Commissioning Brief 2020-21 - bbc.co.uk/wales
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Commissioning Brief 2020-21 bbc.co.uk/wales
Commissioning Brief 2020-21
1. Introduction............................................................................................................. 3
2. Overall summary. . ................................................................................................... 4
2.1 Key dates and guide prices.. ........................................................................... 4
2.2 A brief guide to Proteus.. ................................................................................ 5
3. BBC Radio Wales in a nutshell. . ............................................................................ 6
4. Genres for commission.......................................................................................... 7
4.1 Highlights from 2019-20................................................................................ 7
4.2 Themes for 2020-21........................................................................................ 8
.
4.3 Comedy. . ............................................................................................................ 9
4.4 Science, Technology & ideas.......................................................................... 9
4.5 Arts. . ................................................................................................................... 9
4.6 Features. . ......................................................................................................... 10
4.7 Hour-long Programmes................................................................................ 10
4.8 Sunday Morning With.. .................................................................................. 10
4.9 Rolling commissioning.................................................................................. 10
5. Working with BBC Radio Wales ......................................................................... 11
5.1 Delivering additional content for daytime ............................................... 11
5.2 It’s all about the pictures.. ............................................................................ 11
5.3 No paperwork, no programme. . ................................................................... 11
5.4 Delivery guidelines........................................................................................ 11
5.5 Technical guidelines...................................................................................... 11
6. Tariffs...................................................................................................................... 12
7. BBC Radio Wales and the audience................................................................... 13
2Commissioning Brief 2020-21
1. Introduction
It’s an exciting time for the radio industry. Despite challenges and competition, almost
90% of the UK population are tuning in every week. National presenter moves are
regularly making the front pages of newspapers and the deregulation of commercial radio
will fundamentally change local markets. At BBC Radio Wales we spent the end of 2018
taking time to listen to our audience. Our market research across Wales led to a new look
for our brand (we’ve gone orange) and a new sound to the station with the introduction
of BBC Radio Wales Breakfast with Claire Summers. The launch of the new breakfast
programme has been supported by one of the biggest marketing campaigns in the station’s
history. In addition, we’ve welcomed Carol Vorderman to the weekend line-up with a brand
new Saturday programme.
Those developments are just the tip of the iceberg. In 2018, we celebrated 40 years on air.
The anniversary was an opportunity to head out on the road with our birthday bus and say
thank you to audiences across Wales. The pinnacle of the celebrations was a gala night of
music and comedy at the Swansea Grand Theatre.
We also delivered on our promise to extend Radio Wales’ FM coverage to an additional
400,000 people across Wales, taking its reach from 79% of households in Wales to 91%,
with listeners in the north-east and Mid-Wales benefitting the most from the expansion.
There was also digital growth as the number of Radio Wales podcast downloads reached
1.7 million in 2018, with a further 2.6 million requests for our programmes online.
2018 saw the launch of BBC Sounds, the BBC’s streaming, catch-up, and radio service
which brings together live radio, music playlists and podcasts. Many Radio Wales podcasts
are proving popular, including Elis James’ Feast of Football and the Monday night comedy
programmes. In addition, the BBC Wales commissioned podcast Shreds: Murder in the dock,
telling the story of the Lynette White murder in Cardiff Bay, has been one of the biggest
BBC Sounds originals this year.
Looking ahead, we’ll be the official home of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan later this
year, with live commentary on every Wales game. Beyond that, we’ll be placing a big focus
on reaching out to communities across Wales. We’ll be exploring how we strengthen our
relationship with audiences beyond the radio and build on partnerships, such as the one
we’ve developed with the Machynlleth Comedy Festival. The start of 2020 will see us move
to our new world class studios in the heart of Cardiff. Central Square will be an chance to
harness creative opportunities from new technology and new ways of working.
Once again, BBC Radio Wales couldn’t deliver all this without the input of independent
production companies. Sunday Morning with…., comedy, arts, science and features continue
to attract significant interest from listeners. Thank you for your continued support of BBC
Radio Wales and we look forward to your ideas for 2020 and beyond.
Good luck!
