Read this: Radiodays Extra: Greg James Bob Shennan Do Breakfast

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Hello and welcome to a bonus edition of the media podcast.

I'm Olly Murs the BBC's soon-to-be managing director Bob Shannon was just one industry leaders to speak at this year's radiodays Europe conference in March in Switzerland Shannon announced the appointment of a new podcast commissioner to nurture the development of audio side of the BBC's existing brands whilst Brenda sellaness of Google News broadcasters to stay distinctive and Paul Robinson director of creative media Partners and of course regular contributor to this very show was there for the sessions and sat down with Bob and also Greg James to get some insight into the BBC's new Direction launching the Big Breakfast

Shows across BBC Radio and BBC sounds in the moment you're here Bob's assessment of how audiences are responding to the new Sounds app, the first years Greg James on how it feels to achieve his and hosting breakfast on Radio 1 Greg James thank you.

I feel weird agreeing with you, but I'm very proud of it and I think that I can say that I'm happy that we nailed the launch and we had all these plans and place and I've had sort of 20 years to think about it and I have lots of experience and I felt like a news station on new listeners.

I knew I had a plan in my head.

I was like we need to just do a show for listeners with the anecdote to evidence the Ides of Gavin in my experience of the listener before I love shows that feel like you're in the Gang but it doesn't feel exclusive so I had those plans.

An amazing I have an amazing team of people that are on the same page and made a bit of luck on the day and he went for it.

You really will you really thinking as a schoolboy 20-years ago you want the Radio 1 breakfast that was that was in your head at that point I wanted to sort of remember.

I want to Johnny vaughan's job only Chris tarrant's job and Scott Mills job.

I want to do Christmas Christmas job as well and yes, that is breakfast breakfast on Virgin the first time around I listen to that shows and other people so my mum and Jonathan as well.

I'm off Friday from them.

Is to get an audience in the shower and I should do that one day, so yes those sorts of those were the ones that I wanted to do and then I get it evolved into the Radio 1 when I was probably a student.

It's sort me out to certain extent one of my good mates stream radio station.

Yes of course.

I do and I was up to do my first show that day so what happened to the show on on the day the straight in there and yeah, I didn't I didn't bother with football at home or anything like that.

So I went straight to the radio station and I suppose I was doing Radio 1 shows but on the on live wire would XFM you.

Long along with you.

Yes, I wanted to do a breakfast though, because it felt it just felt big but also if you can do it well, it feels intimate as well.

That's what did better than anybody what Shaun Keaveny does I think my definitely have been inspired by that I guess you are a product of all the things that you have read and listen to over the years and watch the new you take a bit of that, so that's what I do.

I sort of wrote down all the things that I'd love about shows.

I thought how do we make this into one big inclusive funny listen.

I was funny was the thing I wanted to be a great presenter in the morning.

I mean that passion.

I think I'm sorry but also what came across to me as well today was a really good team.

So I think you up the Best of Both Worlds I have yet, and I was very lucky that I got two.

Select my team I took Chris Sawyer from the drivetime show with me my old writer and producer luckily became the editor of all the daytime shows so I had him as well.

I had will Foster who's to produce Grimmie and I always want to work as well.

So we managed to get through it together and I said to management.

I would love to have two producers because I feel like you need to have as many brains and it's possible you'll experience and you need a calm and know what to do know how to deal with an idea and know how to bring on a younger team so we got two excellent APS acid induces Daisy Jarrett and Nicola and Tim who is here today and we're all learning on the job, but we putting into plate into practice all the things we've learnt over the years and we go at me know how to do that deliver that funny and the show is very busy in the morning if you are running in and run.

20 when I go I've got a bit for 8:40.

There was a bit on blue planet last night where a seagull a turtle we still a bit on that because it's there are bits the space in it have something spontaneous comes and goes and there are those big sort of books of features as well, so it's evolved throughout morning which keeps me interested.

