1

Commissioning Details

Commissioning Year 2017/2018

First Round

~ Commissioning Briefs Available ~ Ad Hoc Documentaries & Music Features

Presenter Led Genre Series Ideas Welcome

Round Opens 20/07/16

Round Closes 08/09/16 @ noon Results Published 24/11/16

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CONTENTS

Section 1: Network Introduction and Overview Page 3

Section 2: Overview of Radio 2 Performance and Audience Page 5

Section 3: Ad Hoc Briefs and slots available for commission Page 7

• Documentaries & Music Features Page 7 • Presenter Led Genre Series Page 10 • Ideas Welcome Page 12

Section 4: Working with Radio 2 Page 16

Section 5: Press & Publicity Page 20

Section 6: Interactive Page 21

Section 7: Commissioning Contacts Page 22

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Section 1: Network Introduction & Overview

Welcome to Radio 2’s Main Ad-hoc Commissioning Round for 2017/2018.

It’s been another successful year for the network, still the biggest, and ‘most listened to’, radio station in

the UK. In the latest RAJAR figures, Radio 2’s weekly reach was the 2nd highest ever at just over 15 and a

half million, and very positively the average amount of listening per listener moved back above 12 hours

a week. All of this resulted in a record share for Radio 2 - an amazing 18.6%! Performance was particularly

strong among the older 55+ audience - hitting a record reach and share with that age group. The

average age of a Radio 2 listener is now 52 years, as is the average age of a listener to our Breakfast

Show. Ken Bruce & Jeremy Vine both posted record reach & share, there was record share for Breakfast

and Drive, and record reach for Dermot O’Leary.

We also saw good multiplatform performance statistics from our two DAB Pop Up services broadcast in

the Spring. ‘Radio 2 Country’ returned at the beginning of March, and a month later there was the

second service ‘Radio 2 50s’ which dove-tailed with the launch of a new landmark BBC TV series ‘The

Peoples History of Pop’. This became a platform for Radio 2’s extensive 50s archive, alongside 1950s

versions of some of our specialist output, a 1950s themed ‘Friday Night Is Music Night’, and the return of

our ‘Sounds Of The 50s’ series with Leo Green. Both DAB services delivered strong numbers of unique

browsers, and significant audio visual content requests.

Also in April we broadcast the Final of the ‘Radio 2 Young Brass Award’ live from the Royal Northern

College of Music, the Folk Awards live from the Albert Hall, and the return of Mark Kermode who fronted a

70s movie blockbuster-themed Friday Night Is Music Night, and presented a new movie music series,

Celluloid Jukebox, looking at pop music’s relationship with the silver screen.

In May we were in Sweden for Eurovision, Cheltenham for a raft of programmes & performances from the

Jazz Festival, and at the end of the month we broadcast live from London’s Globe Theatre, where in the

presence of The Duchess Of Cornwall, Chris Evans fronted the Final of our record breaking children’s short

story writing competition, 500 Words.

Also in May we launched a Season of special programming to raise awareness of Mental Health issues.

There were first hand stories of listeners broadcast in all our daily programmes, a week of features in The

Jeremy Vine Show, and a special documentary, Dennis Skinner Vs Dementia, where the Labour MP

explained how he used the power of song to help fend off the disease amongst the elderly in his

constituency.

In June we were off to New York as Elaine Page reported back from the Tony Awards, then back to the UK

for BBC Music Day, and closing the month with headline sets from Adele and Coldplay alongside special

shows and performances fronted by Chris Evans, Jo Whiley, Dermot O’Leary and Trevor Nelson, all live

from Glastonbury’s Worthy Farm.

Looking ahead to the next six months, you have worked with us on some really exciting programming – on

the 30th July Radio 2 celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 1966 World Cup Final. As part of BBC Music’s

‘My Generation’ Season, we’ll tell the story of this legendary match, live from Wembley Arena, in real-

time, ‘minute by minute’, joined by a cast of actors, and with a musical soundtrack provided by the likes

of Squeeze, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Reef, Lemar, James, Chris Farlowe & The Troggs.

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August is Festival time – Mark Radcliffe’s Folk Show will report back from the Cambridge & Whitby Folk

celebrations, and Steve Wright’s Afternoon Show will be in Edinburgh for the Arts and Comedy Festival.

In September we’re off to Hyde Park for our annual weekend of music making – the ‘sold-out’ Sunday bill

features country from Leann Rimes, jazz from Gregory Porter, folk from Cara Dillon, and a headline set

from Sir Elton John.

Also in September on what would have been Buddy Holly’s 80th birthday we’ll be discovering how before

his death, he planned musical collaborations with the likes of Ray Charles and Mahalia Jackson in

defiance of the racist culture of the 1950s.

At the end of September we remember broadcasting legend Sir Terry Wogan. There’ll be live coverage

of his Memorial Service from Westminster Abbey, alongside a two part documentary tribute to one of

Radio 2’s most loved presenters.

Comedy is back on Radio 2 in the Autumn with five new sitcom showcases alongside a full series featuring

comic creation Barbara Nice – telling the story of a couple with very different ideas on how to spend their

retirement years.