Colin Paterson
Editor, BBC Radio Wales
3Commissioning Brief 2020-21
2. Overall summary
2.1 Key Dates and Guide Prices
Here are the key dates in this year’s commissioning timetable:
TUESDAY 10th SEPTEMBER – MIDDAY: DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS
w/c Monday 30th September: notification of shortlist ideas
w/c Monday 7th October: interviews with shortlisted suppliers
w/c Monday 28th October: commissions published
Proposals need to be submitted via Proteus, the BBC’s commissioning and scheduling
system. If you don’t have a Proteus log-in, please see Section 2.2.
Proposals on Proteus are formatted to include a very short ‘headline’ summary and
then a longer synopsis in which you can outline the idea, treatment and tone of the
programme. Short, succinct pitches are appreciated. Please ensure that you have
approached your suggested presenters and have their agreement in principle.
If you need any further information about this document, please contact:
Jeremy Grange, Assistant Editor, BBC Radio Wales jeremy.grange@bbc.co.uk
Tel: 07764 335183
Guide Prices:
We are aware that not all half-hour programmes require the same amount of production
effort and we have introduced a range of guide prices to reflect that. Budgets for
shortlisted ideas will be subject to close scrutiny. Here are the guidelines:
Half hour feature: £1500 - £4000
Hour long feature: £3000 - £4500
Scripted comedy: £6000 - £7000
Unscripted comedy: £3000 - £5000
OFFERS NEED TO BE SUBMITTED VIA PROTEUS BY MIDDAY ON
TUESDAY 10th SEPTEMBER
4Commissioning Brief 2020-21
2.2 A Brief Guide to Proteus
Proteus is a system which is owned and developed by the BBC. It is a ‘one stop shop’
for all programme-related information for BBC Radio. It is used by internal BBC radio
departments and independent productions companies to:
• create and submit programme ideas
• complete programme descriptions and compliance
• create running orders (including contributors and music items)
Users in the BBC networks access the system to commission radio programme ideas,
create programme schedules, support play-out and generate reports.
New Users:
Independent companies who do not have a Proteus account and who wish to submit
programme ideas, must first contact Michelle Phillips (michelle.phillips@bbc.co.uk)
and Ceri Goddard (ceri.goddard@bbc.co.uk) with the following information:
• Name of company
• Address
• Contact Number
• Contact Name
• e-mail Address
They will register you with access, and you’ll then receive an email with log in information
and a helpcard for guidance.
Existing users: Log on to Proteus now
If you already have an existing account you will be able to select BBC Radio Wales from
the Network dropdown.
Proteus support
All of Wales radio’s programme paperwork will be managed through the BBC’s Proteus
system.
If you’re not already Proteus-trained and your proposal is successful during the
commissioning round, you will be expected to attend a ‘Proteus for Independents’
training course. Your Proteus account will then be extended enabling you to access the
system in order to complete programme descriptions, compliance and running orders.
To ensure knowledge of the system is retained and practically applied, you should attend
a course no more than three months before your programme(s) are due for transmission.
5Commissioning Brief 2020-21
3. BBC Radio Wales in a nutshell…
We are the national radio station for Wales. Our mission is to create radio at the heart of
life in Wales. We’re predominantly targeting contemporary 50 somethings. We want to
reinvent radio for the over 45s, avoiding the clichés and being clear about their passions
and concerns.
We are at the heart of the national conversation, but we want to entertain just as much
as we educate and inform.
And we aim to attract them by:
• News: outstanding news and current affairs, which really matters
to people in Wales.
• Sport: giving priority to the moments which bring Wales together.
Quality over volume.
• Live: speech led content which is distinctive, authentic, entertaining
and has substance. Supporting the national conversation.
• Comedy: winning hearts, not just minds. A mix of big names and
supporting new talent.
• Music, culture and events: supporting Welsh culture and entertainment
in its broadest sense. A platform to reflect and celebrate Wales.
• In-depth: features which provide deep-dive moments for our listeners.
6Commissioning Brief 2020-21
4. Genres for commission
4.1 Highlights from 2019-20
We’ve had an exciting start to the year. The launch of BBC Radio Wales Breakfast with
Claire Summers has brought a new sound to weekday mornings on BBC Radio Wales.
We’ve also welcomed Carol Vorderman to Saturday mornings with a brand new show.
In Comedy we commissioned new sitcoms for 2019/20 including Bravo Two Charlies by
Matt Leys and Martin Trenaman and Relocation by Robin Morgan, starring Steve Speirs.
