MUSIC WEEK OCTOBER 1, 1977

n bount heads - - 0

it. Has it also changed the nature of LJ the music itself? e. r. It is a criticism I have heard that because of our style of programming we have influenced what record companies put on record, because they believe there is a certain kind of song or performance that we're more likely to play. I don't believe ^*4 that's true. For a start you can't -v. make people buy records, and I believe 1 has genuinely refiected a wide variety of music. We're not solely a Top 40 station. Is there an archetypal Radio One dj? seems to be the public image of the station. We are unashamedly a personality station and our djs are personalities in their own right. In seeking new djs we are always looking for chaps who CHINNER Y WITH the Radio 1 presenters assembled for an anniversary photo on the steps of All Souls adjoining will become personalities as well as Broadcasting House. Pictured left to right are (top) Kid Jensen, Peter Drummond (standing), Paul Gambaccini, Ed being first-class presenters. No Stewart, Laurie Mayer, Tom Browne; (Middle) Alan Black, John Peel, Simon Bates, Paul Burnett. Jimmy Savile, disrespect to Tony, but I think it's Chinnery. , David Rider; (Bottom) Dave Lee Travis, , Anne Nightingale, David Hamilton, a unique service and if it is possible inevitable that because so many of Tony Blackburn, Richard Skinner. in the not too distant future to the audience perhaps only hear Tony provide a service 24 hours a day, or Blackburn they tend to think of at least 18 hours a day, then it will be Tony as typical of the whole. People an even more attractive service. who listen to Alan Freeman on Saturday afternoon or the In What will there be in the Radio 1 Concert or the Annie Nightingale 24 hour day? show are, I'm sure, aware that Tony's is not the archetypal Radio 1 I think it's fairly apparent what is programme. In fact when we do gel missing, and it's been in the mid- this total programming, .even when evening, the seven to ten area. It's it's just 18 hours a day, you'll find the album track music that is not that the programming that was not perhaps as extreme as a lot of what typical Blackburn, as it were, was John Peel plays between ten and the majority. midnight. I accept the criticism that we don't feature enough of it, but When will that be? it's not happened by chance that I's Congratulations weekday broadcasting is of a certain As soon as there's money type, that late night Peel is of available. I think it's unlikely there another type, and that weekend will be any advance made this year programmes are more specialised, because the licence fee increase is so often catering for more specialised small. interests. Until the unfortunate cuts due to the financial situation in 1975 The Annan Report on we were planning to fill in the Broadcasting echoed a familiar Here's to the evening, and if possible to extend establishment attitude about "pop further into the night and provide and prattle" radio. Is 1 justified as the sort of music that we think public service as well as insomniacs and night drivers would entertainment? like to hear on Radio 1. And incidentally, start up a bit earlier in Well, what's the difference? the morning too, because there's an Obviously it has to be entertaining next 10 years awful lot of people in the country or people wouldn't listen, which who get up before seven o'clock. they do in their millions. We are a public service corporation and I tend How has I's style change^ in ten to use the word "service" in a way years? that is perhaps rather distinctive to the BBC. We are spending public If you listen to some of the early money and it is quite clear from the tapes, certainly the style of evidence that a lot of them like the presentation has matured service we give them. considerably, possibly because some of the djs are older than they were. So the measure of a good service is its popularity? Surely they're all older than they I think that's one of the most 4 were? important things. We're not only here to count heads, but obviously Well, not necessarily. After all that is important for a service aimed Noel Edmonds wasn't there at the at trying to please as wide an beginning, and is still one of the audience as possible. youngest djs on the network. It's really only people like Tony Do you see Radio 1 as being in a Blackburn, Ed Stewart and John ratings battle? Peel who are ten years older as far as Radio 1 is concerned. No, the way it The real battle is to ensure that has changed basically over ten years what we are doing is going to please is that until January 1975 there had as many people as possible. If we been a continual separation, a were only concerned with the size of \ continual attempt to give Radio 1 a the audience we'd put a Top 40 show further identity in parallel with on between ten and midnight instead Radio 2. When Mark White went to of John Peel. We know we could Radio 2 with Jimmy Young and double the audience in a couple of Terry Wogan there was a great weeks. change. If you go right back to the Martin Coulter Music Ltd •beginning when Jimmy Young was What has Radio One achieved in on 1 and 2 in the morning he was ten years, or is it just there? 11th Floor playing Neville Dickey alongside the Bee Gees or whoever were the top Achievement is a big word. After 93 Albert Embankment pop people at the time. It's really all it implies something like scaling quite different programming to what Everest or building Concorde. But if we have today. you can apply it at all, what we have , London SEI7TY achieved is to have provided many Radio I has introduced pop music millions of people with a lot of to a number of people who had entertaining and informative hours ^ otherwise had very little contact with of British radio. RADIO 1 SUPPLEMENT 23