CHANNEL RESEARCH- BBCCHANEL LIVESEY-PARSONS

HISTORY OF THE BBC• THE BRITISH BROADCASTING COMPANY LTD WAS A BRITISH COMMERCIAL COMPANY

FORMED IN 1922. THIS COMPANY WAS THEN FOLLOWED BY THE BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION, ALSO KNOWN AS THE BBC.

• THIS ORGANISATION IS BASED IN THE UK, AND BROADCASTS ITS SHOWS ACROSS THE GLOBE, VIA TELEVISION, RADIO AND THE INTERNET. THE PROGRAMMES MADE BY THE BBC CAN ALSO BE BOUGHT BUY OTHER BROADCASTING COMPANIES.

• TYPE: PUBLIC BROADCASTING• INDUSTRY: MASS MEDIA• THE 12 GOVERNORS WHO RUN THE ORGANISATION WERE GIVEN THE JOB BY THE

QUEEN, BASED ON GOVERNMENT MINISTERS’ ADVICE. • ESTABLISHED UNDER A ROYAL CHARTER, THE BBC ARE ALLOWED TO BROADCAST

ITS CHOICE OF SHOWS FOR VIEWERS

FINANCE:• EVERY HOUSEHOLD WANTING TO WATCH OR RECORD ‘LIVE’ PROGRAMMES IS

REQUIRED BY LAW TO PURCHASE A TV LICENCE, AND DUE TO THE BBC EARNING MONEY SOLELY FROM THE LICENCES, THEY DON’T TAKE THE MONEY AWAY FROM OTHER COMPANIES OR SHAREHOLDERS.

• ALSO, THEY AREN’T ALLOWED TO BROADCAST ANY COMMERCIALS

OTHER METHODS FOR THE BBC TO MAKE MONEY:• SELLING PROGRAMMES TO OTHER BROADCASTERS• SELLING AUDIO TAPES & CD’S OF RADIO SHOWS/ DVD’S & VIDEOS OF THEIR BEST

TELEVISION PROGRAMMES.• SELLING BOOKS & MAGAZINES

RADIO TIMES:• PUBLISHED IN 1923, BBC MAGAZINES PRINTED THE LISTINGS FOR THE

COMMENCING WEEK FOR RADIO AND TV IN THE UK. • IN 1991, IT BEGAN TO PRINT THE LISTINGS OF OTHER BROADCASTERS

IN THE UK. • IT IS STILL PRINTED TODAY & ALSO ACCESSED ONLINE, PROVIDING

STORIES ON THE PROGRAMMES, THE MAKERS AND THE ACTORS APPEARING IN THEM.

• TO DATE, ITS STILL ONE OF THE BEST SELLING MAGAZINES IN THE UK.

BBC REPORTS:• EVERY YEARS, THE BBC HAS TO PRODUCE A REPORT TO INFORM PEOPLE ABOUT

WHAT THEY HAVE DONE & HOW MUCH THEY HAVE MADE• IF ANYONE HAS A COMPLAINT, FOR EXAMPLE A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, THEY

HAVE TO COMPLAIN TO THE BBC, THE BBC TRUST OR OFCOM (A GOVERNMENT REGULATOR OF BROADCASTING)

LOCATIONS:• HEADQUARTERS: PORTLAND PLACE, LONDON• OTHER OFFICES: BIRMINGHAM, CARDIFF, BELFAST, GLASGOW,

MANCHESTER, BRISTOL, SOUTHAMPTON AND NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE• REPORTERS ARE ALSO REQUIRED TO WORK IN MORE DANGEROUS LOCATIONS IN THE

WORLD, SUCH AS WAR ZONES.

BBC IPLAYER:• IN 2007, THE PUBLIC WERE ABLE TO USE THE STREAMING SERVICE TO WATCH OR

DOWNLOAD THE LAST 7 DAYS OF TELEVISION & RADIO THAT THEY MAY HAVE MISSED. • THEIR SLOGAN FOR THE SERVICE IS “MAKING THE UNMISSABLE, UNMISSABLE”

WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE OF THE CHANNEL?