Later in the year we’ll be launching an all-female sketch show, Welcome Strangers and
the series A Musical Life Of… which takes an original and entertaining approach to the
life stories of famous Welsh men and women.
Our relationship with the Machynlleth Comedy Festival goes from strength to strength.
Once again the Radio Wales Mach Arena was the main venue and the Festival line-up
featured our topical comedy The Leak, a stand-up showcase hosted by Kiri Pritchard
McLean and a stand-up show from Matt Rees exploring his own – and Wales’ –
relationship with alcohol.
In Arts, alongside The Radio Wales Arts Show and The Review Show we’re running
documentary features on subjects as diverse as children’s animation, Ricky Valance and
Bauhaus design. We once again had a strong presence in the BBC Tent at the Hay Festival
with the Radio Wales Arts Show and Tonight at Hay, a series of nightly discussions from
the Hay Festival hosted by Guto Harri.
Commissions for our Science, Technology and Ideas strand included Being Artificial – an
exploration of AI, The Moon and Us which reflected some key Welsh connections with the
Apollo missions and Professor Data, a profile of Prof. Jonathan Shepherd, the surgeon
who devised the Cardiff Model for reducing violence on city streets.
Our Features slot has allowed us to take an in-depth look at moments in recent history
with the series I Was There; A Nation Torn marked the 50th anniversary of the Investiture
of the Prince of Wales and Wales Forgotten Race Riots looked back a century to a time of
violence on Cardiff’s streets; Sunday Best is a light-hearted social history of the Welsh
Sunday and The Hidden Loss a moving and sensitive exploration of how families come to
terms with neonatal death.
7Commissioning Brief 2020-21
4.2 Themes for 2020-21
There are, of course, a number of significant events and anniversaries in the diary for
2020/21, from the Tokyo Olympics to the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second
World War. If you have original, compelling ways of reflecting these - or any other - ‘fixed
points’ on BBC Radio Wales, we’d like to hear from you.
However, we’re also very keen to identify and reflect broader contemporary concerns and
conversations. We want to give our listeners deeper insights into the issues which affect
individuals, families and communities across Wales. Potential themes might include:
• P
olitical and National Identity: However Brexit finally plays out, it’s clear that the
events and arguments of the last three years have made us re-examine our ideas of
national identity, nationalism and our relationship with some the UK’s institutions -
from Westminster to the Royal Family.
• P
ractical Environmentalism: Campaigners like Extinction Rebellion and Greta
Thunberg have put climate change and environmental concerns firmly on the political
agenda. And nowhere is the political also more personal than in our response to the
climate emergency. How far would you go to save the planet? No more plastic? No
more beef? No more air travel? How can BBC Radio Wales reflect the personal,
practical and ethical challenges of climate change?
• T
he Sandwich Generation: The average age of BBC Radio Wales listeners is 59, which
puts them firmly in the ‘sandwich generation’ – juggling the demands of looking after
elderly parents with the need to support twenty-and thirty-something children who
can’t afford to get onto the housing ladder. What are the financial and emotional costs
if you’re part of the sandwich generation?
• P
ersonality Politics: Do we get the politicians we deserve? In an era when politics is
increasingly dominated by larger-than-life personalities, what does the popularity of
Donald, Boris and Nigel tell us about ourselves? And where are the ‘big beasts’ of
Welsh politics?
• W
omen’s Sport: Women’s sport has seen an explosion of interest, as was highlighted
by the viewing figures for the recent England v USA semi-final at the Women’s World
Cup. Are there fresh ways we can reflect the growth of women’s sport in Wales?
• T
om Jones at 80: Sir Tom will be 80 next year and Radio Wales will be celebrating with
him. What content – specifically built programmes – could you add to the mix to help
mark eight decades of a Welsh icon?
These are just a few areas we’re considering and we’d welcome ideas which play into
them. But if you’ve identified other aspects of contemporary life in Wales – whether it’s
health, education, sexuality, politics, our relationship with technology or our
relationships with each other - we’d like to hear your ideas and treatments.
We’re looking for bold, ambitious ideas which make us sit up and take notice –
ideas which surprise, intrigue and excite us!
