Commissioning Details Commissioning Year 2016/2017

Home , BBC Radio 2 Country

A Four Day Digital Pop Up Radio Service ~ On Air March 2017 ~

Commissioning Details

Commissioning Year 2016/2017

~ Commissioning Briefs Available ~

Themed Documentaries & Music Features Personality Led Curated Programmes Single Artist Interview Programmes

Round Opens 17/11/16 Round Closes 01/12/16 @ noon Results Published 15/12/16

 Section 1: Network Introduction & Overview

Welcome to Radio 2 Country’s Ad-hoc Commissioning Round for 2016/2017.

BBC Radio 2 Country is a 4 day digital pop up radio service which will be on air from 9th- 12th March 2017. Broadcasting from midday to midnight each day, the schedule consists of programmes hosted by country experts, enthusiasts and artists, alongside Radio 2’s own presenting talent. The central focus of the station is the 3 day ‘C2C – Country to Country’ festival at the O2 in London. Radio 2 Country broadcasts live from the festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Aims of Radio 2 Country

- To increase digital listening amongst Radio 2’s current audience - To serve a growing and passionate country music audience - To encourage a wider conversation about country music through social media engagement - To make Country music accessible to the broadest possible audience - To provide more of Radio 2 to existing and new listeners

We are looking for ideas for one hour programmes which reflect the aims above. Programmes can be themed by genre, content or era; they can be personal curated collections, or documentary in style; they can be live or pre-recorded. All should be fronted by credible, enthusiastic and engaging presenters.

Radio 2 Country is part of the BBC’s digital radio strategy and is therefore a separate commissioning process and budget to Radio 2.

 Section 2: BBC Radio 2 Country Commissioning Briefs:

Brief: Themed Documentaries & Music Features

Guide Price: To include all Production Costs and Presenter Fees = £750

Proteus: Round: 4 / Commissioning Brief: 20207

Editorial These programmes should focus around a specific content theme (ie road songs, story songs, music used in film etc) or a specific sub-genre of music (ie Gospel, Bluegrass, Western Swing). The broadcast slot for the programme is 60 minutes long. Please submit an outline of your idea in 250 words or less, including proposed presenter and examples of music.

Examples of previous themed programmes produced for the service have included:

 Jeremy Vine’s Stompin’ Country o The history of dance crazes in country music

 Hillary Scott’s Gospel Hour o The Lady Antebellum singer introduced her favourite country gospel

 Cerys Matthews’ Appalachian Journey o The music of the Appalachian mountains and its influence on country music

 Sara Cox: When Country Goes Pop o Country music that has crossed over to the pop charts

 Simon Mayo: Big Screen Country o Country music in films

 Section 2: BBC Radio 2 Country Commissioning Briefs:

Brief: Personality Led Curated Programmes

Guide Price: To include all Production Costs and Presenter Fees = £750

Proteus: Round: 4 / Commissioning Brief: 20208

Editorial These programmes should be fronted by a high profile / press worthy presenter, and should reflect their enthusiasm for or knowledge of the genre. The broadcast slot for the programme is 60 minutes long. Please submit an outline of your idea in 250 words or less, including proposed presenter and examples of music.

Personality led curated programmes have included:

 Gretchen Peters – Sad Songs Make Me Happy

 Suzy Bogguss – Classic Country

 Michael Ball’s Country Collection

 Ricky Ross’s Country Jukebox

 Section 2: BBC Radio 2 Country Commissioning Briefs:

Brief: Single Artist Interview Programmes

Guide Price: To include all Production Costs and Presenter Fees = £750

Proteus: Round: 4 / Commissioning Brief: 20209

Editorial These programmes should focus on a single artist in country music and should include interview content with that artist whether new or archive. The artist must have sufficient profile to be familiar with a wide-ranging audience. The broadcast slot for the programme is 60 minutes long. Please submit an outline of your idea in 250 words or less, including proposed presenter and examples of music.

