50 Years of Radio 1.

This weekend sees the 50th anniversary of Radio 1. In its 1970s heyday it was huge, the only place where new records could be heard, so practically every teenager in the UK tuned in. DJs like Tony Blackburn, Noel Edmonds and Mike Read were proper supermarket-opening stars. But in 2017, I can’t imagine who listens to it. Most kids get their music from Soundcloud, Mixcloud, Spotify and YouTube. They wouldn’t even think of Radio 1. They return to radio in later life but it’ll be Radio 2, Radio 4 or one of the oldies stations. 50 years on, no matter what the BBC may claim, Radio 1 is broadcasting to an audience who simply aren’t there. Once they were there every single day. Which is why you still know practically every word to almost every 1970s hit. Even this one, which didn’t even make the Top 30.