8Commissioning Brief 2020-21
4.3 Comedy
We’re very proud of our comedy on BBC Radio Wales. We’ve built strong comedy strands
including the topical news quiz The Leak and Foiled, our sitcom set in a Tonypandy hair
salon. We’re committed to nurturing new comedy talent. And in the last twelve months
we’ve launched new sitcoms, including Bravo Two Charlies set in the world of North
Wales traffic cops and Relocation starring Steve Spiers. We’ve commissioned an all-fe-
male sketch show, Welcome Strangers, and highlighted stand-up comedy with Matt Rees
– Happy Hour, Leroy Britto’s Fake Views and a showcase from the Machynlleth Comedy
Festival.
We’re looking to commission comedy in a range of formats and we’re particularly keen to
explore ways of showcasing new Welsh comedy talent. The tone of the station’s comedy
is contemporary, irreverent, robust and distinctively Welsh.
We already have returning sitcoms planned for next year so we are unlikely to be
commissioning full series in this round. However, we are still keen to commission single
pilots for development as potential future series.
4.4 Science, Technology and Ideas
The Tuesday 1830 slot focuses on Ideas. It’s a platform for voices from the worlds of
science, digital technology and entrepreneurship, medicine, the creative industries and
other fields - people whose ideas are shaping the future. We invite proposals for
returning series, short series and one-offs which explore ideas in their broadest sense
and which introduce new and diverse voices to explore this theme. Our regular science
series Science Café runs in this slot for 26 weeks a year.
Commissions for 2019/20 included Jess Davies – Digital Detox, in which Jess, a model and
social media influencer spends a fortnight without her smartphone as she explores
society’s online addiction; The Moon and Us, a celebration of the Apollo 11 moon landing
and the Welsh people who were part of that extraordinary achievement; and Becoming
Artificial, Jason Smith’s guide to the impact of AI. We also re-commissioned The Idea with
Catrin Nye.
4.5 Arts
The Radio Wales Arts Show with Nicola Heywood Thomas runs in this slot for 26 weeks a
year, along with the monthly Review Show presented by Gary Raymond. There are
opportunities for a small number of single features in this slot.
Commissions for 2019/20 have included a profile of Ricky Valance and the ‘teen tragedy’
genre of pop songs; Escaping the Tigers which tells the story of children trafficked from
Nepal to perform in Indian circuses and a celebration of children’s animation in Wales in
From Ivor to Sam.
We are looking for stand-alone feature ideas for which give an insight into the creative
processes behind visual arts, music, writing and performance – programmes which make
the arts accessible and relevant to our listeners.
9Commissioning Brief 2020-21
4.6 Features
The Thursday 6.30pm slot is the home of great documentary storytelling and insights
into contemporary Welsh life. It covers a wealth of subjects: ordinary lives and
extraordinary lives in Wales; popular culture, from music to sport; journeys through our
landscape; and in-depth profiles of key figures in the life of our nation.
Commissions for 2019/20 included Wales Forgotten Race Riots, Mo Jannah’s exploration
of the causes and repercussions of the Butetown riots in 1919; a series in which Chris
Stuart reunites people who can say I Was There at a key moment in recent Welsh history;
in A Tale of Two Nations Bethan Rhys Roberts compared the paths of devolution in Wales
and Scotland ; and Sunday Best marks 25 years since the Sunday Trading Act with a social
history of Welsh Sundays. We also re-commissioned long-running series including Jacko’s
Sporting Almanac and Jamie Owen’s Wales.
We’re looking for programmes which engage our listeners, surprise them, move them and
make them think. Above all, these programmes are about good storytelling.
4.7 Hour-long programmes
We have a very small number of hour-long slots and usually place these on Bank
Holidays and in the Christmas and Easter periods.
Over the past couple of years these have included The NHS and Me, a series of personal
stories from patients and medical staff reflecting the impact of the NHS on our lives; a
special programme for the festive season, John Owen Jones: Home for Christmas and,
more recently, A Nation Torn: Wales’ Summer of ’69, which documented the tense and
turbulent period leading up to the Investiture of the Prince of Wales in Caernarfon.
4.8 Sunday Morning With……….
Sunday Morning With… is now well established in Radio Wales’ weekend schedule with a
series of high-profile presenters including Scott Quinnell, Eve Myles, Behnaz Akhgar, and
brother-and-sister team Colin Jackson and Suzanne Packer.