Black History Month will be celebrated in October across the BBC – Radio 2 will broadcast two new music

series - there’ll be features across our daytime schedule - and we’ll also tell the story of West Indian

soldiers in the First World War.

In October well mark the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan Mining Disaster, and discover why the musical

tradition of a choir, set up in the wake of the tragedy, and so intrinsically connected with mining, has

survived long after the closure of the collieries. And early in 2017 the team behind the Radio 2 adaptation

of ‘War Horse’, will create another musical drama from the pen of Michael Morpurgo, ‘Alone On a Wide

Wide Sea’.

With continued pressures on budgets, as always we need to stick to our ambition of fewer, bigger, better

– fewer commissions, but with more ambitious programming that has a bigger and better cut-through,

impacting right across our schedule, and across different digital platforms. And looking ahead to the

period of this commissioning round – we have already commissioned programming Radio 2‘s 50th

birthday, but feel free to suggest other themes and Seasons, as well as one-off documentaries or series

that you think would work well on Radio 2. As you will be aware the BBC Trust have charged Radio 2 with

increasing its engagement with Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic audiences – and this is an area of

programming that we would like to look at again in this Commissioning Round. As always I would

encourage you to talk to Robert Gallacher about your proposals before you formally submit them. These

Pre-Offers Meets will give you a steer on focus and content, and how your ideas might work within the

context of the schedule. And please contact Julian Grundy with any questions you may have regarding

the processes, commissioning or the schedule. And please feel free to feedback any ways in which we

could improve the way we work with you.

Thank you for your continued support.

Bob Shennan

Bob Shennan

Controller, BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music & BBC Asian Network

BBC Director of Music

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Section 2: Radio 2 Performance & Audience

• In the most recent quarter (Q1 2006), weekly reach to Radio 2 was a significant 15.51m. The station

has now had a reach of 15m or above for over 2 years. Over 1 in 4 (29%) of the UK adult population

currently listen to Radio 2 each week. The station has a very high share of listening at 18.6%. R2

continues to account for 1 in 3 of all hrs listened to BBC Radio.

• The average amount of listening per listener improved in the latest quarter and is now back above

12 hrs a week at 12:03. Radio 2 remains above Radio 4 (11:28) and remains the highest for a UK

wide station.

ContentsRAJAR Q1 2016 | BBC Radio 2 - 3 Month Weight

share

18.6%

reach

15.51

Radio 2 reach (m) and share (%) performance trend|

Q1 16

Adults 15+

15.5

%

15.9

%

16.5

%

17.2

%

15.9

%

15.6

%

16.2

%

16.0

%

14.9

%

15.9

%

16.3

%

16.8

%

16.1

%

15.6

% 17.6

%

17.7

%

17.2

%

16.9

%

17.6

%

17.9

%

17.7

%

17.0

%

17.8

%

18.1

%

17.6

%

17.6

%

17.7

%

18.6

%

Q2

09

Q3

09

Q4

09

Q1

10

Q2

10

Q3

10

Q4

10

Q1

11

Q2

11

Q3

11

Q4

11

Q1

12

Q2

12

Q3

12

Q4

12

Q1

13

Q2

13

Q3

13

Q4

13

Q1

14

Q2

14

Q3

14

Q4

14

Q1

15

Q2

15

Q3

15

Q4

15

Q1

16

Share (%) Reach (m)

13

.42

13

.62

13

.47

14

.57

13

.73

13

.68

13

.94

14

.54

13

.97

14

.31

14

.27

14

.56

14

.46

13

.90 15

.11

15

.27

15

.44

14

.94

15

.51

15

.57

15

.50

15

.01

15

.28

15

.09

15

.14

15

.38

15

.47

15

.51

We look at the ‘digital footprint’ for Radio 2 each quarter. The ‘live listen’ to the station is still

clearly the dominate way in which the audience connect with the brand, however, the

number of browsers coming into the Radio 2 online site each week is increasing, with weekly

peaks above the 1 million mark.

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Radio 2 Digital footprint, Q1 2016 (Avg. week)

246

Short form audio clip requests

872

363

Mobile UBs

182

207

207k Facebook engaged users

125k Facebook Referrals from a total reach of 2.0m

80k Twitter engaged users

On-demand audio programme requests

15+ Weekly Reach (Q1 2016)

15,514

Listen Share

WatchDevice

328

YouTube views

92k Facebook Views

185

311

Computer UBs

Tablet UBs

Short form video clip requests

Live audio programme requests

DRM Downloads

Total UBs

All figures in 000s and based on UK. RAJAR data relates to previous quarter (3mth weight). Radio Requests are under investigation from 9th February 2015 onwards - these figures are currently undercounted and should be treated with caution. Podcasts currently unavailable

from June 2015. Source: RAJAR / iStats AV / ComScore Digital Analytix (iStats) / Radio & Music Multiplatform / BBC Social Media Dashboard / TRP Research

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2,006

Red ButtonIncludes Weekly Average of: Week 5 - Sounds of the 80s

Week 6 - Sounds of the 80s

Week 11 - Sounds of the 80s

Week 12 - Sounds of the 80s and Radio 2 in Concert with aha (Weeks 12

and 13).

