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Younger people and the BBC

M

Martyn Miles

pfm Member
I have just been listening to ‘Feedback’ on Radio 4 and a discussion on how the BBC makes itself relevant to younger listeners/viewers, without alienating the older demographic.
I may be wrong, but I understand that many youngsters don’t watch live TV.
You Tube is popular with them.
As for radio, I don’t know if they listen to Radio 1.
The BBC thinking, it appears, is that as people age they will change listening and watching habits.
I moved from Radio 1 & 2 to Radio 3 & 4.
As for TV, I watch live TV and programmes recorded on a hard disc recorder.
I have no interest in paying for Sky, Netflix, etc.
 
As I get older I'm getting more and more isolated from current events.

I don't watch any TV, live or pre recorded. I have an Amazon Prime subscription and if the mood takes me I'll occasionally watch something on the laptop.

I listen to hardly any radio, it's usually my offline Tidal library whilst driving all day interspersed with the odd bit of 6 Music but that's it. If I want something on in the background at home I'll usually put radio paradise on.

Same goes for sport, I used to follow Football, WRC, Cricket and F1, I now couldn't tell you much about any of them aside from Lewis Hamilton being world champ again.

The older I get the less interested I get.
 
My listening has changed from when I was young - then it was mostly the Home service and the Third Programme, now it`s R4 and R3 - assuming there`s no cricket.

I don`t watch much TV - as the number of channels has increased there seems to be less and less on that`s worth the trouble.

When there is nothing of interest on the radio I tend to listen to classical internet stations.
 
We mainly use get-iplayer to fetch radio/TV files from the BBC. Then watch/listen as and when we fancy. Tilt towards R3/4 and BBC4/2 documentaries.

The Ch4 news now is far better than the BBC News. In particular I've noticed that the Ch4 7 o/clock news is now running a diagnosis of the 'fake news' and propaganda the parties are trying to target people with on the sly.

A stunning example of this was a distortingly 'edited' item from Sky News. There a LP spokesbod was asked a question and gave a reasonable answer. Shortly after this the Tory Party sent out targetted video 'ads' which had altered this to make it look like he'd not been able to say a word in reply! Complete with a caption asserting this! Blatent Lie!

So it looks like conventional TV news can have a role - exposing hidden deceptions like this! The Ch4 news team are inviting people who get suspect political 'ads' to find out who paid for them, and send in a report to the Ch4 team so they can report on this shady practice.

Alas, the BBC still seem to slothful to do this sort of thing. if they did, YouTube, etc, users might find them more relevant.
 
I think there is difference from moving channels as you get older to acquiring new habits completely. The youth of today, watching non-linear TV & You Tube are not suddenly going to switch to regular TV channels. If you have been brought up with Spotify/iTunes the concept of radio will be pretty alien. BBC is tackling this through Sounds & iplayer, I wish them the best of luck.

On a similar note, can you imagine Gen Z & Millenials suddenly buying newspapers?

Media is changing quicker than ever, mind bogglingly so.
 
Barrymagrec said:
My listening has changed from when I was young - then it was mostly the Home service and the Third Programme, now it`s R4 and R3 - assuming there`s no cricket.

I don`t watch much TV - as the number of channels has increased there seems to be less and less on that`s worth the trouble.

When there is nothing of interest on the radio I tend to listen to classical internet stations.
Click to expand...
Barry, you told me you enjoyed Lord Haw Haw but had problems with your filament current. That and Bomber Harris knocking out the transmitter in Belgium once a fortnight.
 
I don’t listen to the radio except for jazz internet stations. I have Spotify, but rarely use it.
I haven’t bought a newspaper for 30 years, and I don’t watch TV news. These were conscious decisions as the subjective bias of both made me angry.
I don’t partake in any social media platforms and don’t watch YouTube beyond ‘how to fix it’ videos.
I don’t watch live TV, everything is time-shifted with a Humax box.
 
The whole way content is being delivered is changing and the pace of change is only being held back by some people's reluctance to embrace that change.

I am 54 and no longer even have broadcast TV in either of my properties. Why would I? I can watch anything I want online whenever I choose to watch it. I do pay for Sky so I can watch F1, but again I watch it online. That said I have never been a couch potato that sits in front of the TV channel hopping... I like to watch films and TV that I know are worth devoting the time to... the advent of streaming box sets is fantastic for me.

Yet when it comes to music I'm a luddite - CDs and vinyl all the way... maybe I'm mental after all :D Then again I do buy my favourite films and TV on Bluray so maybe I'm just mixed up!
 
