BBC Local Radio

BBC Local Radio is the BBC's regional radio service for England and the Channel Islands, consisting of 40 stations. They cover a variety of areas with some serving a city and surrounding areas, for example BBC Radio Manchester; a county, for example BBC Radio Norfolk; an administrative region for example BBC WM; or a larger region entirely for example BBC Radio Solent.

History

The popularity of Pirate radio changed many things on the BBC, the most prominent being the creation of BBC Radio 1 to satisfy the populations thirst for new, popular music. The other however was the fact that these pirate radio stations were, in some cases, local. As a result, BBC Local Radio began as an experiment.

Initially, stations had to be co-funded by the BBC and local authorities, which only some Labour-controlled areas proved willing to do. Radio Leicester was the first to launch on 8 November 1967, followed by Leeds, Stoke, Durham, Sheffield, Merseyside, Brighton and Nottingham. By the early 1970s, the local authority funding requirement was dropped, and stations spread across the country; many city-based stations later expand their remit to cover an entire county.^[1]

There were eight stations in the initial 'experiment', which lasted for two years. When this finally finished, it was deemed so successful that all of the stations, except BBC Radio Durham, remained on air. In addition to this, more followed in 1970; BBC Radio Birmingham, Bristol, Blackburn, Derby, Humberside, London, Manchester, Medway, Newcastle, Oxford, Solent and Teeside.^[2]

Despite the success of this, the original stations were seen as flawed, as they originally only broadcast on the FM band, and not on the more widely available AM band. This was eventually rectified a few years after the creation of these new channels.^[2]

From 1973, Independent Local Radio launched nationally with a series of 19 stations with many more to follow in the years to come. As a result, many of the BBC Local Radio stations found themselves in direct competition with commercial competitors who utilised the popular DJs from the pirate radio stations, and who gained in most cases, large audiences. Despite this, Local Radio continued to flourish, with the majority of the current network in place by 1990. The network has remained in its current state since.^[3]

Current operation

The radio stations are operated from stations around the country that usually share with the BBC regional news services, and their news gathering bureaux. The stations are operated by the region that the station is based in, and is responsible to the BBC English Regions department, as well as the BBC Audio & Music department through BBC Radio.

The remit for each Local Radio station is the same: to offer a primarily speech based service comprising news and information, complemented by Music. The target audience of BBC Local Radio are listeners aged over 50, who are not served as well as other age groups on the BBC.^[4] Each station produces most of their own programmes, however some off-peak programming is produced from one station and covering all stations in the region, some is simulcast with other neighbouring regions, and all stations simulcast BBC Radio 5 Live overnight, when the station is off the air.

Stations

A list of the forty local radio stations by region. In addition to these stations, there are also opt-out services covering Dorset (BBC Radio Solent), Milton Keynes (BBC Three Counties Radio), Peterborough and the Fens (BBC Radio Cambridgeshire), Swindon (BBC Wiltshire) and Plymouth (BBC Radio Devon).^[4]

East

• BBC Essex – [1]
• Radio Cambridgeshire – [2]
• Radio Norfolk – [3]
• Radio Northampton – [4]
• Radio Suffolk – [5]
• Three Counties Radio (Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire) – [6]

East Midlands

• Radio Derby – [7]
• Radio Leicester – [8]
• Radio Nottingham – [9]

London

• BBC London 94.9 - [10]

North East and Cumbria

• BBC Tees – [11]
• Radio Cumbria – [12]
• BBC Newcastle – [13]

North West

• Radio Manchester (Previously BBC GMR) – [14]
• Radio Lancashire – [15]
• Radio Merseyside – [16]

South

• Radio Berkshire – [17]
• Radio Oxford – [18]
• Radio Solent (Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight) – [19]

South East

• Radio Kent – [20]
• BBC Surrey (Previously BBC Radio Surrey and later BBC Southern Counties Radio) – [21]
• BBC Sussex (Previously BBC Radio Brighton and later BBC Radio Sussex and BBC Southern Counties Radio) – [22]

South West

• Radio Cornwall – [23]
• Radio Devon – [24]
• BBC Guernsey – [25]
• Radio Jersey – [26]

West

• Radio Bristol – [27]
• Radio Gloucestershire – [28]
• BBC Wiltshire – [29]
• BBC Somerset – [30]

West Midlands

• BBC WM (previously BBC Radio Birmingham) – [31]
• BBC Coventry and Warwickshire – [32]
• BBC Hereford and Worcester – [33]
• Radio Shropshire – [34]
• Radio Stoke – [35]

Yorkshire

• Radio Leeds – [36]
• Radio Sheffield – [37]
• Radio York – [38]

Yorkshire & Lincolnshire

• Radio Humberside – [39]
• BBC Lincolnshire – [40]

Dave and Sue

Dave and Sue are two fictional radio listeners created as marketing personas. Descriptions of the characters, created by the BBC, are given to all their local radio presenters as representative target listeners.

The characters were created as part of "Project Bullseye". Its stated aim was that "To develop great radio programming ... we need to know where the centre of our audience target is and be able to focus on it in all we do."^[1]

The project is now out of date, as BBC Local Radio heads towards a new goal, entitled "BBC Local Radio 2010". However, 'Dave and Sue' are still thought of by many as the benchmark listener for BBC Local Radio.

Dave and Sue are both 55. Sue is a school secretary, while Dave is a self-employed plumber. They are both divorcees with grown-up children. The characters shop at Asda and wear casual clothes. The couple have little interest in high culture or politics and see the world as "a dangerous and depressing place". They hope that radio will be "something that will cheer them up and make them laugh".^[1]

Described as "composite listeners", BBC Local Radio staff are given facts and timelines about Dave and Sue. They are asked to focus on producing something to which the pair would enjoy listening to.^[5]

The BBC also produced photographs of the couple, to encourage presenters to visualise their potential listeners.^[1] At the 2005 Frank Gillard Awards for BBC Local Radio, the corporation hired two actors to represent the fictional couple, and award a prize to the "Receptionist of the Year".^[6]

Mia Costello of BBC Radio Solent wrote a controversial internal memo in October 2006, restating the importance of these characters. She wrote, "Whatever job you do on station, make sure this week, you broadcast to Dave and Sue – people in their fifties. Only put on callers sounding in the 45–64 range. I don' t want to hear really elderly voices. Only talk about things that are positive and appealing to people in this age range. Only do caller round ups about people in this age range." This was reprinted the following month in the Southern Daily Echo, following which a BBC spokesperson commented "Out of context these notes sound harsh and we apologise if they offend anyone."^[7]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Dave Self,Meet Dave 'n' Sue, New Statesman
2. ^ ^{a b} Smith, Mike. "UK Radio History". MDS975. http://www.mds975.co.uk/Content/ukradio2.html. Retrieved 2 August 2011. 
3. ^ Smith, Mike. "UK Radio History". MDS975. http://www.mds975.co.uk/Content/ukradio3.html. Retrieved 2 August 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "BBC Local Radio in England Policy 2010/2011". Statements of Programme Policy. BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/statements2010/nations_regions/eng_regions.shtml. Retrieved 2 August 2011. 
5. ^ Peter Stewart, Essential Radio Skills
6. ^ BBC English Regions Annual Review 2005–2006
7. ^ You Are Too Old At 65 BBC Tells Listeners, Southern Daily Echo

See also

BBC portal

• Dave and Sue

The following radio stations are broadcast by the BBC in the other nations of the UK:

• Northern Ireland – BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Foyle
• Scotland – BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio nan Gàidheal
• Wales – BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru