Q&A: BBCs Graham Ellis on the future of public radio

Graham Ellis, Deputy Director of BBC Radio

and EBU Radio Committee Chairman (BBC)

Graham Ellis, Deputy Director of BBC Radio, was elected chairman of the EBU Radio Committee in May, 2013. Three months into the job, ahead of the 56th EURORADIO Committee Meeting, he reflects on the role of radio public service broadcasters and his priorities for the next two years.

In 2013, you were appointed Deputy Director of BBC Radio, and you are also responsible for the production of popular and classical music programmes for BBC Television. What brings an audience to its feet?

Audiences in concert halls, at festivals and at home love great music performances and a shared experience. I'm pleased to say that the EBU plays a huge part in making that a reality for millions. Not many people can afford the best seat in the house at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York or at the New Year's Day concert in Vienna, or at the Last Night of the BBC Proms in London. But thanks to the EBU's music exchange programme you can enjoy it all in the comfort of your own home, and much more as well. We should be proud of the way we have collaborated over many years to bring our audiences such wonderful music.

Recently, EURORADIO launched the new video exchange platform EURORADIO2See, which enables Radio Members to exchange and embed concert videos, clips and interviews, live or on demand. Will video save the radio star?

No, only radio will save the radio star. Radio is a resilient medium which has seen off the challenge from a number of potential competitors. That's because radio has inherent strengths. It's highly portable, so you can get it pretty well anywhere. It's mostly live - people enjoy a live shared experience. And it's a secondary medium, in other words you can do something else while listening. Of course it's important that when people listen using devices with a screen that we have something to put on the screen, and it's important to put our brands in new places (see below). But great programmes matter more.

One of the big challenges facing public service broadcasters is how to attract youth audiences. Can we win them back?

This is a challenge for all radio broadcasters not just the public service broadcasters. Although we still have very big youth audiences they are shrinking, particularly in terms of the hours they spend listening to radio. I don't think it's a matter of winning them back to traditional radio consumption, so much as looking at how and where young people spend their time and making sure our radio brands are present in those places. Then we need to capture the right data. For the young, "time spent with brand" may be a better measure of success than radio listening hours. Here's an example. This BBC Radio 1 video didn't gain us one extra minute of recorded listening but has run up almost 12 million views on YouTube.

Since your election to the EURORADIO Committee in Vilnius, Lithuania in 2008, you've played an active role in the EBU Radio Community. As its new chairman, what are the top three priorities?

I've only just got my feet under the table and we are still looking at what should be our priorities for the committee's two-year term. Clearly the committee will want to make sure that our radio members get the best possible value from the EBU. We shall also want to create an environment in which we support each other and share experience. Getting the annual Radio Assembly right and making it a "must go to" event is important too. There's a lot to do

One of radio's unique advantages is its portability. Where are you when you listen to the radio and what do you regularly tune in to?

I'm pretty promiscuous when it comes to stations. Before work it's either News from BBC Radio 4 or music with BBC Radio 2. Classical music from BBC Radio 3 is on in the office as I write. In the evening it will be documentaries or a concert. On a drive I flick around the dial until I find something interesting. I also like to check out the commercial competition and see what they're up to.

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LINK:	http://www3.ebu.ch/cms/en/sites/ebu/contents/news/2013/09/qa-bbcs-grah...
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