I wouldn't want to do it didn't keep me interested and I think if I'm not interested why the hell would you expect listens to me and that's a great luxury of being on a station at Radio One where they let you express yourself this place big TV shows that used to watch so I used to love those Noel's house party stunts or even feels like beadles About or Anneka Rice Challenge Anneka in the big breakfast and loads.

Things we definitely have been inspired by over the years and we just think thought why what is the radio version of this? How do we make people talk about the show? It's not on and we can tell the story on social media but also you can collect the next day and I think they're away is radio is very valuable and you can really push it because it's very simple.

It's a microphone.

Not no it's not it's because it's great storytelling.

It's a great way to tell a story and it's so intimate and immediate in your head, so we try and work on those quick.

There's ever evolving quickly evolving story the contrast and turn and you just you can react quickly cuz it's radio you just a microphone.

Where is TV you? Just have to send off 8 health and safety forms and get the camera crew that again.

You never quite get that magic on the TV that you do on on the radio show and you feel like you're in your car you and you can't get out and those moments that we want to create is the can't get out the car moment so I think the breakfast so now you've been at Radio 1 10-years.

You know you you've had a lot experience the audience know you that must be making me feel more confident and on top of your game well.

Yes, I feel like it.

I feel like this was the right time for me to get it.

I wouldn't it would not have any success if I got it at 2647 I feel like I'm much more settled in my actual life.

I've gone through my 20s.

I know what it's like to be I know the pitfalls of all of that stuff and having relationships and coming out of those and you know renting a house and finding you know friends and working out what you what you know you are a little bit and I know that I'm much better place now was even 3 or 4 years ago.

So it came to me at the right time and I'm really pleased that Radio 1 have dropped this.

You have to be the age of listeners to communicate with your listeners sometimes that's true and but I'm better I'm better I think a Radio 1 show at 32-in and I wasn't 23 John Peel with you know three times the age of listeners and was incredibly successful.

It doesn't at all and if you look at all the other people who are successful in American recording is a great example who's over just over 40 and he don't care as long as you're doing so I never I've never worry too much about that hated being 20 is better and I but now I feel like I am a bit more grip on to say more experience but also I've I am I said it but I feel like I am.

Not me Being Earnest and to humble I feel in a good way that I'm less important on that show and when you put your eGo 21, so keep it in check you can then lift up the listeners to be the funny person and an iPhone and question that makes them give me the functional whatever I don't care about that anymore.

I don't I don't need to be the funniest person in the room and never have been I quite like a conversation going all that I think that's that's it.

That's been very important to me and what about cooking with you having a glass of wine now your social life must have changed.

Please don't help me an alcoholic on here.

That's fine my question your social life must have chose how you coping with the hours, but I'm holding a glass of wine in a foyer of the conference centre a big change its anyone who tells you it's fun wake me up at 4:50 is a liar.

Something wrong with them.

It's horrible and there is probably 10 minutes in the morning where I question why bother doing it and it's only 10 minutes after the show I got a massive one I doing this but that's 99 0.5% of time 9 time set the time.

I just got this is the best job ever that you don't get to do forever so I'm and other bits in my life can just wait a little bit and that's fine, but at the moment.

It doesn't feel like it includes too much.

I really enjoyed the ideas unloved hang out of my team at 5:30 in the morning.

We are belly laughing and that special sauce cherish those moments and I will I know that I'm missing they want I don't get to do it time to sort of enjoying it all at the moment.

Thank you.

Thank you very much for your time.

Cheers.

Greg James will be back with more insight from radiodays Europe after this Black Friday is he at Tesco Mobile is powered by Clubcard prices £24.99 a month saving you an amazing £198 this supercharged deal ends November 15th, so don't miss out this mobile pop in or search Tesco Mobile every little helps and 15th of November concert and don't worry.

I've got a bag locally a pound of honey.

Make the environment greener cleaner and more sustainable £100,000 for three years discover the power of green savings bonds Bob Shannon this is probably the last time.

We'll meet as director of red and music.