9k Twitter referrals from 4.5m impressions

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125

5Off schedule audio programme requests

Off schedule video programme requests4

Video programme requests9

80Podcasts

The network now has some key performance (KPIs) metrics. These metrics include live listening

reach but also average weekly UK Browsers to the Radio 2 site, 872K in Q1 16; the average

weekly number of on demand short form clip requests (audio & video), 143k weekly requests.

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The average number of weekly referrals from social media, 134k and finally the average weekly

number of views on RB (if we have content on the platform) and/or the average number of

weekly iplayer video programme requests, 328k viewers and 13K requests respectively in Q1 16.

Requests to Radio 2’s short form online content and referrals from Social Media are now

growing each quarter.

Quarterly KPIs for Radio 2

Slide 3

Weekly reach on

Red Button

(viewers)

iPlayer video prog.

requests (on & off schedule)

Weeklyon demand

Short form

clip requests

Audio/video clips

on bbc.co.uk

Weekly UK

UBs Unique

Browsers

Weekly

SM ReferralsFB linked clicks/Twitter URL clicks

872k(+19% on Q)

143k(+147% on Q)

134k(+113%on Q)

RB:

328k(-26% on Q)

2 3 4 5

iPlayer:

13k(-66% on Q)

LOOKSHARELOOK

LISTEN

15.5m(+0.3% pt

on Q)

1 Weekly

Live Radio

ReachListeners

Audience Profile

The gender profile of the audience to Radio 2 is slightly more male at 52% male vs 48% female.

Radio 2 continues to pull in an audience that is spread across the 35+ age groups. However, the age

profile is starting to move older. In Q1 16, Radio 2 had a record reach and share of listening among

the 55+ listener with 6.93m listeners and a high 22.7% share. The average age of listener has been very

consistent over a number of years and has remained above 50 years which is the target set for Radio

2. In the most recent quarter (Q1 16) the average age to Radio 2 edged up to 52 years.

The Social grade profile has remained steady with 62% of the audience in the ABC1 grades. ABs now

make up nearly 30% of the Radio 2 audience.

Radio 2 is behind other BBC networks in terms of reaching Black & Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME)

audiences. Reach among BAME audiences grew in Q1 16 to 650k, making up just 4.2% of all Radio 2

listeners. It is a priority for Radio 2 to grow reach among BAME audiences.

ContentsRAJAR Q1 2016 | BBC Radio 2 - 3 Month Weight

100.0% Total Weekly Reach 15.51

39.7% Any Digital 7.90

60.3% AM/FM 12.03

31.6% DAB 6.26

4.3% Digital TV 1.45

3.8% Internet 1.21

12h 03m187.07h

9.73Share

20.0%Reach

Radio 2 audience at a glance

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6.4% 10.0% 15.9% 23.0% 19.8% 24.9%

1.00 1.55 2.47 3.57 3.07 3.86

Age profile and reach Reach (m)

15.51

6.04 6.93

Adults 15+ Adults 35-54 Adults 55+

Reach by gender (m)

Share (%) and reach (m) for Breakfast

Hours (m)

Platform share (%) and reach (m)

15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Profile (%)

15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Reach (m)

Share (%) Reach (m)

Average hours

per listener

Total hoursMen Women

7.508.02

48.3%51.7%

Digital listening to Radio 2 continues to grow

40% of all listening is now via a digital device. 7.9m/51% of R2 listeners now listen to Radio 2 at some

point across the week via a digital device.

Kim McNally-Luke: Senior Research Manager, BBC Music & Radio 2, 6 Music, Asian Network, Radio 3

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Section 3:

BBC Radio 2 Commissioning Briefs:

DOCUMENTARIES & MUSIC FEATURES

Tx Slot Round Brief No.

Dur’n Available Slots

Price Commissioning Category

Mon-Wed @ 22:03

1 20173 56’24” TBA

TBA (Once Network budgets have been reviewed and approved – prices will be

advised)

Universal

This brief is where Radio 2 continues to establish its credentials as a feature-maker of real merit and depth.

We are looking to commission distinctive documentaries that reflect both the UK and the world.

Celebrating the rich heritage of popular culture – music, entertainment and the arts – that the UK has

created, exported and embraced.

Currently, the slot is carrying an eclectic broad sweep of programming. From a two-part Here we Come –

The Monkees at 50… to Cerys Matthews’ Appalachian Journey - celebrating Old Time music, then and

now, honing in on the story of migrants leaving the old world for fortune in the new, taking the old songs

and sowing the seeds that would become Country music… to Chanson D’Armour a tribute to French

songs that became popular around the world - after they were re-recorded with English lyrics … to the life

story of Joan Collins - chronicling her life in her words in A Life In Lipstick…

You can see that from this snapshot of programmes, the scope is exceptionally broad. The strand

demands strong journalism, creative, imaginative production, engaging, credible and passionate

presenters and where possible, new interviews with key contributors. All of these elements make for

compelling listening, whether introducing the audience to a subject, personality or theme for the first time

or augmenting an existing knowledge or interest.

As ever, we are looking to add distinctiveness to our daytime output by placing interviews from our

documentary output into shows pre-7pm in order to provide a greater platform for your documentaries

and provide an opportunity to put our evening content into context across the whole of Radio 2.

