J_B

Very specific request, so please delete if not appropriate! Does anyone here have a recording of the Indie Show from 18th February this year? Alyx Holcombe did an interview with Vampire Weekend which I listened to live and would love to listen to again, but the show itself has expired now and I can’t find it anywhere else online. Huge Vampire Weekend fan! This is the original show link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001w4td Thanks in advance!

I start to wonder if some of the cover presenters make so much money from the last-minute contracting fees (alongside commercial radio jobs), that they don’t want to take a paycut with a BBC payroll job! Although I guess this would be a short-term contract

I think moving Matt and Mollie to daytime does indicate putting them on Breakfast after Greg leaves in a few years isn’t out of the question. With the existing set of presenters, they are the only popular option, without recruiting externally now (which would likely be very expensive). I know historically they would prefer to give younger presenters the opportunity, but I’m not sure whether they’d compromise a huge drop in listeners overall on their flagship show, if their options were limited. The question would be whether the Breakfast slot would fit with their personal schedules and they would take it. It seems likely we’ll have Greg for another 1-2 years at least now, so things could develop for other presenters before then which could change this.

Same. I also feel with the Early Breakfast show there is a much better opportunity to form a closer connection with the listener, as it will be a particular kind of person that is awake and listening then. I think Dean is great at doing that when presenting by himself, and I think that format is something that suits his presenting style perfectly. The early afternoon slot is the hardest in my opinion as it’s something people dip in and out of whilst working, and is where presenter familiarity definitely helps. The early breakfast show feels more intimate and I think he’ll do great there. I think Dean having sole ownership of a key daytime show will be great as well. I can see how to some it could be seen as a demotion, but if I was Dean I’d see it as a promotion being given my own key daytime show.

How do we join the Greg James WhatsApp channel out of interest? Or is it just a private group?

Yes I agree with this, as much as great news for me, it does seem to be moving in the opposite direction to pushing more shows to broadcast from Manchester which would appeal to the broader country. Who knows, maybe there’s a plan for Dean and Vicky to take drivetime, with Vick/Jamie Laing just a temporary thing over the summer?

I wonder if this also shows that they’re not as hellbent on drawing in younger listeners with new, younger presenters as they used to be, and are focusing on retaining the listeners they already have over the coming years. Is this sign of a change in approach to come?

This is huge news if true! So happy for them and it will definitely go down well with listeners. Also shows Matt and Mollie aren’t going anywhere fast - which actually was one of my biggest fears. 😊 makes you wonder if R1 team are actually looking into peoples discussions on here/on social media? Does this mean Dean and Vicky at the weekend? I really enjoyed Dean’s weekend slot he used to have.

Given the popularity of 90s/early 00s music with teenagers at the moment, I do wonder if they’ll take a much more varied approach era-wise to the lineup for the first time. Maybe including some 00s acts to tie-in with the launch of the new station. I do think the Sophie Ellis Bextor live lounge this week is evidence the station could be open to pivoting in this direction. If someone told me that was happening two years ago I wouldn’t have believed it!

Yes absolutely. The Jordan leaving situation has absolutely nothing to do with Dean. I think he’s handled taking over from Scott brilliantly to be honest - the hardest slot to replace in my opinion. I’ve really started to enjoy him more on the breakfast show recently too. Just horrible people trying to find somewhere to direct their anger, and he’s caught in the crossfire! Hope he comes back soon!

Still no lineup announcement yet! Feels like the latest that we haven’t had any acts announced for it in a good few years now (apart from 2022, but I guess they were still a bit unsure cos of Covid!)

I think the safest and most logical bet would be Matt and Mollie 100%. I know there’s been a lot of conversation around the length of time Matt has been at the station now, but I would say aside from Greg they are the most high-profile/popular presenters with current listeners and much younger potential new listeners. They did the Reading and Leeds coverage last year, which as an event is the pinnacle of youth culture in the UK in my opinion. In addition, they’ve both got young kids which I actually think benefits them in staying closer to pop culture than other presenters. Aside from that they have the right playful presenting style for the station which I just couldn’t see working on any other BBC station atm. Anecdotally, the most popular known presenters remaining with teenage relatives are Greg, followed by Matt & Mollie by far. The question will be whether Matt and Mollie themselves want to stay/have the gig from a practical perspective - no doubt they’ll be getting very lucrative offers from Global/Bauer in due course which may also fit better with their personal circumstances. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see them leaving this year off their own accord for commercial radio somewhere. My next choice would be Sam & Danni - I really think they are incredible broadcasters with a wide appeal. Both very likeable people as well. Would be a huge risk though, given they’re not well known, not based in London/Manchester and haven’t had that level of responsibility yet. I see they’ve got the Going Home slot next week which is a big thing for them and no doubt going to be watched closely by bosses for future opportunities. I reckon that Vick leaves end of the summer and they get the Drive Time slot from Cardiff first though. My gut feeling is that Dean would get it by himself if Greg left anytime soon - he seems popular with Radio 1 bosses atm, is based at Media City in Manchester and it would be great optics for the BBC to have the first Radio 1 breakfast show from outside London in the second city. He’s also much less likely to want to move to London and have other commercial radio options I would guess - seems pretty settled in Manchester. I’ve actually warmed more to Dean recently but mostly when he’s by himself. Would certainly be divisive with the audience but he seems thick-skinned enough to take any backlash. Overall, I reckon the bosses main goal will be to make sure they keep Greg for as long as possible over the next few years, whilst they think about where to go next. Greg is still sounding as fresh as ever and with Jordan taking Capital breakfast they’ll want to have as strong a competition as possible for a few years. That being said, there definitely needs to be a complete overhaul/review of who they want Radio 1 to appeal to before making any big decisions though. The station is simply not sustainable with its “historic” target audience in the current market and music industry. Like it or not, there just isn’t that pipeline of younger listeners that there was 5-10 years ago and bringing in an influencer/TikToker with no radio experience to host a flagship show won’t change that.