Do you have a new promotion so tell me what is the purpose in the role as new managing director of the BBC but hopefully not the last timer radio days in this role radio will still be a part of the cause of Brief is now thinking as part of the executive of the BBC about you know the future of the whole of the BBC and all of its different manifestations it strategy.

It's culture.

It's policy approach everything to do with it's commercial rights and business affairs teams with a particular accent on.

Making sure that we continue to attract to develop and support the best time on a talent as well as a talent that we possibly can in the BBC you had a great record with Talent but the strategy mean the BBC is got a number of challenges has never mean your German day before menses talked about some of them the funding is obviously one the move towards complete different listening and viewing habits is another one.

How are you going to think about these challenges that pretty big questions that big they're not knew that they've been questions which have been around as you know for a few years now.

I mean listening habits have changed and and those changes present all traditional media company with massive challenges and need to adapt the way they offer content two people at the same time with the BBC you know we.

Experience in the challenge of licensed refunding that over a period of time is due to be curtailed which means that we having to save money at the same time that we really like start to invest more money in new services, but I think we doing ok.

I mean we prioritised developing the iPlayer Azhar video destination BBC sounds are audio destination and we've been really really busy refreshing and enhancing our linear services as well and they're holding up with the audiences.

I think I go traditional media companies we have to work differently we have to work more quickly we have to work harder.

We have challenges on multiple fronts, but people still love the content that we offer and our our mission is to make sure that the BBC continues to be.

Relevant and useful to all audiences in the UK the audio listening to Linear is holding up very well probably radio holding up better than Siri the rate of change and aching TV is faster and silly Netflix has been a major driver of this for the BBC thinking about iPlayer and I know you're looking at some extending extending rights on iPlayer how does the BBC work in the world by you could think maybe the body can be linear TV channels in the future what I think it's the same in in in audio and video in TV and radio.

I think the challenges to find her a happy medium between the way we present our content as people want and expect it and that can be quite different things for quite different audiences TV channels like linear radio station still have millions and millions of people who liked consume them in the way that they consume.

Consume them, but increasingly yeah, we're saying a change in habit where the audience member is taking more control over the way they consume content and through iPlayer trying to respond to that so that we can offer both the corner versus large-scale experience of BBC One on the other hand Andy and the bespoke On Demand experience of iPlayer on the other hand with BBC sounds with trying to do the same thing were trying to create a destination which is both the linear and on-demand audio made available to people in as useful away as possible now that used in the old days.

Just to be as a linear radio station and how much more that we can do to augment the offer of linear with on-demand and also I think to make linear even more effective at serving audiences, who loves the

Sent daily connectivity of great linear radio and their lives when you were here last two you talked about your ambition to find new voices new ways of presenting audio particularly podcast Talent and then maybe wouldn't otherwise come to the BBC and look at BBC sounds 1.8 million downloads in a few months.

It's not bad at all.

Did you feel with mates? You made some progress in that area? Yeah? I think we should start with a good distance to go with with a distance to go in terms of the functionality of the app to make sure that is fully personalised experience that we promise because I think that's the real game-changer for people when we can offer that and in terms of content, this is a you know this is a relative Brave New World for us because we only recently really been given permission to create podcast 4 on Demand first and I think that we've had some great successes.

And we've learnt things that haven't worked so well, and we've moved on to the next thing entirely different kind of approach to commissioning podcast from commissioning linear radio and and so it's a massive learning curve for all of us, but we really pleased overall with the success and when we get that editorial richness and that functionality flexibility that audiences crave.

I think we have something really valuable to licence repairs.

It's time to the analogue linear networks now.

You've had to change not one but two breakfast shows on your two biggest music networks that must have given you a few sleepless nights.

It's some and and don't forget ball.

We've also changed the whole of the time schedule including breakfast on 6music which good point is significant.

If not one of the two biggest so we've had a huge amount of change in.

Short space of time Radio 1 when first at the end of last summer I think we're all thrilled with the way that the new breakfast and drives have taken off.