Recent highlights have included…

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pet shop boys, documentary*

In March 1986, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe released their debut Pet Shops Boys album, Please. Over the

next 30 years, the duo would go on to sell more than 50 million records including 40 Top 20 singles and four

UK number ones.

This four-part documentary, introduced by Graham Norton, charted the career of the most successful

British music duo in history. In the opening episode, in a new and exclusive interview, Neil and Chris discuss

the origins of the band and their early influential albums released on the Parlophone record label. They

talk about their debut, Please; 1987’s Actually; Introspective, which was released the following year;

1990’s Behaviour; 1993’s Very; and Bilingual, which came out in 1996. Plus, they chose their favourite

album tracks from each release.

Future episodes explored how the twosome have contrasted their success in mainstream music with

acclaimed works for ballet, opera and musical theatre. What’s more, as the duo prepared to release their

new album, Super, the programmes asked how they’ve continued to walk a tightrope between pop and

art, and silliness and profundity.

Brits In Hollywood*

As the film world prepared for the start of awards season earlier this year, Michael Grade talked to the

cream of British talent about how they survived the cut-throat world of Hollywood to become successful in

movies.

In this three-part series, Michael heard tales of Oscar nights, strange auditions, brutal meetings and larger-

than-life characters as told by some of the finest names in film.

Episode one featured an all-women line-up of contributors including Oscar-winner Dame Helen Mirren,

British acting legend Dame Diana Rigg, and film and TV actress Jenny Agutter.

Other contributors across the series included Selma star David Oyelowo, screenwriter Julian Fellowes, and

film producers David Heyman and Lord Puttnam.

Continued…

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DOCUMENTARIES & MUSIC FEATURES continued

James Dean: The Last 10 Weeks*

Everyone grapples for a fresh angle on the life and death of Hollywood actor James Dean, and here we

had it in documents locked away for more than half a century.

Essays and hundreds of pictures by critically acclaimed photographer Sanford Roth came to light giving

us a new insight into the life of an icon. Hollywood actor Robert Wagner told the story of Roth's short but

intense friendship with Dean over that hot summer of 1955.

Roth (his words brought to life here by actor Michael Xavier) painted a unique picture of a young man

who, to many, has remained an enigma for decades. Roth - who had photographed all the greats of the

era, from Hollywood stars to Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky and Cocteau, befriended the young Dean while

taking the stills pictures for his third and ultimately final film Giant.

To paint a full picture of the young Dean that summer 60 years ago, the programme also heard from his

young cousin Marcus Winslow Jnr, from his best friend Lew Bracker, from fellow racing enthusiast Bruce

Kessler and from his Giant co-stars Jane Withers and Carrol Baker. There were contributions from

Francesca Robinson Sanchez who was left Sanford Roth's Dean Collection and from British film producer

David Puttnam who was inspired by Dean.

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Section 3:

BBC Radio 2 Commissioning Briefs:

PRESENTER-LED GENRE SERIES

Tx Slot Round Brief No.

Duration Available Slots

Price Guide Commissioning Category

TBA 1 20180 55’44” 50 weeks Up to £2k per programme

Universal

This is an hour-long slot that is looking to carry musical genres or presenter-led critiques of genres or

elements of music making and their related expert musical exponents, that are not catered for directly,

across the rest of the Radio 2 schedule.

Genres across the strand could include reggae, rock’n’roll, latin, new wave, world, rock, gospel or

classical. Please do suggest other genres that you feel have a place on the network and would appeal to

our audience.

The presenter is key. They must be a credible, trusted guide through the series. Illuminating their subject

and contextualising in an informed, passionate manner.

Barry Humphries: Barry’s Forgotten Masterpieces*

In this new 3-part series, Barry Humphries presented a selection of his musical memories and aimed to

transport listeners to a bygone era with vintage recordings by artists, who made their names during the

age of the wireless. As a little boy growing up in far-off Melbourne during the 1930s and 40s, Barry was

captivated by the sounds and music emanating from his parents' wireless set.

During childhood illnesses, Barry's mother placed the radio set in his bedroom and little Barry was so

entranced by the music that he tried to make whooping cough, measles and mumps last as long as

possible. Barry's early musical memories include Fred Astaire, Flanagan and Allen, The Comedian

Harmonists, Joseph Schmidt, Harry Roy and Judy Garland among others.

Continued…

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PRESENTER-LED GENRE SERIES continued

Hooray for Bollywood with Shilpa Shetty*

Last year the BBC announced a major new season of programmes across television and radio dedicated

to one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world - India.

The season was a celebration of the richness of the landscape and people of the country as well as its

culture, art, business and politics.

On BBC Radio 2, Bollywood superstar Shilpa Shetty presented a four-part guide to the music and glamour

of the Indian film industry in Hooray For Bollywood, With Shilpa Shetty. Over the hour-long shows Shilpa

played her favourite tracks and told stories from behind-the-scenes with some of Bollywood's biggest stars.

