The Surgery
The Surgery was an evening radio show on BBC Radio 1 that ran between 1999 and 2017. Most recently, it was on every Wednesday at 9pm and ran for 60 minutes. It featured presenter Katie Thistleton and advice from Dr Radha Modgil.
It worked like an agony aunt column in old teenage magazines and took on controversial subjects such as gender identity, sexuality, relationships and mental health. It featured texts and calls from listeners and the post-watershed slot meant adult topics could be discussed.
The Surgery > Life Hacks
In November 2017, The Surgery was merged into a new Sunday afternoon show called Life Hacks that runs between 4pm – 6pm presented by Cel Spellman and Katie Thistleton. This mostly plays music but offers advice segments with Dr Modgil covering similar topics to The Surgery.
Although both The Surgery and Life Hacks ran in scheduled broadcast slots, in recent years the programme has been available as a podcast and encourages digital consumption and interaction.
The Surgery
Life Hacks: Stormzy interview
Life Hacks: debt advice feature on BBC Sounds
Listen to this debt advice feature on BBC Sounds.
BBC Radio 1: History
BBC Radio 1 launched in 1967 playing pop music and using jingles in the style of American radio. It was a significant change from previous BBC content and was hugely popular in the 1970s and 1980s (some shows had 10m+ listeners).
It became available on DAB digital radio in 1995 but not promoted until digital radios were more popular in 2002. It is available via digital TV and online via BBC Sounds.
Radio 1 is famous for events as well as radio – summer Roadshows, Big Weekends and the annual Teen Awards.
Industries: Radio in decline
Although the BBC still boasts impressive audience figures for BBC Radio 2 and 4, it has struggled to attract young listeners to BBC Radio 1 in recent years.
Since 2010 listeners have declined – and although BBC R1 targets 15-29 year olds the average listener in 2017 was aged 30. Radio 1 is increasingly focusing on digital and social media with 16m weekly YouTube views reached in 2018.
Analysis
Listen to the extracts from The Surgery and Life Hacks above and answer the following questions:
1) What do the titles The Surgery and Life Hacks suggest?
The titles suggest that the content will be based on solving problems and discussing ways to make life easier
2) How are the programmes constructed to appeal to a youth audience?
- Informality: the language used and the way the presenters present themselves suggest that they are trying to appeal to more of a youth audience as they tend to use informal language as if they were speaking to a friend - this also makes it more personal which may make the listeners feel as if they are being directly addressed.
- Content: the content discussed is mainly targeting a youth audience as it specifically discusses growing up and going through life from a teenager/ younger persons position (university etc)
3) What does the choice of presenter (e.g. Katie Thistleton) and Dr Modgil suggest about the BBC’s approach to diversity and representation?
- Katie Thistleton mentions that she is from Manchester
- Dr Modgil sounds like she is from London
4) Look at this promotional graphic produced by BBC for The Surgery. How does it construct a representation of a youth audience?
- Colour scheme: the colour scheme is bright and uses quite cartoonish colours which would appeal more to a younger audience
- Emojis: the emojis suggest that this ad is aimed at more of a youth audience; stereo typically the younger generation is more accustomed to social media and would be more likely to be attracted to social media linked content
- "How does social media make you feel?" : this question directly links to social media. There is more discussion about how social media influences and affects younger audiences so this question is mainly targeting youth audiences
5) Now look at the graphic from a digital media perspective: how does it suggest audiences are listening to and interacting with BBC broadcasts in the digital media landscape?
- Hashtag: the "#R1Surgery" suggests that audiences use social media in regards to this radio programme - hashtags are usually used on twitter for promotion and communication
Audience
1) What is the target audience for BBC Radio 1?
15-29 years
2) Who is the actual audience for BBC Radio 1?
Average audience is: 32 years
3) What audience pleasures are offered by The Surgery and Life Hacks? Apply Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications theory.
- Personal relationship:
- Uses of examples and anecdotes: people telling stories make it personal and relateable
- Knowing that other people have the same problems as you/ going through the same things as you
- Links to 'two step flow model' theory as Dr Radha seen as opinion leader who the audience listen to and act upon her advice
- The show is driven by audience interaction:
Content directed by audience interaction through calls, texts and social media
Clay Shirky end of audience theory - the audiences increase in power in the media landscape
Modern media landscape intertwined with older media (Radio)
- Personal identity
- Regional identity
"Birmingham"
"Brighton"
"Manchester" (presenter)
"London" (presenter)
"Sheffield"
- Links to personal relationships with radio presenters and hosts
- Surveillance
4) Read these Guardian reviews of The Surgery and Life Hacks. What do the reviews praise the programmes for?
- The Surgery:
- "Presenter Gemma Cairney can be scattershot, but she is always warm and sympathetic, encouraging her young audience to not only get in touch with the programme but to talk to the right support agencies, and, indeed, to friends and family about any problems they might have."
- Discussing sensitive and controversial subjects such as rape:
"..when they did, with regular Dr Radha Modgil also contributing, the programme was excellent. Giving teenagers the legal definition of rape is an important thing to do. Explaining to them that because rape involves penetration with a penis, women can’t rape men (though they can commit sexual assault): that’s important too. And that if you say you’re happy to have sex with a condom, that doesn’t mean that you’ve consented to sex without a condom: in fact, you explicitly haven’t consented, and so if it takes place it is, therefore, rape. These are vital things for people to know, whatever age they are."
