Radio 1, Lesson 8

Tony Blackburn had to launch Radio 1 as a pop station in 1967, transforming the image of the BBC from an objective, parental presence in the family home to something switched-on and youthful, when the primary currency of pop music changed from short, radio-friendly hit singles (he opened the station with the Move’s Flowers in the Rain) to long, hard-to-interrupt albums such as the Moody Blues’ Days of Future Passed.

Once Blackburn moved on, others had to try to match that tone (Mike Smith, Mark Goodier) or find other ways to keep the ball in the air.

Noel Edmonds and Simon Mayo took a cooler, puckish approach.

Dave Lee Travis was avuncular and wacky.

Mike Read came across as part fan, part parent (his objection to the lyrics of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Relax being a rare deviation from the breakfast show’s blanket appreciation of the hits)
Pop culture was shifting from psychedelia to prog rock, glam rock to album-oriented rock, disco to punk, and the breakfast show welcomed them all with open arms, rarely seeming to take sides in the changing times beyond the odd raised eyebrow.

In the midst of a dance music explosion that changed the relationship between stardom and the Top 40, Matthew Bannister moved Steve Wright from his highly successful afternoon slot to the breakfast show in 1993. While Wright, about to turn 40, could do little to reflect the tastes and interests of young ravers, his “zoo” formatted show felt like a gang of mates throwing funny ideas around, with sketches and recurring characters. As a radio show, it nodded to Radio 1’s past and its future, in that it suggested that the audience was becoming bored with radio’s box of overfamiliar tricks.

Chris Evans arrived in 1995, just as Britain was reaching an apex of creativity in music, fashion, film and art. The swagger of Britpop matched Evans’s tone. He picked up the zoo format from Wright, adding risqué discussions about sex and socialising, and threw in stunts such as an early-morning race around central London in fast cars.

Late-night presenters Mark Radcliffe and Marc Riley replaced him in early 1997. But pop was busily regenerating itself in fun and female form, thanks to the success of the Spice Girls, while bullish indie rock – the fuel in the Britpop rocket – had taken a turn towards fear and introspection, thanks to Radiohead and the Verve. They were unable to match Evans’s compulsive energy and their daft breeziness failed to chime with the moment.

Zoë Ball was Radio 1’s first female breakfast show presenter and she brought back the matey ebullience the job requires. Always a breathlessly excited presence, she would relate tales of wild partying that introduced the radical idea that women were the agents of their own fun. Ball was also the first breakfast show DJ who talked about going clubbing, rather than drinking in the pub, a subtle – and long overdue – shift of emphasis.

Sara Cox took over when Ball left in 2000. Her breakfast show reflected the growing interest in celebrity, with Heat magazine (and the internet) taking over from Smash Hits as the bible of pop culture. Cox was close enough to the age of her core audience to shrug and get on with enjoying her moment of tabloid infamy in much the same way as the stars of Big Brother.

By 2004, when Chris Moyles arrived as the self-styled “saviour of Radio 1”, pop culture had been stripped of all mystique. Reality TV deconstructed fame into a popularity contest, with new faces arriving and departing with bewildering speed. Moyles took an abrasive stance, mocking the pretensions of his guests and taking pains to present himself as a working, drinking loudmouthed everyman, rather than a cheerleader. His show had the zoo format, the spoof songs, the 90s tales of excess, plus an inbuilt intolerance of showbiz fluff, but also – as Amy Winehouse and the Libertines delved into retro culture – an unspoken sadness that the Britpop boom was over.
Moyles’s dismissive attitude and sharp tongue began to land him in serious trouble: there was his use of the word "gay" as an insult; calling some female listeners "dirty whores"; and offering to divest a 16-year-old Charlotte Church of her virginity.

In a period where the primary discussion around pop is not whether songs are good or bad, but whether performers and broadcasters are sufficiently woke, Grimshaw’s breakfast show has been fannish and inclusive. Deliberately targeting a younger audience, Grimshaw was well aware that pop stars are now superbrands that can communicate directly with their audience and therefore tailor their public image without the mediators of the media. His job has been to gently prod at the humans beneath the facade, encouraging them to laugh at themselves and show their more endearing qualities. With pop stars arriving from any number of different destinations – Disney, YouTube, reality shows – Grimshaw’s approach represents fans at their most excited.

Of course, fandom is a partisan sport – and Grimshaw’s listening figures suggest he has struggled to build himself as broad a fanbase as the role demands. James is not the start of another revolt into irreverent hijinks, but a seasoned creator of the genre of prank and spoof content that has made some YouTubers rich. While he does not represent a new constituency of listener – nor pop star – he is a product of the same constant churn of content creation that drives all modern pop culture.

What is unique about how Radio 1 Breakfast show has evolved?

The audience is 15-29 year olds, a group of people who are less likely to listen the radio because of new streaming apps such as Spotify. This could be a reason why the BBC Sounds app was created, a way for this audience to stream BBC Radio 1 Breakfast show at any time. They don't listen to the radio just to listen to the radio, they may listen to BBC Radio 1 Breakfast show on the way to school, college, university or work, so there are songs played alongside short 1-5 minute segments instead of longer segments and sketches the show used to do. This shows the BBC recognises that this audience listens to the radio typically when commuting so short segments are a way of still keeping the audience attracted. The history of the Breakfast show indicate that the presenters must change as the audience does, to fit the culture of the time. Greg James is a presenter in a period where the primary discussion around pop is not whether songs are good or bad, but whether performers and broadcasters are sufficiently woke. Grimshaw also fits this however listener figures suggest he has struggled to build himself as broad a fanbase as the role demands, unlike James.

What information is going to be useful/relevant?

Gaining recognition as PSB

Cultural, political and economic factor