Fathomer wrote:1. How much of a group decision are the schedule changes? Does the R1 Controller sit down with the Producers and tell them where he is going with the station? Or is a strategy session given to all staff where changes can be easily surmised and worked out. As I imagine Ben Cooper has a "road map" for the next 5 years as to where everyone will go to keep the station sounding fresh? It must be as frustrating as hell being the producer of a show for 6 months only to be told its going to be cut / dropped.
Producers aren't consulted. Ben has a plan, he probably shares it with Head of Programmes - Rhys, but as far as I'm aware that's it. Although it probably varies depending on the decision.
Fathomer wrote:2. How are the cuts affecting Radio 1? Does every show really need a Producer and a Broadcast Assistant? Clearly that isn't something that happens in the Commercial sector although I think it would be tragic if Newsbeat suffers from losing so many people.
Not all shows on Radio 1 have one of each - The Surgery for example doesn't have an AP, and the Producer I share with other shows. Different part of the schedule employs different models of working. You're referring to a weekday daytime show, and at 15 - 17.5 hours of content a week, yes it needs a producer and an AP. Commercial radio don't have the level of content that we do at the BBC. This way there's a choice, a better music mix, or us.
Fathomer wrote:3. Was Tulisa sent a tape of the show before she joined for the week? She appears to not understand a lot of the features, why did you take the decision not to pick a "superfan" of the show i.e. Davina McCall, Sara Cox etc etc?
She wasn't sent a tape, because even though our show has been massively successful there is one thought (among many) that we have recruited our audience (give or take several hundred thousand) and they are now growing up with the show. There is some evidence that the family and soap opera that makes our show so compelling to listen to and dip in and out of is also a barrier to new audiences - I thought it'd be good to try out for four days having a key member of the show that doesn't have that same knowledge of the in-jokes and history of the show so that we explain things from scratch, and therefore lower the barriers.
Long term fans who dislike the show will simply tune back in when the team's back to normal in three weeks, whereas new listeners who might have come our way might be able to stay and join our other listeners. Olly Murs and Davina being such huge fans of the show wouldn't allow us to do that.
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