BBC Radio 1 at 50: Scott Mills and Tony Blackburn

Tony Blackburn has been there since the beginning. There were no legal “pop” music radio stations in the 1960s.

The launch of BBC Radio 1 was prompted by the popularity of the illegal pirate radio stations off the coast in the UK. Tony Blackburn said the launch was a bit of a farce, with several technical issues. Still, 50 years on, even though he’s out of the target demographic, Tony Blackburn still loves listening to BBC Radio 1. He never sits still!

Since 1967 a lot has changed, especially for youth audiences. Scott Mills believes that visualisation is super important. ‘Kids are spending most of their time looking at their phones and if you’re not there, it’s a bad thing’. You have to move with the times.

Tony discussed the idea that his Radio 1 audience have had the chance to grow up through the BBC Radio stations. Following him to his BBC Radio 2 show and beyond. Will BBC Radio 1’s current audience get the same chance?

'Kids are spending most of their time looking at their phone, it you're not there it's a bad thing' @scott_mills and @tonyblackburn #RDE17 pic.twitter.com/Q1lUxC1QWr

— Radiodays Europe (@RadiodaysEurope) March 20, 2017

1) BBC Radio 1 was created as a direct response to the popularity of pirate radio stations 2) Over the 50 years a lot has changed, particularly due to technology, the station has to match the needs of the audience 3) Radio 1 is still important for creating opportunities for new artists to be heard . . . . . . . . . . #RadiodaysEurope #ILoveRadio #Holland #Netherlands #Radio1 #BBCRadio1 #ScottMills #TonyBlackburn #PopMusic #Conference #EBU #RDE17

A post shared by Radiodays Europe (@radiodayseurope) on Mar 20, 2017 at 6:27am PDT