Radio as a Screen Medium in BBC Arts Broadcasting

Abstract

Today more than half of all radio listening in the UK is occurring through digital platforms. Within this context the BBC’s current arts proposition provides a valuable insight into how public service broadcasters are adapting and responding to this burgeoning digital audience. In particular, attention is drawn to the ways in which digital platforms are used to supplement and enhance the auditory listening experience. In doing so, the present article argues that radio continues to occupy a significant position in furthering public engagement with the arts due to, rather than despite of, advances in digital technology.

Notes

^1. The BBC has undergone a number of restructures in recent years in a bid to consolidate commissioning processes and further streamline its services. The most dramatic of these saw the abolishment of individual television channel controllers and the appointment of former BBC One controller, Charlotte Moore, to the role of creative, editorial and strategic lead for BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four, and BBC iPlayer in 2016.

^2. These included the Director of BBC Arts, the Head of Arts Commissioning, BBC Arts’ Head of Digital Development, the Commissioning and Scheduling Manager for BBC Radio 3, the Commissioning Editor for BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service, and in-house and independent producers. To gain insight into the role of partnerships in BBC arts strategy and program making, interviews were also conducted with the Chief Executives of Voluntary Arts and the Arts Council of Wales, and the Managing Director of Royal Opera House Enterprises.

^3. The Listener was a weekly magazine published by the BBC between 1929 and 1991. The majority of its content was dedicated to the reproduction of broadcast talks and supplementary articles and images.

^4. In 2015 the BBC Trust reported that the median age of BBC Radio 1 listeners was 30 years old, up from 28 in 2005/06. The median age for BBC Radio 2 listeners was reported as 51, while 42% of BBC Radio 3 listeners were over the age of 65, an increase from 40% in 2009/10.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Amy Genders

Amy Genders (Ph.D., University of South Wales, 2017) is an active researcher and sessional lecturer at the University of South Wales in the Faculty of Creative Industries. She is currently publishing in the fields of production and digital media, with her research primarily examining public service broadcasting and the arts. She has contributed to a number of media policy consultations and inquiries, including Ofcom’s 2017 BBC regulation consultation and Goldsmiths, University of London’s 2016 inquiry into the future of public service television.