This programme aims to provide a platform for big name presenters to attract the
attention of our audience. The format will remain fairly similar regardless of the
presenter – music and conversation for a Sunday morning. It’s all about the calibre of the
talent. If you’ve got a strong working relationship with the right person, and can deliver
in this key slot, we’re keen to hear from you.
4.9 Rolling commissioning
We are not at this point intending to commission any programmes beyond March 2021.
However, we know that sometimes golden opportunities arise outside of the
commissioning window and we do hold a small pot of money open to allow us to consider
these. The contact for these ideas is: radiowalescommissioning@bbc.co.uk
10Commissioning Brief 2020-21
5. Working with BBC Radio Wales
5.1 Delivering additional content for daytime
The content we commission needs to make a real splash and capture the imagination of
our audiences. We therefore look to maximise the impact of our features in as many ways
as we can. Examples range from day-long specials around a theme, cut-down features in
our weekday strands or supporting interviews in the daytime strands. This joined-up
thinking helps promote your programme more effectively and generally enhances the
quality of our daily strands. Please outline how your material might be used in order to
achieve this when submitting your offer, and be proactive in offering this material when
you deliver your programme.
5.2 It’s all about the pictures
Good visual imagery to accompany programmes is now an essential part of delivery.
This means that images and, where appropriate, video must be supplied to represent
your programme on social media and BBC Sounds – whether those images are from
the production/content itself, or appropriately cleared existing /archive images. The
specifications for image content are outlined on the BBC website. Guidance and best
practice in this area can be provided by our Radio Wales digital team. Please seek their
advice, if needed, before production. Contact dylan.dawes@bbc.co.uk
Additional information or content (where appropriate) for the website and social media
is also appreciated. This might include video; written material; suggested clips. These
images and clips are also useful for press releases and on air trails. The contact for
BBC Sounds and website issues is dylan.dawes@bbc.co.uk and for social media it’s
hannah.loy@bbc.co.uk
5.3 No paperwork, no programme
While the delivery process works on the whole, we have had the occasional programme
delivered without the appropriate paperwork, in the wrong format, not properly
numbered, and so on. If programmes and their accompanying paperwork are not
delivered to the required specifications we are likely to refuse them. Everything you
need to know about our delivery and technical guidelines is available on our website –
link below - with examples of best practice.
In summary, this is what that we’re expecting from you. These can all be completed
on Proteus.
illing – 4 weeks in advance of tx – This is absolutely essential because all billings
• B
are now automatically made public 3 weeks before tx
• Compliance Form – when the tx copy is delivered
• Continuity Announcement Form – when the tx copy is delivered
• P as B (Programme as Broadcast) form – when the tx copy is delivered
• Music Reporting form – when the tx copy is delivered
11Commissioning Brief 2020-21
5.4 Delivery Guidelines:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/cymruwales/commissioning/eldelivery/radio
Everything you need to know is here.
5.5 Technical Guidelines:
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/wales/radiotech_2013.pdf
This document can be found on the right hand side of our delivery page under Guidance
and Specifications. Please be sure you read it before delivering your finished programme.
6. Tariffs
Our ambition is to commission the best ideas. We also have to consider cost and value for
licence fee payers. Therefore we negotiate price on a case-by-case basis and budgets for
shortlisted ideas will be subject to close scrutiny. Here are the guideline prices:
Half hour feature: £1500 - £4000
Hour long feature: £3000 - £4500
Scripted comedy: £6000 - £7000
Unscripted comedy: £3000 - £5000
12Commissioning Brief 2020-21
7. BBC Radio Wales and the audience
8.1
HOURS
47% 53%
360,000 people People listen
tune in every week. for an average of
8.1 hours a week
Audience age profile – BBC Radio Wales audience (%)
50% 47.9%
40%
30%
19.3%
20%
9.5% 10.7% 10%
10%
2.6%
0%
15 – 24 25 – 34 35 – 44 45 – 54 55 – 64 65+
How people listen live
100%
80% 68.2%
60%
40% 31.8% 24.7%
20% 5.2%
1.8%
0%
AM / FM Any Digital DAB Digital TV Internet
Source: RAJAR Q1 2019 13You can also read
