Fifty years ago this weekend there was a radio revolution: the Light Programme, the Third programme and the Home Service were re-invented as Radios 2, 3 and 4, and Radio 1 was born. This bold, necessary and imaginative reorganisation of the radio portfolio was driven by the BBC’s duty to respond to the changing interests of its audiences and the crisis it faced as people who loved pop music turned to the pirate radio stations. So on that Saturday morning in 1967 when Tony Blackburn started out with The Move’s Flowers in the Rain, we embarked on a musical adventure with our listeners. And today it’s a journey that’s as exciting and rewarding as ever, taking in the world’s biggest music acts as well as seeking out the stars of the future.
As the radio landscape shifts around us, Radio 1 continues to be a crucial pathfinder to young, diverse audiences. And that mission will only become more important: by 2025 a quarter of the population will be from an ethnic minority background, the majority under 45. Together with Radio 1Xtra and The Asian Network, Radio 1 is key to engaging with these listeners and nurturing the music and ideas they love.
We know that listening habits are changing, and we’re changing with them. We’re commissioning podcasts to reach the 2.5 million people who love listening but just not to the radio. We’re streaming our content globally, and making brilliant shortform videos: Radio 1’s YouTube channel has 5 million subscribers. And our ambition extends to live and linear listening as our phenomenal presenters curate an astonishing wealth of content. They shape our tastes, we trust them to do so. They are the BBC.
Across the networks, as we continue on our mission to re-invent and grow, this birthday weekend is a great moment to reflect on all our exceptional programmes, and to remember that radio still reaches 90% of the population. It is a vital service and will continue to be so, well past the next 50 years.
On Saturday morning, the three-day Radio 1 Vintage Pop Up station will kick off. At 7am, there’s a live-recreation of Tony Blackburn’s first ever Radio 1 show broadcast as a triplecast on Radio 1 Vintage, Radio 1 and Radio 2, and at 8.30am Grimmy and Tony Blackburn will host a special Breakfast Show full of previous Radio 1 DJs and surprise guests.
As part of the anniversary celebrations, we’ve also seen an amazing array of stars doing Live Lounge sets, all of which are available on the website, YouTube and Radio 1’s iPlayer Channel.
Radio 1 is a remarkable station and I’d like to wish it – and its extraordinary sister stations - a very happy birthday.
Bob Shennan is Director of Radio & Music
- Visit the History of the BBC Website and discover 100 Voices that made the BBC – Radio Reinvented
- See the timelines for Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3 and Radio 4