Mark Kermode’s Celluloid Jukebox*

Mark Kermode conducts a very personal tour of the last 60 years of pop music in cinema

It could be said that modern pop music began in the mid 1950s with Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley

and The Comets. This iconic song was used for the opening credits of the teen high school drama

Blackboard Jungle in 1955 and then a year later the movie Rock Around The Clock came out featuring

Bill and The Comets in a highly fictionalized account of the birth of rock n roll.

2016 is the 60th anniversary of the release of Rock Around The Clock and the perfect time for Mark

Kermode to bring us a unique and highly personal tour of his very own Celluloid Jukebox.

In each programme we will hear music from the six decades that cinema and pop music have been

partners. The musical selection will be eclectic and free flowing – sometimes connected by theme or

genre, sometimes by year or artist and sometimes through Mark’s particular and highly personal

associations. He will tell anecdotes and give context to the choices and we will hear audio extracts from

he films alongside other contemporary archive. Each programme will feature extracts of dialogue from

some of the films featured as well as other audio archive.

12

Section 3:

BBC Radio 2 Commissioning Briefs:

IDEAS WELCOME

Tx Slot Round Brief No.

Dur’n Available Slots

Price Guide Commissioning Category

TBA 1 20158 TBA TBA

TBA Universal

This is a brief designed to allow for ideas that carry an ambition that works beyond the traditional

commissioning brief format. Where ideas do not naturally fit into commissioning briefs, or where ideas are

outside of the traditional schedule, please propose them under this banner.

This category is designed to give more opportunity for innovative ideas, special events and seasons to

flourish. The seasons have worked extremely well, adding impact and range throughout the schedule,

encompassing slots across comedy, documentaries, weekday and weekend output.

Examples of ideas that have been offered and commissioned are;

Sinatra Season*

Programming included; Sinatra on Screen

Hollywood legend Angie Dickinson presented a star-studded retrospective of Frank Sinatra the actor.

Across two one hour programmes, Angie, who played Sinatra's wife Bea in the iconic 1960's heist picture

Ocean's 11, was joined by Shirley MacLaine and Kim Novak to reflect on Sinatra's prolific film career.

Over five decades Frank Sinatra acted in war thrillers, noir dramas, detective capers, comedies and

musicals. In a cinematic career just as colourful as his musical one, he played sailors, nightclub singers,

assassins, detectives, soldiers and heroin addicts.

Angie asked what made Sinatra such a great actor on screen and what was the relationship between his

screen and singing persona?

At the 1954 Academy Awards, he won Best Supporting Actor for his role as Private Angelo Maggio in From

Here To Eternity.

Angie revealed how Sinatra's Oscar win saw him rocket to the top of Hollywood and saved him from

obscurity.

Continued…

13

IDEAS WELCOME continued

Kim Novak reflected on appearing with him in 1955's The Man With The Golden Arm, the film Sinatra called

his greatest achievement, and Shirley MacLaine recalled her time with Sinatra and Dean Martin on the set

of Some Came Running in 1958.

Programme Two opened at the peak of Sinatra's silver screen success with Angie's stories from the Las

Vegas while shooting Ocean's 11. We also revisited some of Sinatra's greatest roles in Hollywood musicals,

including Pal Joey with Kim Novak.

Debbie Reynolds shared her memories of starring opposite Sinatra in 1955's The Tender Trap and Shirley

MacLaine revisited her time on the set of Can-Can in 1960.

The journalist Gay Talese, who wrote the acclaimed Esquire feature 'Frank Sinatra Has A Cold' observed

Sinatra shooting 'Assault on a Queen', one of his critical flops of the mid-60s. While many of Sinatra's later

screen performances were deemed lazy, we'll hear of some of the exceptions, including his role in The

Manchurian Candidate and his underrated detectives and police officer films.

Other programme highlights from the season included…

Frank and the Golden Era of Radio

Paul Gambaccini explored Frank's career as a radio star during the golden age of radio in the US.

Produced in association with NBC Radio, who provided access to their archive of classic radio shows

featuring Sinatra as actor, comedian and presenter as well as his more familiar role of singer.

Sinatra in the UK

Leo Green told the little known story of Sinatra's 1953 tour of the UK. Smarting from his failed marriage to

Ava Gardner and his tax problems and worried about how his comeback movie 'From Here To Eternity'

would be received, Sinatra spent 2 months in England and Scotland often playing to small audiences.

People who saw the shows remember half empty houses but some brilliant live performances. The

programme featured archive 1953 recordings from BBC Radio's 'Show Band Show' and an unofficial tape

from the Blackpool Opera House.

Sinatra: The Comeback

Presented by Guy Barker. After a dramatic and near-fatal fall from popularity in the early 1950's taking him

from the Hollywood Bowl to the Opera House, Blackpool, Frank Sinatra won the Academy Award for 'Best

Supporting Actor' in the movie "From Here To Eternity" and his recording career blossomed all over again

when he was signed by Capitol Records in March 1953. "The Greatest Comeback Since Lazarus" was

underway! The late 1950's and 1960's were the high-rolling 'Ring-A-Ding-Ding' years for Frank Sinatra: His

friendship with JFK; The Rat Pack; The cool 'Jet Set' lifestyle . In 1960, Sinatra left Capitol and started his own

label, Reprise Records. Now he truly was 'The Chairman of The Board'!

