Behind the scenes with the nation's favourites

Derek Knight is a co-ordinator with BBC radio networks’ Pop Music Hub operations team. His Outreach work is with groups of teenagers, demonstrating the Radio 1 and 1Xtra studios and answering questions about the technical side of radio. 

‘It’s great to hear from young listeners in person. I carry the feedback with me into my day job and it’s helped the way I work’ 

I work across Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, 6 Music and the Asian Network. I help production teams with the technical side of their shows, training them on our studios and getting outside broadcasts on air, both back at base and on location.

In my outreach work, I’ve conducted several tours of the Radio 1 and 1Xtra studio complex on the 8th Floor of New Broadcasting House for teenagers working with the BBC’s Outreach Team. I show people how the desks and our playout system work, and talk them through the newer visual side of our set up, both in the studios and the Live Lounge.

I try to relate what we do back to their personal experiences with technology, and explain that although our studios are state of the art, the principle of what we do is essentially the same as student radio and community stations, which many of them are involved in.

After a tour, we have a Q&A session, where they can ask me about the studios, or any other aspect of Radio 1 and 1Xtra. Questions vary from technical details, to careers advice, and there’s always a great deal of curiosity about our DJs and their celebrity guests.

I work hard to keep the students engaged – competing with the impulse to take albums of selfies – to be fair, during one tour, we were all rather distracted by Taylor Swift walking past the studio window. I couldn’t blame our visitors for not paying attention to me at that point.

On the whole, our guests are fully involved in the sessions, and have intelligent and informed questions, such as how the music for each show is selected, how we get audio on air from outside broadcasts, and wider questions about how to find work experience and get a foothold in the industry.

Feedback from the student groups has always been positive, and their evaluations show they find the tours a rewarding experience. I always enjoy the sessions, too, as it’s great to hear from young listeners in person. It gives me a genuine appreciation for what an exciting place this is to work, which you can occasionally forget when it’s part of your day-to-day working life.

It is enlightening to hear about how young people consume our content and use new technology, both of which have changed hugely from my experiences of listening to radio as a teenager.

I often ask how many people actually listen on a radio, and it’s almost always no-one. They do their listening via their phone, tablet or laptop. They’re less brand loyal than I remember being, listening to various stations, streaming services and watching videos on YouTube. Some only consume our content after it’s been broadcast via iPlayer radio or YouTube clips, rarely actually listening live.

I’ve carried this feedback with me back into my day job, and it’s helped inform the way I work with production teams, and how we set up radio features. It’s so valuable to have a connection with who you’re actually broadcasting to, and there’s no substitute for meeting your audience face to face. 

BBC Outreach & Corporate Responsibility brings the BBC closer to its audiences - particularly those audiences we have identified as harder to reach - with face-to-face activity, community support and staff volunteering.