RADIO COMMISSIONING Commissioning Brief Commissioning Brief No.: 50032 2021 Ad Hoc commissioning round for 5 Live Version 1.0 07.01.21 BBC Radio Commissioning Brief CONTENTS SECTION A: EDITORIAL OPPORTUNITY ............................................................................................ 3 Important Points to Note: ......................................................................................................... 4 1. The Opportunity ................................................................................................................. 5 2. Editorial Strategy ................................................................................................................ 6 3. Editorial Objectives ............................................................................................................ 6 4. Key Deliverables ................................................................................................................. 6 5. Success Measures ............................................................................................................... 7 6. Social Media / Marketing ................................................................................................... 7 7. Risk Management ............................................................................................................... 7 8. Production Eligibility Questionnaire ................................................................................ 7 SECTION B: PROCESS, EVALUATION & ASSESSMENT ........................................................... 8 1. Evaluation Panel ............................................................................................................... 10 2. Assessment Criteria.......................................................................................................... 11 SECTION C: THE COMMISSIONING TIMETABLE ....................................................................... 13 SECTION D: REFERENCE INFORMATION ....................................................................................... 15 2 of 19 BBC Radio Commissioning Brief SECTION A: EDITORIAL OPPORTUNITY Commissioning Brief ID / Title: 2021 Ad Hoc Round Commissioning Owner Richard Maddock – Commissioning Editor Commissioning Contact [email protected] Commissioning Brief Title 2021 Ad Hoc Round Network BBC Radio 5 Live Guide Price Price to be agreed based on proposal depending on ambition, not exceeding £50,000. Proposed budget must include delivery of all radio and digital assets. All fees including travel, accommodation, presenters and pundits to be covered by the producer. Genre Speech Duration To be agreed based on proposal No. of Episodes To be agreed based on proposal Transmission Period 2021 Slot Day To be agreed based on proposal Slot Time To be agreed based on proposal Production Location To be agreed based on proposal All proposals must be submitted via Proteus and go through Production eligibility checks first. Please make your short proposal using no more than 250 words. 3 of 19 BBC Radio Commissioning Brief Important Points to Note: The guide price gives an indication of the budget we have to spend in this round. The budget might be divided between a number of projects or used to fund one big idea. How the budget is spent will be based on the results of the round. A maximum of 2 ideas will be accepted per company. About 5 Live 5 Live is the voice of the UK, bringing the most entertaining conversation, gripping sporting events, compelling news stories and diverse opinions to over 5 million people every week. The station aims to set the national agenda on big news and sport stories through the ownership of key issues and we put the audience at the heart of everything we do. Broadcasting from our base in Salford, we take our commitment to reflect how the whole of the UK really thinks and feels very seriously. We tell more stories from more places than any other broadcaster, capturing the widest range of voices and views. We also travel the world to give our listeners insight into life beyond our borders. 5 Live’s world-class sports coverage and commentary brings nation-uniting moments to life across many different sports. We cover a minimum of 20 different sports a year, from broadcasting over 100 commentaries from the Premier League each season, to the Olympics, Wimbledon, 6 Nations and Test Match Special. 4 of 19 BBC Radio Commissioning Brief 1. The Opportunity We are looking for ad hoc ideas that will bring new under-represented audiences to 5 Live. Your idea may take the form of a number of features or specials that live within an existing show on the network. For example, a themed season that has a daily or weekly slot in a specific daytime news programme or a series of broadcasts from particular locations that provide a creative and unique week or month of broadcasting across the whole network. You may want to propose a run of stand-alone programmes with a new presenter that will have its own space within the schedule or a big one-off project that will create huge impact across the radio station and the wider BBC. We are particularly interested in reading proposals that help drive target audiences to key dayparts, including Breakfast and early evening and we want you to be ambitious. We want ideas that will really stand out and make a real difference to our audience. We are looking to create high impact content moments separate from the big news and sports events in the 2021 diary. We would want to broadcast a new commission away from the big sports events in 2021, such as the Euros and Olympics. We are not looking for ideas tied to events such as these as our programming is already extensive at these times. As such, your idea would probably need to run before June 2021 or after September 2021. We are looking for creative proposals that have the tone and character of the network, but will bring new under-served listeners to the radio station. This is not about super-serving our current audiences, but delivering something different and exciting that 5 Live hasn’t done before. Your idea should be ‘linear-first’ but you should also detail how your proposal works digitally and how it helps grow BBC Sounds, either through listening live to the network through the app, or how your project can attract on-demand listening. We also want your idea to also reflect the diversity of the whole UK, either through the output or production. We have set a budget of £50,000. This might be split between several projects or used to deliver one big idea. Agreement on the level of investment will be done on a case-by-case basis so please provide detail of your proposed costs. We may go above the guide price for the right idea. 5 of 19 BBC Radio Commissioning Brief 2. Editorial Strategy 5 Live’s aim is to grow its distinctiveness and purpose as a channel that reflects the whole of the UK, particularly hard to reach audiences outside London. The station has broad appeal with a strategy to inform and entertain our target 25 to 44 year olds on air and under 35 year olds digitally. We want to be relatable to all socio-demographic groups but with a clear focus on real people from everyday households. 5 Live is evolving to address the ever changing needs of our target audience. The station balances authority and expertise with warmth and a lightness of touch. As well as being informed, our audiences want to be entertained and to hear their views represented. Similarly, our sport output balances depth and knowledge with humour and content that helps to unwind. We encourage partners to support the BBC’s ambitions to lead more sustainable lifestyles and not promote carbon-intensive or unsustainable behaviours. For example, we encourage production techniques that avoid creating environmental harm. 3. Editorial Objectives Our editorial objectives to resonate with under-represented audiences have five key elements: 1. Relatable presenters with warmth, character, humour and expertise. 2. Contemporary speech that is relevant, inclusive and entertaining. 3. Honest debate and strongly held opinion. 4. Distinctive and diverse sports coverage 5. Journalistic integrity that makes a difference to our audience. Through our distinctive agenda, we aim to be a place where people across the UK come to talk about issues that affect them with more diverse voices on air than any other network. 4. Key Deliverables The key deliverables will be determined by your individual idea, but will be linear- first, with an accompanying digital presence. 6 of 19 BBC Radio Commissioning Brief 5. Success Measures Success will be measured by growth in linear listening to 5 Live (via Compass or Rajar data) and increased activations or engagement in BBC Sounds. Individual success measures will be discussed with the winning applicants based on their proposal. 6. Social Media / Marketing The social media deliverables will be determined by your individual idea and will be discussed with the winning applicant. 7. Risk Management You should identify any specific risks e.g. production risk, business continuity etc.; and the processes or systems that will be put in place to manage these.whose 8. Production Eligibility Questionnaire (Appendix 1) The Production Eligibility Questionnaire is the first part of your submission that the BBC will consider as part of the process. Please complete this in no more than 150 words. Once completed, please copy and paste your responses into the Add/Edit Notes Here section of the Create Proposal page