Continued…

14

IDEAS WELCOME continued

The Battle of Britain at 75*

On Friday 18th September 2015, Radio 2 commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain with a

day of live broadcasts from Biggin Hill, including a Friday Night Is Music Night special, broadcast live on

Red Button and cinemas around the UK.

The Chris Evans’ Breakfast Show was live from Biggin Hill Airport, the most iconic of Britain’s fighter stations.

The Jeremy Vine Show also broadcast live from Biggin Hill where Jeremy discussed the modern day Royal

Air Force and the role they play more than seven decades on from the Battle of Britain. Jeremy was

joined by current RAF personnel for a discussion about how today's RAF is ‘securing the skies’ in 2015.

The day culminated in a Friday Night Is Music Night special - ‘The Battle of Britain At 75’ told the epic story

of the greatest aerial conflict of the Second World War. Dermot O’Leary, Jeremy Vine and BBC News’

Sophie Raworth were joined by the BBC Concert Orchestra. Rare archive footage from the conflict,

modern day RAF personnel, guest singers and a cast of actors brought those stories to life as we

remembered the men and women who took part 75 years ago.

1950s Pop-Up DAB *

BBC Radio 2 50s was a four-day digital radio pop up service showcasing the best music and nostalgia

from the 1950’s.

The service complimented “My Generation”, a new BBC TV season on the history of popular music, where

music fans will share their most precious, personal and rarest music memorability from the 1950’s.

Highlights included…

My Buddy And I

In a one hour special, Chris Evans and his son Noah shared their love for the music of an artist that bridges

generations, the brilliant Buddy Holly. The father and son team are bringing the time they spend travelling

in the car together - accompanied by classic cassette tapes of the 50s star - to the Radio 2 listeners.

Continued…

15

IDEAS WELCOME continued

Mental Health Week*

Radio 2 highlighted mental health from Monday 9th to Tuesday 17th May 2016.

Through a series of reports Jeremy Vine explored conditions including anorexia, bipolar disorder,

depression and self-harm and looked at whether politicians do enough to support mental health services

within the NHS.

Alastair Campbell and his partner of 37 years, Fiona Millar, spoke to Jeremy about how depression has

affected their relationship whilst Dennis Skinner MP presented a special documentary programme

discussing fending off dementia.

The network also carried – and scheduled through daytime programming - a commissioned series of

intimate short form packages featuring people who are or have suffered from a range of conditions. The

packages were then archived on the Jeremy Vine web page.

16

Section 4: Working with Radio 2 This section contains information on;

The Commissioning process

Delivery requirements

o Programme

o Interactive

o Technical

Overview

The broadcasting world is changing fast and our audiences want to find our programmes wherever they

appear. To help them, we need to make sure programmes are delivered on time, to length and with the

necessary associated information.

As well as the wider changes, Radio 2 is playing out parts of the schedule automatically, removing live

continuity announcements. This means the Radio 2 schedule needs to run exactly to time. To enable this,

the scheduling team will be responsible for building the schedule in exact, hour long chunks. The changes

required to help them do this are set out below

Another benefit of hitting programme junctions accurately is no more problems with iPlayer clipping the

ends of programmes.

Delivery requirements …

Pre-recorded programmes

Programmes to be delivered 4 weeks prior to transmission

Programmes to be delivered to exact durations – confirmed by Julian Grundy

Programme descriptions to be provided 5 weeks prior to transmission

Built trails to be exactly 40 seconds long

Live programmes

Programmes to be delivered to exact durations – confirmed by Julian Grundy

Programme descriptions to be provided 5 weeks prior to transmission

Built trails to be exactly 40 seconds long

The Output

Core Output of Radio 2

The majority of programmes - the core output - are long-running strands which are produced either by

Radio 2 producers or a small group of Independent companies. When the strands produced by

Independents come up for renewal they are put out for tender using the process described below.

Non - Core output of Radio 2

Commissioning rounds take place twice a year to complement the core output. It is within these rounds

that ideas are sought for a wide range of documentaries, specialist music, comedy, event and other

programming. Readings are commissioned alongside special events or seasons.

If you are an Independent Production Company, and want to enter offers to Radio 2 commissioning

rounds, please sign up to the BBC Audio & Music Independent Production Company database using this

link to the Pro-Forma.

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The Commissioning Process:

How will I know when to propose my idea?

The Audio and Music Database will be used to alert Indies who have expressed an interest to all

commissioning rounds using the BBC Radio Commissioning Website as well as email.

In House producers will be notified that commissioning rounds are open via email.

Submitting your proposal?

We would encourage you to talk to the network – Robert Gallacher – about your proposals before

you formally submit them. And, please contact Julian Grundy with any other questions you may

have.

Proposals are submitted using Proteus Commissioning – information can be found here (Pitching To

Radio).

Proposals should include a short synopsis followed by a more detailed explanation of the idea and

treatment being proposed together with a proposed price per episode. (More details on the site).

Additional Information for Independent producers:

To be considered for a commission, all Independent companies should ensure that their proposals

demonstrate evidence of relevant experience for all staff involved in music-radio production within

the briefs being tendered for.