One of the things I loved about Jordan was he was never afraid to speak his mind about certain Radio 1 decisions on air. Will never forget him criticising the whole Padam Padam situation last year on air. Which ultimately ended up in them adding it onto the C list months after it had actually impacted TikTok. I’m sure on Capital he’ll be allowed a lot more freedom on what he can say.

Re-reading the announcement from yesterday and it’s just sinking in 😔

Anyone notice that Matt has already said he’s doing the breakfast show on Monday and Greg isn’t in? Interesting that’s already been decided so early

It will be interesting to see how it all plays out for sure. I’m a huge Radio 1 fan (still technically in the demographic) and love discovering new music which is why I will continue to listen. But speaking to younger relatives, they’re actually way more open-minded when it comes to listening to music, different generations and genres than when I was a teenager. Most of them are more interested in exploring older artists than newer ones. I do think this is one of the positive aspects of streaming and algorithms - way less tribalism and ageism than there was 10 years or so ago.

Thank you! I mean you just have to look at the demographic of who is commenting/engaging with Radio 1 mostly on the “youth” social media platforms instagram and TikTok - is it their supposed “target” audience? Doesn’t look like it to me. You can push stuff in front of kids but it doesn’t mean they’re going to engage. I do also think it’s worth noting that people my age are maturing at a much slower rate now. For example, clubbing into a much older age and a lot more in touch with youth culture than people my age now were maybe 10 years ago. Shifts in culture like this also need to be considered I believe.

Same as you, I’m a long term lurker and made my first post here today! 😆 I would agree this is some of the biggest news to hit the station since I’ve been listening as a teen (well over 10 years ago now). With Scott it was a real shame, but I do think we all expected it at some point. Interesting point about the ages of the presenters. I mentioned this earlier, but I do think there needs to be an honest conversation about the demographic/age of who is actually listening to radio in general (and Radio 1 currently) and the target audience currently set by the trust. In 2012 bringing in Grimmy to the Breakfast show worked - I was 17 at the time and loved the evening show he did and I know a lot of my peers loved his breakfast show too. However, I think making a similar move now would do very little in bringing in younger listeners - if anything I think it would make things worse. Young people just aren’t consuming music/content in the same way they used to. I’m at the higher end of the target demographic but even I’m in a minority amongst my peers. I’ve noticed that Capital has changed its approach recently to playlist typically Radio 2-ish bands (Take That, Alicia Keys, S club, Busted etc.) as well as chart music. It makes you wonder if the BBC just need to take a step back and reassess how they’re targeting their music stations. I’m not saying anything needs to change content-wise/music-wise but I really struggle to see how they’re going to bring in a younger generation who just aren’t interested in the radio format full stop. By desperately trying to bring in younger listeners, they risk losing their existing listeners whilst also not bringing in any new, younger listeners at all - leaving very few listeners altogether. Simply because they have different ways of music/media consumption now. Maybe they will have more success with the remit of a “new music station” and not just the 16-29 year old demographic that they have historically fixated on. After all, that demographic was outlined at a completely different time, when the music industry was also in a completely different place. Is it still relevant now?

Yeah I was thinking this. I imagine they’ll certainly be having a conversation with him encouraging him to stay a few more years and they’ll do everything within their power to do so. But ultimately, they can only do so much. If Greg really wants to go soon, he will just go sadly.

I feel like they would definitely have mentioned him having a last show in the press release if that was the case. Suspect it’s just the Mega Massive Mondays image and they haven’t edited it yet. Title just saying “Going Home”.

Yeah Jordan had a lot of appeal with the younger audience as well following I’m a Celeb and the podcast. Part of the reason that this makes this an even bigger blow to R1 😢

Absolutely. In the absence of Jordan, I see them as next in line for the Breakfast Show now - assuming that Vick is on her way out and Matt/Mollie don’t get it.

Another aside - I think Sam and Danni are outstanding with a wide appeal demographically. Hope this gives them a chance for a big promotion.

Yeah I like Dean and Vicky as presenters but the delivery doesn’t feel as slick as it could be. I feel like every single show there’s some sort of technical error which you very rarely see on other shows. Also, I generally prefer Dean by himself I don’t know why.

Yeah the thing with Scott is he’s such a versatile presenter he could easily do either in my opinion. Also, as a side note - has anyone noticed how Capital seems to have shifted with its target demographic and approach recently? They’ve started playlisting a lot of artists that would only be put on Radio 2 now (e.g. Busted and Take That). They even got them playing the Jingle Bell Ball.