AS STATED ON THE BBC’S WEBSITE, THEY SERVE ALL AUDIENCES. THEY COMMISSION INDEPENDENT QUALITATIVE & QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE PUBLIC’S VIEWS AND PRIORITIES. THEY STATE THAT THE RESEARCH HELPS THEM TO ‘UNDERSTAND THE STRENGTHS OF VIEWS’ & TO ‘APPRECIATE ANY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DIVERSE GROUPS OF PEOPLE.BBC RADIO 1’S TARGET AUDIENCE IS 15-29 YEAR OLDS. THIS IS IDEAL BECAUSE THIS IS ALSO OUR TARGET AUDIENCE & WILL HELP WHEN WE AT THE STAGE OF CREATING OUR RADIO ADVERT.EVEN THOUGH BBC THREE IS AN ONLINE CHANNEL NOW, THE TARGET AUDIENCE IS FOR 16-34 YEAR OLDS WHICH IS IDEAL AS BBC ONE MAY BE A LITTLE BIT TOO MAINSTREAM FOR OUR DOCUMENTARY.

WHAT KIND OF PROGRAMMES COME ON THE CHANNEL THAT ARE SIMILAR

TO YOURS?EXAMPLES OF SIMILAR DOCUMENTARIES ARE:• IS BRITAIN RACIST?• LIFE & DEATH IN CHICAGO• FAT VS CARBS WITH JAMIE OWEN

THESE DOCUMENTARIES ARE ALL SIMILAR TO OURS AS THEY ARE INFORMATIVE AND INVESTIGATIVE. THIS IS THE SAME STYLE WE HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN OUR DOCUMENTARY.

WHAT TIME WILL YOU SHOW YOUR DOCUMENTARY

WE HAVE CHOSEN TO SHOW OUR DOCUMENTARY ON THE CHANNEL AROUND 8:30PM. WE BELIEVE THAT THIS TIME IS APPROPRIATE DUE TO ALL OTHER DOCUMENTARIES DISCUSSING SENSITIVE TOPICS ARE ON AT THIS TIME AS WELL.

FOR EXAMPLE:• PANORAMA: DIABETES- A HIDDEN KILLER: 8:30PM• TREVOR MACDONALD DOCUMENTARIES: 8:30PM OR 9PM

WHO WOULD BE THE TARGET AUDIENCE AT THIS TIME, IF IS DIFFERS TO CHANNEL TARGET AUDIENCE

NORMALLY?

DUE TO THE TARGET AUDIENCE NORMALLY BEING ALL AGES, IT SHOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM WHEN WE AIR OUR DOCUMENTARY.HOWEVER, IF WE WERE TO SHOW THE DOCUMENTARY ON BBC ONE, AND NOT BBC THREE, WE WOULD HAVE TO CREATE A MORE PROFESSIONAL DOCUMENTARY TO APPEAL TO THE OLDER AUDIENCES OF THAT PARTICULAR CHANNEL.

REASONS AGAINST CHOOSING ITV:

• THIS IS NOT A SUITABLE CHANNEL AS THE MAJORITY OF FACTUAL SHOWS BEING PRESENTED ARE NOT SIMILAR TO OUR DOCUMENTARY

• THE DOCUMENTARIES CLASSED AS FACTUAL SEEM TO BE TOO FULL OF COMEDY AND ENTERTAINMENT. FOR EXAMPLE, THE ONLY WAY IS ESSEX IS CLASSED AS A FACTUAL PROGRAMME

REASONS AGAINST CHOOSING CHANNEL 4

• LIKE ITV, THIS CHANNEL SHOWS A MIX OF DOCUMENTARY TYPES, BUT THE MAJORITY OF THEM SEEM TO BE ENTERTAINING, WHICH IS NOT LIKE THE STYLE WE HAVE CHOSEN TO USE FOR OUR DOCUMENTARY