We haven’t heard much from the BBC Trust this year, but they’ve certainly been a busy bunch recently and they’ve taken a break from their hunt for a new Director General to lambast Radio 1 for failing to meet the standards it set out a couple of years back.
Apparently, the station hasn’t done enough to reduce the age of it’s listeners.
On the face of it, this seems a little harsh, as no amount of Botox and vitamin water can actually make a person younger, yet what the Trust are actually jabbering on about is the fact that the age of John Q Radio 1 Listener is just outside the 15 – 29 year old target bracket.
“Our aim that Radio 1 focuses more clearly on a young target audience so that its median age is within the target age group is still outstanding, although work is under way to address this issue,” said the trust in a statement.
“The median age has remained constant since our review completed in 2009 although, due to a change in Rajar methodology, it stands at 30, rather than 29, so just outside the target age group of 15 to 29-year-olds.”
In case you’re wondering, ‘Rajar’ (Radio Joint Audience Research Limited) are the people who measure radio ratings, yet the data is less precise than in the world of TV.
Radio 1 has made several moves to try and attract younger listeners in the last couple of years, including recruiting DJ Greg James (above) for the drive-time show (the second most important slot of the day), yet they still haven’t managed to break the ’29’ barrier.
This drive to reduce the age of listeners for the station is part of the BBC’s plan to get youngsters consuming more BBC News and increase their listenership among ehtnic minorities in different regions and nations across the UK
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