Service Review of BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra Analysis of Public Consultation August 2011 By Helen Mather Public Knowledge Table of Contents 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 2. INTRODUCTION 5 3. SUMMARY OF KEY THEMES 7 4. RESPONSES TO CONSULTATION QUESTIONS 10 4.1: How do you listen to 5 Live and how often? 10 4.2: How do you listen to 5 Live Sports Extra and how often? 12 4.3: 5 Live has a number of commitments about news coverage: how well do you think it does these things? 14 4.4: 5 Live should offer instant access to breaking news from the UK and internationally, and become a rolling news service whenever appropriate. How well do you think it does this? 19 4.5: 5 Live has a number of commitments about political coverage: how well do you think it does these things? 21 4.6: 5 Live has a number of commitments about sports coverage: how well do you think it does these things? 24 4.7: 5 Live should provide commentary of major sports events and other programming on a broad range of sports. What do you think of the range of sports covered by 5 Live? 27 4.8: 5 Live should provide in-depth investigative journalism and analysis across a wide range of news and sports programmes. How well do you think it does this? 29 4.9: 5 Live also has commitments about covering news and sport from across the UK: How well do you think it does these things? 31 4.10: 5 Live also has commitments about encouraging participation: How well do you think it does these things? 34 4.11: What do you think of the range and mix of programmes on 5 live? 37 4.12: 5 Live Sports Extra aims to provide a complementary service to 5 Live by bringing live sports coverage of both mainstream and minority sports events from the UK. How well do you think it does this? 38 4.13: Is there anything else you want to say about 5 Live or 5 Live Sports Extra? 40 APPENDIX A: PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS 41 2 BBC Trust Review of Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra – September 2011 © Public Knowledge 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 Background The Trust is the governing body of the BBC. Its role is to get the best out of the BBC for licence fee payers. One of the key ways in which it ensures that the BBC is delivering its public purposes is by carrying out a rolling programme of reviews of the BBC services. As part of these reviews the Trust conducts a public consultation in order to understand the views of licence fee payers. The Trust’s latest service licence review looked at BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra. 1.2 Consultation The consultation ran from 20 April to 13 July 2011. Licence fee payers were able to take part in the consultation via an online form or via a hard copy leaflet. 9,538 people responded to the consultation. These responses were analysed by Public Knowledge, an independent research company, on behalf of the BBC Trust. 1.3 Key Themes from the consultation There were a number of key themes raised by respondents: it should be noted that these are the views of those who took part in the consultation and should not be considered representative of all listeners. Overall respondents are very positive about the tone and content of 5 Live believing it offers excellent coverage of both news and sport. Respondents believe that there is good range of news and current affairs and though some would like the coverage of business and international news to be increased. The station is also seen to cover breaking news well in a professional manner, but respondents believe that only major stories should have rolling coverage which interrupts regular programming. Phone-ins are largely seen as a valuable part of the schedule and as a means of audience participation, although some feel these are used too frequently and listeners who participate sometimes add little to the discussion. 3 BBC Trust Review of Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra – September 2011 © Public Knowledge Respondents also enjoy the relaxed, engaging and accessible style of presentation on 5 Live, but for some the station can seem a little too ‘lightweight’, with a number of respondents commenting the station can seem to place too much emphasis on popular culture. The station is seen as impartial and unbiased and respondents feel it provides in depth analysis of news where necessary. Some respondents suggest presenters sometimes give their own opinion too much and some mention that the station can be a little London-centric. Sport is felt to be well covered on the station, particularly football. However there are some suggestions premier league football dominates the station and more coverage should be given to other mainstream and minority sports. Respondents are also very positive about 5 Live Sports Extra and its sport programming is praised, particularly the coverage of cricket. Some feel that 5 Live Sports Extra could be used more extensively to broadcast more minority sports. 4 BBC Trust Review of Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra – September 2011 © Public Knowledge 2. INTRODUCTION 2.1 About the review The BBC Trust is the independent governing body of the BBC representing the interests of licence fee payers. The Trust’s role is to get the best out of the BBC for licence fee payers and to secure effective promotion of its public purposes. The Trust is required to represent the interests of licence fee payers, assess their views carefully and appropriately, and have regard to the competitive impact of the BBC’s activities on the wider market. It must also ensure that the BBC observes high standards of openness and transparency. Each of the BBC services has a ‘service licence’ which details the remit for that service, outlining the overall format and particular characteristics the output of the service should embrace. The licence also indicates how the specific service should contribute to the overall delivery of the BBC’s public purposes. The BBC Trust is committed to reviewing each BBC service at least once during a five year cycle. This report will be considered as part of the review of BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra. The Trust has issued service licences for 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra which set out what the stations are expected to achieve. 5 Live is the home of continuous news and live sports coverage on BBC radio. It should bring major news stories and sports events as they happen, and provide context through wide-ranging analysis and discussion. 5 Live Sports Extra is a part-time extension of 5 Live which provides additional live sports coverage. 5 BBC Trust Review of Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra – September 2011 © Public Knowledge 2.2 About the Public Consultation As part of any review, the Trust considers a range of different types of evidence including asking licence fee payers to respond to a number of specific questions about the services through an open public consultation. This consultation was open from 20 April to 13 July 2011. Respondents were able to reply to 13 questions on the BBC Trust’s website, or by a hard copy questionnaire. 9,538 people took part in the consultation - 9,334 online and 204 via post or e-mail. The BBC Trust has considered a range of evidence, including the views summarised in this report, and will publish its conclusions on the Trust website (www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust). The responses to the public consultation were analysed by Public Knowledge, an independent research company, on behalf of the BBC Trust. This report summarises both the key themes and responses to the 13 consultation questions. This report covers replies from individuals only - responses from stakeholders and organisations can be found separately on the BBC Trust website. 6 BBC Trust Review of Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra – September 2011 © Public Knowledge 3. SUMMARY OF KEY THEMES There were a number of key issues raised by respondents: it should be noted that these are the views of those who took part in the consultation and should not be considered representative of all listeners. Overview Overall, responses to the consultation are very positive with the style and content of the station generally appreciated. Respondents welcome a more relaxed style of presentation and believe that news and sports are well covered on the station. The main criticism seems to be that for some respondents the station can feel a little too lightweight and celebrity-focussed, and for some there is too much football. 5 Live Sports Extra is similarly well received, particularly its cricket coverage. Some feel it could be utilised more, particularly for minority sports. Tone and Presenters In general, respondents consider Radio 5 Live to have an accessible and engaging tone. It is felt to be less serious than Radio 4 and most of the respondents enjoy the relaxed style of the presenters. For a minority, there is a feeling that the station should be more serious and at times can be seen as rather lightweight. Most respondents are very positive about the presenters on Radio 5 Live and enjoy listening to them. Most welcome their informal and friendly style. For a small number they are a little bit too relaxed and “chummy”. Content – News and Current Affairs For the majority Radio 5 Live provides a good range of content with business news, international stories and politics all praised individually.