Good Broadcast delivers BBC Radio 5 Live

On Wednesday evening we had the pleasure of hosting Tim Levell, Editor of the Emma Barnett Show on BBC Radio 5 Live up in Manchester. In our Q&A session, we successfully managed to avoid Brexit and tried to delve into what makes 5 Live tick, talking everything from those important "evergreen" stories that 5 Live are so keen on right down to the nuts and bolts of the programme's day to day schedule.

 Here is a blast of some of the key consideration points that are crucial for 5 Live's morning programme...

 Getting "under the skin" of a story

When asked about the format of his programme, Tim spoke about how they enjoy taking the time to get "under the skin" of a story on Emma Barnett's show. The morning and afternoon programmes give more time to their stories as - unlike 5 Live Breakfast that churns out a lot of content at high speed - their listeners are not rushing around to get to work but are doing longer tasks and therefore can indulge in longer discussions. As such, offering a story that has depth and allows the programme to delve into it and build a wider feature around it is really important for them. 

Good talkers

It may sound like common sense smacking us square in the face, but the key for any interviewee is that they are a good speaker. 5 Live welcomes CEOs and senior branded spokespeople, celebrities and case studies if they make sense in line with the story and have interesting points of view and opinions. Voices that are too corporate and too wooden just do not work for radio, and as with many national broadcasters, real voices are crucial to bring the story to life for Emma Barnett's Show. They are a current affairs programme that focuses on issues that affect ordinary, day to day people, who are exactly the kind of people they are interested in interviewing. On the opposite end of the spectrum, having a celebrity who is a household name that their listeners will prick their ears up to, has a clear link to the story, is passionate and cares about what they are fronting can also work well for them. 

There's no such thing as "Whiteboard Wednesday."

Awareness days are often used as news hooks for PR activity; however when we have questioned our broadcast panelists in the past, they've all had the same response to this question: they don't work. And Tim's stance was very much the same. They don't work unless they translate into real life activity, such as World Book Day or International Women's Day, when their listeners might take part in activities. The ridiculous awareness days you hear of such as (to quote Tim) "Whiteboard Wednesday" just don't work for broadcasters and aren't a strong enough reason for them to cover a story. However, a quirky story that is a bit of light relief is always of interest to 5 Live's morning programme. When asked for a specific example, Tim shared an anecdote of how they covered a story before Christmas of an inflatable Santa that had been put on the top of a church, which was a story that just really amused them and their listeners, so it worked a treat! 

Be proactive 

If you have access to guests who are good speakers on certain topics, then sharing this list with broadcasters for them to bank is a great way to build up a relationship with a broadcaster and be proactive in trying to land reactive pieces of coverage later down the line. Tim praised universities as a great example of organisations that make their speakers known to national media so that when a story breaks and they need an expert voice on a particular issue, they know exactly who to call. Other brands and PR agencies who have these assets can capitalise on this too and put their experts on the broadcast radar. 

Takeaway tips from Tim:

· The planning team at the Emma Barnett Show are the key people that PRs want to have a relationship with as they will be planning two or three stories ahead of time, whilst the programme team will be working on the next day's show. 

· A fresh top line to your story is really important. 

· Tailor your communications to fit the programme, understand the show's agenda and what they are about. 

· Exclusivity on a guest or angle of a story that makes it relevant to their show is great. 

· The phone is undervalued and many PRs still don't call broadcasters as much as they do other journalists when they follow up. 

· The BBC try to represent the whole of the UK and be inclusive, so having diversity among their guests is crucial. 

· Stories that appeal to younger audiences are very much welcomed. 

· Health stories are always of interest to the Emma Barnett Show.