Single artist interview programmes have included:

 Patrick Kielty meets Garth Brooks

 Bob Harris meets Miranda Lambert

 Loretta Lynn in Conversation

 Section 3: Radio 2 Country Performance & Audience

The audience reaction to Radio 2 Country has been overwhelmingly positive and RAJAR figures indicate the highest reach of any pop-up station. In a Pulse survey commissioned in March 2016 nearly all listeners to the service (97%) said they either found it ‘very enjoyable’ or ‘quite enjoyable’. Top words that listeners associated with the content were; enjoyable, entertaining, high-quality, original and interesting. The majority also agreed that the station:  captured the atmosphere of the Country to Country festival in London (92%)  featured a good mix of guests and music (88%)  provided a more in depth experience of the Country to Country event (87%)  encouraged me to interact with a show via text/twitter/Facebook/e-mail (68%)  helped me discover something new (89%)  brought content that was original and different (93%)

Multiplatform Performance Statistics showed:  The Radio 2 Country pages reached 114k UK weekly Unique Browsers, up 80% from the 2015 pop-up  An increased appetite for audio and video content, particularly on-demand audio: 238k requests for AV content overall (+29% on 2015).  On-demand audio programme requests were up a significant +50% at 102k  There was an increased impact on social media - @BBCR2Country tweets earned 1.1m impressions up +10% on 2015. The Radio2Country Facebook page reached 161k users ,up a significant +129% on 2015.

The vast majority who listened showed a very positive response about the content, the atmosphere and the experience, as indicated in the social media conversations across the four days.

“Surely it's time we had a permanent country station in the UK, the popularity in the music here is growing all the time. Give us R2 Country 365 days of the year  ”

“Where is the web petition to make this a permanent digital station!!!!!”

“Having such a great afternoon listening to this station! Can't remember when I've enjoyed listening to the radio for such a long time. Wish it could be a regular station”.

#makeitpermanent 6

 Section 4: Working with Radio 2 Country

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 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 Gemma Fenton - BBC Finance Partner and the Radio 2 Commissioning Team - Robert Gallacher and Julian Grundy - and should be 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.

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. 8

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.

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 Media Shuttle account to access the BBC's servers and you will need suitable 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.

 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.

 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.

 Section 6: Multiplatform

Radio 2 Country is at the heart of the networks digital Pop Up Radio strategy

We are using these to encourage audiences to listen digitally whether it be via DAB Radio, online or via the BBC iPlayer Radio app. This ambition is reflected throughout the schedule and is achieved by a strategy of complimentary programming between the Pop Up and other BBC output, by working with Digital Radio UK and the Country 2 Country Festival at the O2. It is desirable that a percentage of the programming reflects this ambition. We would also welcome any other ideas that would encourage multiplatform listening that we are not currently exploring.

The emphasis is on encouraging the audience to listen and engage and this begins some two months before the station is on air via online and social. It’s important to remember that the audience listening to Radio 2 Country are listening digitally which offers the opportunity for engagement and enhancement of that experience both in vision, on mobile and online

Radio 2 Country has its own social spaces and works alongside the official C2C Channels to maximise our social reach. We have used Periscope backstage to broadcast interviews and live sessions and will be looking to further increase our digital innovation in 2017

In addition, programme teams should be able to…

• Reversion their programme into a podcast and publish it • Ability and knowledge to segment content and make available online both inside and outside of the BBC environment. • 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

 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 [email protected]

Al Booth Editor, Specialist Programming 020 7765 4485 [email protected]

Julian Grundy Manager, Commissioning & Scheduling 020 7765 3250 [email protected]

Anna McMahon Forward planning, Commissioning & Scheduling 020 7765 3112 [email protected]

Dan Collins Programme Descriptions, Commissioning & Scheduling 020 7765 2072 [email protected]

Music, Interactive and Press & Publicity

Jeff Smith Head of Music 020 7765 3433 [email protected]

Brett Spencer Editor, Digital 0207 765 0301 [email protected]

Sharon Hanley Head of Communications 020 7765 5712 [email protected]

Finance

Gabi Fattal Business Manager, BBC Radio Business Affairs 020 7765 3649 [email protected]

Gemma Fenton Finance Partner, BBC Core Finance 020 7765 3897 [email protected]