Poll Puts BBC Digital Radio Plans In Question
Posted by admin on May 25, 2010 · Leave a Comment
The results of a nationwide survey will place a question mark over the BBC’s new digital radio proposals.
A MORI poll, commissioned by think tank, CHILDREN 2000, has shown a radio network for children to be a far more popular option than any of the BBC’s proposed formats for its five new national radio networks.
The results of the research, published today, [20/02/01] will be delivered to Culture Secretary, Chris Smith, who has publicly announced his desire to allocate digital audio spectrum to children. He has invited comment on the BBC’s new digital plans by 28 February.
The survey asked members of the public to rate the five proposed BBC services and a national network for pre-school and primary school aged children and their families. 57% of the respondents rated the children’s service as the most important, against 39% for Network Z – mixed speech, including programmes for children; 37% for Network Y – pop music of the 70s to 90s; 30% for Five Live Sports Plus – an extension of Radio 5 Live; 16% for Network X – Black music and speech aimed at a young audience and 8% for a national Asian network.
The results will strengthen the group’s mission to convince the Government of the valuable role radio can play in children’s lives.
Former Magpie presenter, Susan Stranks, Director of CHILDREN 2000, said, “These figures challenge the BBC’s claim that there is insufficient demand for a children’s radio service. They also provide a useful independent view of the BBC’s digital radio proposals. We are delighted the public endorses the concept of a radio network for children.”
Q1 Which two or three of these options, if any, would you say it is most important for the BBC to include?
Q2 And which one, if any, would you say it is least important to include?
| Q1 | Q2 | |
| Most important | Least important | |
| % | % | |
| Network X – Black music and speech aimed at a young audience | 16 | 10 |
| Network Y – Pop music of the ’70s to ’90s | 37 | 20 |
| Network Z – Mixed speech, contemporary and archive, including programmes for children | 39 | 3 |
| Five Live Sports Plus – An extension of Radio 5 Live | 30 | 24 |
| A National Asian Network – An extension of regional asian coverage | 8 | 22 |
| National Children’s Radio – Mixed music and speech for pre-school and primary school aged children and their families | 57 | 4 |
| None of these | 7 | 8 |
| Don’t know | 4 | 8 |
Technical details
- A nationally representative quota sample of 1,988 adults were interviewed throughout Great Britain by MORI across constituency-based sampling points.
- Interviews were carried out using CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing) face-to-face in respondents’ homes between 8-14 February 2001.
- Data have been weighted to reflect the national population profile.
- An asterisk (*) indicates a percentage of less than 0.5% but greater than zero.
- Where percentages do not add up to 100 this may be due to computer rounding, multiple responses or the exclusion of don’t know categories.
- Base: All (1,988), unless otherwise specified.