- Life Hacks:
STORMZY FEAUTURE: "He was on with author Jude Yawson, who co-authored Rise Up, the first book published by Stormzy’s new imprint, #Merky Books. The chat was interesting: Stormzy explained his decision to set up a scholarship for BME candidates for Cambridge University and the ideas behind what he wants to do with #Merky in general. “My career as an artist is very self-serving,” he said. “But if I want to open a school, I don’t want that to be synonymous with me… #Merky is an embassy for people to come through and realise their dreams.”
CHELSEA KWAKYE FEAUTURE: "Cambridge graduate whose book with Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi, Taking Up Space, will come out next summer. She spoke eloquently about how getting into institutions such as Cambridge isn’t enough. “There’s a big disconnect between when black students enter… and when they leave. The number of black students who get firsts is little to none.”
It might seem obvious to me (or you) that young black people are discriminated against, but a lot of teenagers can’t believe it. When Stormzy launched his Cambridge scholarships, he had to explain to his fans why they are for ethnic minorities only, because many young people don’t know the statistics, the reality, of the discrimination that takes place.
5) Read this NME feature on Radio 1 listener figures. What are the key statistics to take from this article regarding the decline in Radio 1 audience ratings?
- 9.2 million listeners that Radio 1 now pulls in each week = second lowest ever recorded ratings for the BBC station
- the lowest weekly rating of 9.1 million - posted in May 2017
- decline in the station’s ratings steady since 2012 when it attracted over 11.1 million weekly listeners
- better news for Radio 1 in terms of its digital audience: 16 million YouTube views a week; the station is also still the top choice for listeners aged 15 to 24 in the UK
- Speaking about the newly-published figures, Radio 1 Controller Ben Cooper said: “At a time of huge change for Radio 1, I’m delighted to see us bringing in 10 million weekly listeners, 10 million social followers, and a record 16 million weekly viewers of our YouTube content"
Industries
1) How does The Surgery and Life Hacks meet the BBC mission statement to Educate, Inform and Entertain?
- Educate: Life hacks addresses topics that are often unspoken of in mainstream media, especially regarding BME audiences - an example of this is when rapper Stormzy featured on the radio talking about his #Merky brand and how he intends to set up a scholarship for BME candidates for Cambridge University. Now, this is especially when the 'educate' part of the mission statement comes into play - a review on 'the guardian' of Life Hacks (by Miranda Sawyer) highlighted that "It might seem obvious to me (or you) that young black people are discriminated against, but a lot of teenagers can’t believe it. When Stormzy launched his Cambridge scholarships, he had to explain to his fans why they are for ethnic minorities only, because many young people don’t know the statistics, the reality, of the discrimination that takes place." Life Hacks make sure that the topics discussed on the show are relevant to target audiences.
- Inform: Life Hacks informs audiences of news and other necessary/useful information. The Surgery acts as more of an informative, advising style show; on the other hand, Life Hacks does this while offering entertainment through playing more music, featuring celebrities and having the discussions condensed into smaller chunks/segments.
- Entertain: Life Hacks is performed and conducted in an engaging way for audiences: they use interviews, polls, celebrity guests. Life Hacks also has a comedical element some times to appeal more to a younger audience.
2) Read the first five pages of this Ofcom document laying out its regulation of the BBC. Pick out three key points in the summary section.
- Shaped by their role as a public service broadcaster, the BBC have a remit to "inform, educate and entertain the public"
- For the first time, the BBC will be held accountable for meeting or not meeting these expectations and the expectations listed in their new Charter. The Charter gives Ofcom the job of setting the BBC's operating license which sets the standards that have to be met by the BBC.
- From March 29 2017, the BBC have been regulated and monitored by Ofcom. Ofcom are in charge of ensuring that the BBC are performing to a high standard.
3) Now read what the license framework will seek to do (letters a-h). Which of these points relate to BBC Radio 1 and The Surgery / Life Hacks?
- Support national and regional audiences
- Reflect the full diversity of the UK population
- Secure a more disctinctive BBC
4) What do you think are the three most important aspects in the a-h list? Why?
I think that all of these aspects are important: Reflect the full diversity of the UK population/ support national and regional audiences - this is important, especially for minority groups as they are often under represented in the media and deserve a more accurate representation on media platforms. This would also ensure a broader audience demographic as it would appeal to a wider range on ethnic groups and social classes if the show represents them correctly. In doing all of this as well as discussing taboo and interesting, engaging subjects, the BBC will secure a more distinctive brand.
5) Read point 1.9: What do Ofcom plan to review in terms of diversity and audience?
- That their content reflects the lives of younger and older audiences
- Diversity in the on-screen programmes
- How different audineces are portrayed and represented.
6) What is Ben Cooper trying to do with Radio 1?
7) How does he argue that Radio 1 is doing better with younger audiences than the statistics suggest?
8) Why does he suggest Radio 1 is distinctive from commercial radio?
9) Why is Radio 1 increasingly focusing on YouTube views and digital platforms?
10) In your opinion, should the BBC’s remit include targeting young audiences via Radio 1 or should this content be left to commercial broadcasters? Explain your answer.
In my opinion that this content should be left to commercial broadcasters because it enables them to diversify their audience and compete with the BBC on a more even playing field.The BBC are already an extremely powerful media institution so I think that if they did not target a youth audience they would still generate a significant amount of revenue based on their older demographic. Their audience is predominantly older, so I think that they should continue to focus on appealing to the majority of their audience, rather than trying to grow the minority.
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