It is advisable to look at the How We Do Business page of the BBC Radio Commissioning website

before submitting a proposal. Full information useful to prospective programme-makers (including

information on underlying Rights, contractual and legal aspects of commissioning, Health & Safety

requirements and the BBC's complaints procedure) are set out there.

A summary of the terms agreed with the radio independent production sector is set out in the

Terms of Trade. The programme production agreement that the BBC would expect to conclude

with an independent producer is made up of the General Terms and the Special Terms.

A guide to how you should deal with complaints from the public and how to direct your complaints

to the BBC is available via the BBC Complaints Procedures for Independent Producers.

What happens then?

After the closing date there will be a shortlisting period where producers may be asked to discuss

their idea further.

Proposals will either be ‘conditionally commissioned’ at a suggested price or ‘rejected’. This

information will be recorded in Proteus.

All ‘conditionally commissioned’ proposals will state a provisional tx date. Please work towards the

provisional tx date unless otherwise advised.

All documentary / series presenters must be approved by the network prior to you contracting

them, even if they have been discussed at a pitching meeting.

Budget

In-house budgets are agreed with Darren Bodek - BBC Finance Partner and the Radio 2

Commissioning Team - Robert Gallacher and Julian Grundy - and should be below or in line with

the guide price listed in the Commissioning Brief.

The budget Radio 2 is willing to pay for independent proposals is detailed at the time of

conditional commission. If that offer is deemed unacceptable then a detailed budget will be

required and negotiated with the Radio 2 Commissioning Team.

Continued…

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Formal Commission

In House; your programmes are only formally commissioned when a presenter and budget have

been agreed.

Independent productions; your programmes are only formally commissioned when a presenter

and budget have been agreed and a commissioning contract is signed and returned. Until this

point, all commissions are still regarded as ‘conditional’ rather than 'formal commissions'. Any work

you undertake prior to this is at your own risk.

Please liaise with the Radio 2 Commissioning Team to ensure these are agreed ASAP.

Compliance

You must consult Robert Gallacher or Julian Grundy over any Compliance issues you may have

regarding language, rights or material BEFORE you make the programme.

Compliance forms must also accurately reflect your programme content and conversations you

have had with us.

All programmes must comply with the relevant statutory and regulatory provisions. If you have a

programme compliance issue and are not sure if it falls in the realms of editorial policy, programme

legal advice, business affairs or elsewhere please contact Robert or Julian.

In line with the BBC Editorial Standards, compliance measures have been agreed and introduced

for commissions across the BBC, including provisions relating to training and those occasions when

on-air talent own or manage the company. Full details and guidance can be found on BBC -

Commissioning - Compliance.

All production staff working on commissions (producer & executive producer) must have

completed the BBC 'Safeguarding Trust' course. If this is not the case please contact the network to

organise the necessary training. Moving forward, there will be a list of mandatory courses that ALL

production staff – BBC or independent – must complete in order to fulfil the commission /

programme making requirements and criteria.

Delivery requirements – Programme

Delivery details will be available on all commissioning documentation and via the A&M commissioning

website and, if you are an Independent Production Company, they will be included in your programme

production agreement

Pre-recorded programmes must be delivered to us 4 weeks prior to tx. For independent productions this is a contractual obligation.

The network will designate some pre-recorded programmes as ‘Topical’ and the delivery date of

those programmes will be set at a time different from 4 weeks ahead of TX

Programmes which are normally live and have on occasions to be pre-recorded will agree their

delivery date at the time the Scheduling team is informed of the change.

Delivery 4 weeks out will allow us to better publicise your programmes, and enable us to meet the

detailed compliance requirements. This will also assist Station Sound campaign planning.

All programmes must be delivered to the exact durations as advised (see commissioning briefs).

These durations are not negotiable.

Once delivered the programme duration will be checked by the scheduling team at the earliest

opportunity - If the duration is incorrect, the producer of that programme will be informed by e-

mail the duration is not acceptable and asked to deliver a version of the correct length by the

following day.

Failure to deliver to the terms and conditions of your programme commission with respect to timetabled

dates and durations could affect our ability to broadcast your programme. Should you be aware that

you may have difficulty with any aspect of delivery you must inform the network – Julian Grundy -

immediately.

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Delivery requirements – Programme Descriptions

Programme descriptions must be provided 5 weeks prior to tx.

Both In house and Independent producers must enter these in Proteus.

This will provide our press and digital teams with the best possible opportunity to publicise your

programmes, in an increasingly crowded market-place. (See Press and Publicity section)

Delivery requirements - Technical

Format

Programmes must be delivered as a linear WAV, linear BWAV or FLAC file.

BBC Radio technical specification for wav files can be found here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/radio/production/articles/technical-specifications.

For technical enquiries and expert advice email

Julian Markham, Technical Manager, Western House

o Technical Delivery process

Process for BWAV delivery – Independent Production Companies

You will need an FTP account to access the BBC's servers and you will need suitable FTP software. You

may also require (free) FLAC encoding software. For details contact Julian Markham

From your digital editor bounce down the programme to a single 16 bit, 48 kHz, stereo wav file.

The naming of this wav file is important. It should include the Network, Title and TX. It should not

include any punctuation or spaces - use underscore to make the name readable. E.G.

