBC Trust is the governing body of the BBC, and the BBC make sure to deliver that mission. Led by Chairman Rona Fairhead, and consisting of 12 Trustees, the Trust is the guardian of licence fee revenue and of the public interest in the BBC. The Trust is advised by four Audience Councils who advise the Trust on the interest of the audiences around the UK.

 

6.)  What is the BBC’s Mission?

The BBC Mission, vision and values inform the work of the BBC and how they promote there public purposes. BBC mission is to enrich peoples lives with the programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain.

 

7.)  What is the difference between national and local BBC radio?

The BBC today runs eleven national domestic radio stations, six of which are only available in digital format via DAB Digital Radio, UK digital television plus live streams and listen again on the internet. The BBC also runs radio stations for national regions. These stations focus on local issues greater extent than their UK counterparts, organising live phone-in debates about these issues, as well as lighter talk shows with music from different decades. BBC nations’ radio station offer a more serious alternative. Stations include:-

 

BBC Radio Scotland

BBC Radio Shetland

BBC Orkney

BBC Radio Wales

BBC Radio Cymru

BBC Radio Ulster

BBC Radio Foyle.

 

The local BBC services broadcast across England (and the Channel Islands) and often cater to individual countries. BBC Local Radio is the BBC’s regional radio service and consists of 40 stations. They cover a variety of areas with some serving a city and surrounding areas.

 

8.)  What percentage of the population listen to BBC Radio?

The quarterly listening figures for BBC Radio is 66 percent. Including all individuals 15+.

 

 

Commercial Radio

 

1.)  When did commercial Radio first start broadcasting in the UK?

Commercial Radio has been broadcasting in the UK since 1973. Stations are funded through advertising revenue and their broadcasting licenses are awarded by Ofcom. There are three national commercial stations broadcasting on FM or Am throughout the UK as well as DAB, DTV and online.

 

2.)  What was the name of the first commercial Radio station?

Britains first independent radio station began broadcasting in 1973 on  VHF and medium wave. LBC (London Broadcasting Company) joined the airwaves with a signature tune followed by two hour ‘news-feature’ programme presented by former BBC reporter David Jessel. This was followed by Capital eight days later.

 

3.)   When did Capital FM start broadcasting?

Capital Radio first began broadcasting in 1973 as well, eight days after the first broadcast of LBC

 

4.)   Who owns Capital FM? And what other brands does this company own?

This Is Global is the large company that runs Capital and several other stations, including Heart, Classic FM, Smooth Radio, Capital xTra, XFM and many more. Global also has Global Television, Global Talent and Global Publishing.

 

5.)   What percentage of the population listen to this organisations stations (all brands)?

40% of the UK population listen to a commercial radio station owned by Global.

 

6.)   How is commercial radio funded?

Advertising is most familiar with commercial radio, Radio stations can seel airtime to buyers who find it valuable because of the stations programming and target audience. The buyer has the station air the ad during certain times and programs that is deemed most beneficial. Certain airtime might be more costly than others, depending on how desirable it is to buyers and how many listeners generally tune in.

 

7.)   How many commercial radio stations are there in the UK?

 

Most commercial stations serve a local or regional area and are owned by one of the three groups - Global, Bauer and UTV - which dominate the sector. There are over 300 in the UK, mostly using FM frequencies and DAB.

 

8.) How many companies control the majority of these - who are they?

 

Most commercial station are owned by three groups these are Global, Bauer and UTV. Global own some of the UK's most popular radio stations such as Heart, Capital and Classic FM - they keep 23.2 million listeners tuned into radio each week. They also manage some of the best music talent around, publish some of the biggest tracks in the charts and run music channels. Bauer Media UK reaches over 22 million UK consumers every week through multiple different sectors in the media. Brand include heat, Kiss, Grazia, Empire, Magic and Absolute Radio. Absolute Radio has a national audience of 3.4 million 25-44 year olds. Finally, UTV are a broadcasting an new media company based in Northern Island who own the likes of ITV, UTV Radio and talkSPORT.