Introduction to radio

BBC Sounds
Read this Guardian feature on the launch of BBC Sounds and answer the following questions:

1) Why does the article suggest that ‘on the face of it, BBC Radio is in rude health’?
It has half the national market, with dozens of stations reaching more than 34 million people a week. Radio 2 alone reaches 15 million listeners a week.

2) What percentage of under-35s use the BBC iPlayer catch-up radio app?
3% of under-35s use the iPlayer catch-up radio app

3) What is BBC Sounds?
BBC Sounds is a new app and website that launches on Tuesday with a glitzy event at Tate Modern. It will bring radio livestreams, catchup services, music mixes and podcasts together under one roof. The app will also feature personalised recommendations.

4) How do audiences listen to radio content in the digital age?
On Spotify and Apple’s podcast libraries

5) What does Jason Phipps suggest is important for radio and podcast content aimed at younger audiences?

He says there is a need to reconsider the entire tone of how the BBC tells stories, shifting away from rigid formality if it wants to attract the precious under-35 audience: “It has to be a warmer, more story-led journey. You need to report the very personal experience of it."

 BBC Sounds listeners will get personalised recommendations. Photograph: BBC

“The very best stories are fundamentally anchored around the personal experience. You’re trying to find the human in the machine. Journalists have a process but younger audiences can find that very cold and want to access the actual response of human beings. They really want to understand the heart of the story.”

“We need more brash, funny, intelligent podcasts,” he says, saying the format’s intimacy is the reason why podcasts about “sex, relationships and erotic imaginations” have done so well. “It’s a perfect place to have uncomfortable conversations.”

6) Why does the BBC need to stay relevant?
The BBC needs to stay relevant because it is very beneficial to society - "educate, inform & entertain" Also because the BBC is valued by licence fee payers.

Now read this review of the BBC Sounds app.

7) What content does the BBC Sounds app offer?
Music, news, drama, documentaries, true crime, comedy podcasts and/or playlists.

8) How does it link to BBC Radio?
The app lets you click through to any live BBC radio station, but it also offers you other forms of listening, from podcasts to playlists. 

9) What are the criticisms of the BBC Sounds app?
The programme information is a little tricky to access, and the search isn’t sensitive enough. There is also the criticism that BBC Sounds doesn't have enough content.

10) Two new podcasts were launched alongside the BBC Sounds app. What are they and why might they appeal to younger audiences?

• End of Days - a podcast presented by Tina Daheley, is an attempt to mimic the New York Times’s successful TheDaily programme so it covers news and current affairs. This would appeal to a younger audience as they want to be informed about the world they live in (surveillance) 

• Beyond Today - a podcast that is exclusive to BBC Sounds and talks about the Waco cult victims and interviews their families and friends.

ShoutOut Network

Read this Huffington Post feature on the Shout Out Network and answer the following questions:

1) What is the ShoutOut Network?
The ShoutOut Network is a London-based network of diverse podcasts that has put together a fantastic offer for businesses to purchase advertising slots across a range of their podcasts for three months from just £1.

2) What podcasts are offered by the ShoutOut Network?

• Melanin Millennials, which focuses on socio-political issues for millennials.
• Pop-culture literature podcast Mostly Lit
• Carefree comedy duo Two Fools Talking
• Theatre and music aficionados Artistic State of Mind
• Football show Top 4mation

3) What audience do they reach?
Their podcasts reach more than 20,000 listeners per month and 92% are from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.

4) What are the 2015 statistics on podcast listening in the UK?

3.7 million adults listen to podcasts which equate to around 6.5% of the adult population.

It also adds that 57% of the people use them on smartphones, while their preferred activity to listening to podcasts was 47% while commuting and 34% relaxing or doing nothing.

5) The article suggests podcasts are ‘picking up more steam’. Do you think podcasts are the future of radio?

I believe that there is a high chance podcasts will be the future of radio. People hardly listen to the radio anymore because of new technology and social media. If they have an app on their phone where they can listen to podcasts, they are more likely to engage in that.