BBC Radio 1 with Ben Stones and Liam Hadley

Earshot with Steve Martin

The Earshot podcast is packed with great radio production, shared by the people who make it.

Just weeks after launching its new breakfast show, station sound producers Ben Stones and Liam Hadley share the production secrets of Radio 1’s imaging. We hear also from host Greg James and ReelWorld music director Erik Huber who created the show’s theme.

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Ben Stones and Liam Hadley

Duration 45’44”, 192kb/s stereo mp3, file size 64 MB.
Loudness -16 LUFS.

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Show notes

The sound of BBC Radio 1 is heard by more than nine million people in the UK every week. In this edition of Earshot, producers Ben and Liam explain how they and their team create the imaging production and promos for this legendary station.

They unpack the new imaging for Radio 1 Breakfast and presenter Greg James describes what he wanted the imaging to achieve, and what it means for him, his audience and the show he leads. You’ll hear the different mixes of the Breakfast theme, produced by ReelWorld, including the 2 minute opener.

Ben explains how the station uses a cast of four station voices – Matt, Georgia, Rachelle and Lewis – and how he found new talent for breakfast. Beth is the female voice of the show and it’s her first ever voice gig.

We also learn how many people can fit into a tiny BBC production booth, how ideas Liam heard on Australian radio have inspired his work at BBC Radio 1 and why he insisted on reinventing the music montage.

All that, plus the creative genesis of the Live Lounge opener, the flexible structure of “The 1 for…” positioning line that ended up emblazoned on the side of a tour bus, and deep imaging geekery from two producers passionate about their craft and the power of great radio production.

What Greg says…

As with Matthew Corbett and Sooty, Greg had a hand in it…

Question and answer session from The Guardian

Links

In the show Ben and Liam mention Radio 1 Breakfast with Greg James, Reelworld, the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, the station branding service IMGR and the Official Chart with Scott Mills.

Earshot bonus: the Erik Huber interview in full

Erik Huber talks to Steve Martin

In this exclusive half-hour interview, ReelWorld Music Director Erik Huber discusses his approach to radio imaging production, how the craft has changed in more than twenty years of ReelWorld and his personal perspective on the Radio 1 breakfast project which his company won in a hard-fought open pitch.

Credits

Earshot theme by the Tiger Club Band. Voiceover is Elly Fairman at Hobsons. Special thanks to Meryn Shetye at ReelWorld.

Views are personal. The contributors acknowledge all rights held by the owners, creators and performers of the recorded works which are included solely for the purposes of education and review.

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Comments

• Monday 12 November, 2018, ReelWorld celebrate new sound of BBC Radio 1 Breakfast – JingleNews.com writes: […] The BBC Radio imaging team and ReelWorld Music Director Erik Huber have spoken to the latest Earshot Creative podcast about the project, which can be heard here. […]

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From Earshot where views are personal and original writing is licensed under Creative Commons. Follow @earshotcreative and send story ideas and examples of great creative work to the editor @smartin