I think Greg James and his team in particular.

Have done a wonderful job of creating really engaging mice listen live linear radio they believe in it.

They believe in its potential to attract your audiences and I think they're right to believe in that they're not about it and they are working harder probably than ever before to try and make it the real destination a real place that young audiences want to come to in the BBC and then course Radio 2 as gone through a huge amount of changes well with you programs at breakfast at Drive midi evening and late night and

Please to with the way those programs have settled down.

It was perhaps more changed and you never like to have in one fell swoop but in fact the presenters were really familiar to the O2 audience.

So it wasn't quite a scary is it might have her first seemed and with Chris Evans choosing to leave.

I think Zoe Ball has taken on the mantle of Breakfast Show hosts magni Sarah Cox fitted in from the word go perfectly drivetime.

I think she's been so familiar to daytime Radio 2 listeners that it was a pretty easy for the network to make Jo Whiley is back in a can of refreshed rejuvenated mini evening slot and Trevor Nelson's new programme Monday to Thursday late at night is a really exciting development for the network.

He's a brilliant broadcasters.

You know I think he's found a really good natural home for him to do his thing and to provide for Radio 2.

Perfect cannot going to bed show the BBC and its planned for the rest of the charter period of talked about Radio 2 in terms of specialist music so I have to ask you this radio to report the specialist music music programs have now moved in Leitrim the schedule for 9 p.m.

And the beauty of the 7 start of course was delivered very large audience from drivetime into the 7 slot so at 21.

They're going to get small audiences at the wrong direction.

Well.

I think it's still a pretty healthy slot and we'll wait to see how the radar figures really pan out before we should get too concerned about that.

It's still a prominent slot and Radio 2 commitment to the big Radio 2 specialist genre probably growing actually you know I can think of a time when I joined Radio 2 which was about a decade ago when commitment for example to country music or folk was at a relatively low.

In the intervening years, I think Radio 2 has become even more vital to both of those two forms of music actually and we've also added Jamie into our Jazz Mix I think everybody believes that mean he's an award winner everybody believes.

He's raised the bar and carers has taken over I feel like silly.

We've put extra effort and reinvigorated our commitment to specialist music.

I'm really aware of the fact that you know fuck music UK really leans heavily on the commitment for example a radio to wear really conscious of that an impact with quite proud of it, so we don't need to let that slip very good to hear my last question then but now you're managing director.

Will you have a view over BBC local radio perhaps the Forgotten child in the past but I guess in this job.

My role, is is is a pan BBC role in the sense of having responsibility for the team that developed strategy and working on alongside rest of the executive including Kenny Macquarie who is director of nations and regions and I think that BBC local radio particularly.

Just now has an incredibly important part to play in a healthy BBC future and I'll do everything I can within the remit of my new role to ensure that continues.

I mean I think when you look at what's going on because of deregulation and commercial radio and we all understand why that's taking place.

I think it leaves a vacuum and an opportunity and a need for the BBC however.

We do it and I'm sure that the stress you've local radio will evolve there's a great opportunity for the BBC

Reaffirm its role in local broadcasting which I think is always been Central to to our mission and really important to a lot of a licence fee payers.

We need to make it like the rest of our radio offer is refreshed rejuvenated and even though we're living through extraordinary times of change and turbulence with social technological economic challenge that we remember that radio and audio have a vital part 2.

They're incredibly resilient and they're incredibly important to audiences.

We just now need to work harder in all bits of the BBC and in fact the whole sector to make sure that continues to be the great.

See you again at radiodays.

Thank you for coming again Bob and good luck in the new job.

It's great to the radio man at the centre of the BBC wish you the very best.

Thank you.

Well.

That's all for this bonus edition.

Radio podcast are thanks to Paul Robinson and to remember you can catch up with previous episodes and get new ones as soon as they're released by subscribing for free on our website media podcast.com and I'll be bringing you a brand new episode of the show this time next week Rebecca Drysdale cherry the media podcast is 8 PPM production and until next time.

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