Marchbanks said:
I don’t listen to the radio except for jazz internet stations. I have Spotify, but rarely use it.
I haven’t bought a newspaper for 30 years, and I don’t watch TV news. These were conscious decisions as the subjective bias of both made me angry.
I don’t partake in any social media platforms.
I don’t watch live TV, everything is time-shifted with a Humax box.
Click to expand...

I think you are wise to avoid social media - I certainly don`t want to engage with the sort of people that are always on the internet........
 
Barrymagrec said:
I think you are wise to avoid social media - I certainly don`t want to engage with the sort of people that are always on the internet........
Click to expand...
I agree - I’ve even made an effort to cut down on the amount of time spent on forums like this one over recent months.
 
I actively seek out comedy programmes, it is rare that I find anything to my taste. A few things I enjoy, or have enjoyed recently.

Jerk (BBC)
Taskmaster (Dave)
Cats Does Countdown (Ch. 4)
Go 8 Bit (Dave)
Motherland, only just... (BBC)
anything with Frankie Boyle.
Derry Girls (ch. 4)
Dead Pixels, this was very funny for any gamers out there (E4)
Year of the Rabbit (ch4) anything with Matt Berry...

I also watch historical docs and music documentaries wherever I find them.

My granddaughters love Horrible Histories, and Studio Ghibli films. As for them watching terrestrial TV, only if the programme is vetted and approved of... (when visiting us)
To be honest, we guide them away from screens, unless it is something specific like a film that we watch with them.
My kids (mid 20's to mid 30's) binge watch whole series of stuff I have no interest in, it seems to be via whatever the cheapest/easiest way of accessing the material. One of them does/did the kodi box thing.

I want the BBC to concentrate on making quality TV, and stop looking for the lowest common denominator. 'End-of-the-pier' type crap bores me to death, and cheapens the BBC output. Dave is (sometimes) getting things right, and they seem to be taking risks which are working. Gems like 'The Thick Of It' shows the BBC can get it right. Also Killing Eve/Fleabag are uber popular. (I personally thought both of the waller-bridge efforts were shite/not to my taste)

I would hope that young people, 15 - 24 yrs, are out having a good time, listening to music, shagging, avoiding meat and are not glued to a screen. TV comes into its own when one is forced into being 'in.' like when you have very young kids and no babysitter...
 
As far as I’m concerned younger people have enough representation on BBC.
Radio 1, most crappy regional stations, Radio 6, BBC 3 on the inter web.

I listen to radio 3 and 4.

The beeb are just looking for a reason to drop them.
 
I was deeply worried the other day by a selection of young people who were questioned about their engagement with and views of politics.... by the BBC. They mostly regurgitated the same old shite. 'All liars'.. 'Can't trust 'em'.. 'What are they for?' etc. When asked what he wanted from Politicians.. one said in a frustrated voice.. 'The Truth!!'

The worrying aspect of that, was that I got the same impression as I used to get from a lot of 'schoolies'.. of the sort that would basically sit in class arms folded and demand 'teach me'.

In other words.. kids being passive and expecting things to come to them. No concept of discovering ther own truth. No thought of learning how to wade through the spin and the bullshit which will inevitably be generated as competing groups bid for the power which voters can give them.

Again.. deeply worrying.
 
I 'cut the TV cable' relatively young. I'm 40 and haven't had a TV licence for over a decade now. I used to watch PMQ on iPlayer each week until they said you need a licence for it too, now I don't bother or catch up later on YouTube (invariably one of the news outlets will have uploaded the most interesting bits). I used to watch Top Gear but two things happened: it stopped being about cars and just turned into 'light entertainment and dicking about with some cars thrown in' and then it all decamped to Amazon anyway. Not interested in 'New New Top Gear' either.

I had Spotify and then moved to TIDAL for quality and because Spotify was getting rid of useful features and not listening to its users. I have Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. I very rarely listen to any radio and when I do it's not BBC (not for any reason other than they don't output anything I want to listen to).

There is one area that the BBC does well and that's nature documentaries (although I suspect that actually it's Sir David that I really like watching and listening to). I buy those on 4k Blu-Ray when they come out.

I suspect I'm not alone in my views on live TV and the BBC will struggle. It's an archaic entity (with outdated and bizarre billing and rules) and which isn't relevant to me in any significant way. My personal (and probably unpopular) view is that it should be made subscription-only; if it's so beloved and dear to so many, it'll work. If not...well then point proven. The concept of 'Auntie Beeb' is as relevant to younger people today as Yellow Pages to find a local business or starting a car with a handle stuck in the front... The BBC will go the same way Yellow Pages and starter handles have.