R2_A_Programme_120614.wav

If required you may data compress the file to the FLAC format.

Send the file to your company’s folder on the BBC’s FTP server.

Contact the Radio 2 Presentation team via email (Julian Grundy, Anna McMahon & Dan Collins) or

on 02 50655, 02 53112 or 02 53250 to advise delivery. THIS IS CRUCIAL. They listen to the In and Out

of the programme and check that the duration is correct. They also spot check the audio for

obvious technical faults. If there are no problems, and the programme has received the required

Proteus compliance sign-off, they will schedule it. The Presentation Office is staffed, Monday to

Friday 0930 -1830.

Failure to complete this step within 1 working day of delivering your programme can result in your programme being lost.

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Section 5: Press & Publicity

The Radio 2 Press and Publicity team generate publicity to inform new and existing audiences about what

Radio 2 has to offer via print press, radio, television and online activity. To give them the best chance of

promoting your programme.

• When you deliver your programme description 5 weeks before transmission make them stand out.

Great descriptions of the subject, location of interviews, pertinent quotes from contributors, and

explanation of why the presenter is fronting the show all pique the interest of journalists and make the

description searchable on the internet. Eve Pollard’s recent documentary on The Queen was a huge PR

success for the network, with daily newspaper coverage as well as online coverage.

• Ask your presenter whether they are willing to promote the programme on radio, TV, online or in

print. This could be an authored piece e.g. Gary Kemp on the Story of Glam Rock in The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jun/28/david-bowie-glam-rock-gary-kemp or the producer on

making the programme i.e. Peter Curran on the Spinal Tap mockumentary, or it could be an authored

piece for the BBC Radio blog: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/

• Behind the scenes pictures or stories are useful if there is a major talent involved, or if the subject of

the documentary is visually interesting i.e. Route 66 picture diary for the Radio Times. You might also be

able to get a quote from the presenter about their tie to the programme’s subject matter for publicity

material.

• The earlier you deliver a pre-recorded programme the better. Preview MP3s are uploaded to the

BBC Radio Previews site approximately 3 weeks prior to transmission. But if the network receives the

programme earlier, we can target media earlier for features. .

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Section 6: Interactive

The Radio 2 Interactive audience across the multiplatform space is growing rapidly and for the first time

there is a robust and dynamic mobile experience. Audiences are consuming programmes through the

website, via podcast and mobile in unprecedented numbers

Visualisation of our content will also become increasingly important especially as audiences migrate from

Radio 1. Unique users to the website are growing. The Radio 2 website is now part of the new Radio and Music Product which focuses around the promotion of audio and video as well as the live experience which will allow us to continue to grow.

The interactive team is now smaller and more reliant on programme teams updating pages and content.

Additionally we are making a strong push within social media, and we are looking for all programmes to

engage in this, updating the Radio 2 Facebook pages and running their own twitter accounts.

It is also important that everybody working for Radio 2 is aware of syndication opportunities for their

content, where their material can live outside of the BBC online and in third party spaces. We will be

looking for all programme makers to engage in this process, ensuring that their content has a life within

digital spaces and grows organically online.

In summary, all programme teams should be able to

Reversion their programme into a podcast and publish it

Be able to provide relevant metadata around their programming as requested

Be aware and communicate visualisation possibilities around their content.

Update their own social spaces as necessary

An awareness of music blogs and digital services and how they can be exploited

Ability and knowledge to segment content and make available online both inside and outside of

the BBC environment.

Knowledge of the online audience and their requirements.

To plan content across the multiplatform space in addition to the linear environ.

Ability to publish online, update blogs and content listings.

Take, edit and publish good quality photographs of guests/artists on their programme

Provide accurate music metadata (tracklistings for documentaries & short series) and – if possible – music genealogy in VCS for pre-recorded programmes

We do recognise however that none of the above is a requirement under the current Terms of Trade for

independent suppliers.

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Section 7: Contacts

The following list of contacts will be able to assist you at all points of the commissioning process…

Commissioning & Scheduling

Lewis Carnie Head of Programmes 020 7765 5219

Robert Gallacher Editor, Commissioning 020 7765 2415 robert.gallacher@bbc.co.uk

Julian Grundy Manager, Commissioning & Scheduling

020 7765 3250 julian.grundy@bbc.co.uk

Anna McMahon Forward planning, Commissioning & Scheduling

020 7765 3112 anna.mcmahon@bbc.co.uk

Dan Collins Programme Descriptions, Commissioning & Scheduling

020 7765 2072 daniel.collins@bbc.co.uk

Music, Interactive and Press & Publicity

Jeff Smith Head of Music 020 7765 3433 Jeff.Smith@bbc.co.uk

Brett Spencer Editor, Digital 020 7765 4710 brett.spencer@bbc.co.uk

Sharon Hanley Head of Communications 020 7765 5712 sharon.hanley@bbc.co.uk

Finance

Gabi Fattal Business Manager, BBC Radio Business Affairs

020 7765 3649 gabriella.fattal@bbc.co.uk

Darren Bodek Finance Partner, BBC Core Finance

020 7765 3897 darren.bodek@bbc.co.uk