Pipe and Slippers - and Bling

A recent article from WARC reported our beloved Beeb as “prioritizing popularity” and marginalising its older listeners. If you are over 35, it would seem your radio tastes are considered second place.

But radio is a heartland medium for older generations. It’s what they grew up with and had to make do with, along with wire hangers for antennae and jumpers for goalposts. By contrast, young people nowadays have an over-abundance of media available, including radio.

But broadcast radio has a difficult future attracting young audiences with online music providers such as Spotify or Last FM arriving on the scene. Users now expect to ‘self-DJ’, 'self-generate' radio content whilst exploring and sharing new music. “Young consumers don't have that need that we older folks have to have someone knowledgeable about the music tell them what's new. They have their social network to tell them what's cool” says Jerry Del Colliano, Professor of Music at the University of Southern California.  

Are the BBC more concerned with chasing younger audiences at the expense of forsaking older audiences?

Surely chasing popularity and ratings should not be what the BBC stands for. It is one thing for commercial broadcasters to seek high ratings to attract advertisers, but the BBC has a duty to provide quality content to all audiences, as a license fee supported public service broadcaster. They arguably have a grander, implicit responsibility too, in leading and enriching the public’s tastes, rather than matching and following public taste through a populist agenda.

The BBC should not cast out pipe and slippers content just yet.

Simon

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