Abolish the licence fee and allow people to watch any live TV they subscribe to (or free-to-air with ads etc). Make the BBC subscription-only and that would also open up people from elsewhere in the world being able to pay to watch - another revenue stream for the BBC.

However, in the absence of that I've gotten along just fine without the BBC (although they still send me the monthly threat-o-gram). I also find that there's more intelligent, detailed, insightful and often mind-blowing viewing on platforms like YouTube, especially for someone like me who enjoys the detail of things that often gets lost and 'dumbed down' for TV.

In fact speaking of that, I remember one moment vivdly; a Top Gear episode where James May was v-maxing a Bugatti Veyron SuperSport at Ehra Lessien (VW's test track with a 5-mile straight). May was talking about the car and why it required the equivalent of a Golf GTI's worth of extra power to push it up from 253 to 269mph (aerodynamic drag increasing by the square of the speed etc) and it cut to Clarkson in the studio shouting, "Boooooooooooring....." **** off mate, some of us like learning stuff! It really annoyed me.

Anyway - I don't need the BBC and wouldn't miss it if it shut down tomorrow. I'm sure many will disagree with me and that's OK but the writing is on the wall and young people just won't ever see it as being relevant to them.
 
Funk said:
I 'cut the TV cable' relatively young. I'm 40 and haven't had a TV licence for over a decade now. I used to watch PMQ on iPlayer each week until they said you need a licence for it too, now I don't bother or catch up later on YouTube (invariably one of the news outlets will have uploaded the most interesting bits). I used to watch Top Gear but two things happened: it stopped being about cars and just turned into 'light entertainment and dicking about with some cars thrown in' and then it all decamped to Amazon anyway. Not interested in 'New New Top Gear' either.

I had Spotify and then moved to TIDAL for quality and because Spotify was getting rid of useful features and not listening to its users. I have Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. I very rarely listen to any radio and when I do it's not BBC (not for any reason other than they don't output anything I want to listen to).

There is one area that the BBC does well and that's nature documentaries (although I suspect that actually it's Sir David that I really like watching and listening to). I buy those on 4k Blu-Ray when they come out.

I suspect I'm not alone in my views on live TV and the BBC will struggle. It's an archaic entity (with outdated and bizarre billing and rules) and which isn't relevant to me in any significant way. My personal (and probably unpopular) view is that it should be made subscription-only; if it's so beloved and dear to so many, it'll work. If not...well then point proven. The concept of 'Auntie Beeb' is as relevant to younger people today as Yellow Pages to find a local business or starting a car with a handle stuck in the front... The BBC will go the same way Yellow Pages and starter handles have.

Abolish the licence fee and allow people to watch any live TV they subscribe to (or free-to-air with ads etc). Make the BBC subscription-only and that would also open up people from elsewhere in the world being able to pay to watch - another revenue stream for the BBC.

However, in the absence of that I've gotten along just fine without the BBC (although they still send me the monthly threat-o-gram). I also find that there's more intelligent, detailed, insightful and often mind-blowing viewing on platforms like YouTube, especially for someone like me who enjoys the detail of things that often gets lost and 'dumbed down' for TV.

In fact speaking of that, I remember one moment vivdly; a Top Gear episode where James May was v-maxing a Bugatti Veyron SuperSport at Ehra Lessien (VW's test track with a 5-mile straight). May was talking about the car and why it required the equivalent of a Golf GTI's worth of extra power to push it up from 253 to 269mph (aerodynamic drag increasing by the square of the speed etc) and it cut to Clarkson in the studio shouting, "Boooooooooooring....." **** off mate, some of us like learning stuff! It really annoyed me.

Anyway - I don't need the BBC and wouldn't miss it if it shut down tomorrow. I'm sure many will disagree with me and that's OK but the writing is on the wall and young people just won't ever see it as being relevant to them.
Click to expand...

top gear - shite
Glad they buggered off to pay for tv.
 
I've never trusted TV news since when I worked in a Middle East country that was supposedly under threat of invasion.

On the TV I saw footage of queues for petrol and shops with empty shelves.

Venturing outside the hotel and into reality there was nothing of the sort. Everything absolutely normal, no queues nor panic or anything like the TV. No invasion either.

It is an inferior product. The less of it the better afiac.
 
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We solve this by having a programme about being young adults made by young adults for young adults...

Nozin' Aroun' the New BBC programme from Ben Elton that is cutting edge and dealing with this situation we find ourselves in... ...in.. erm in 1981!
 
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