Editing BBC Radio 1 (section)

===1970s===
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2022}}
{{Quote box|quote=I want to slag off all the people in charge of radio stations. Firstly, Radio 1. They outlawed the pirates and then didn't, as they promised, cater for the market the pirates created. Radio 1 and 2, most afternoons, run concurrently and the whole thing has slid right back to where it was before the pirates happened. They've totally fucked it. There's no radio station for young people any more. It's all down to housewives and trendies in Islington. They're killing the country by having that play list monopoly.
 | source = —[[Joe Strummer]]{{sfn|Coon|1977}}
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Initially, the station was unpopular with some of its target audience who, it is claimed, disliked that much of its airtime was shared with [[BBC Radio 2|Radio 2]] and that it was less unequivocally aimed at a young audience than the offshore stations, with DJs such as [[Jimmy Young (broadcaster)|Jimmy Young]] being in their 40s. The fact that it was part of an "establishment" institution such as the BBC turned off some, and [[needle time]] restrictions let it play fewer many than the offshore stations. It had limited finances and often, as in January 1975, suffered disproportionately when the BBC made financial cutbacks, strengthening an impression that it was a lower priority for BBC executives.

Despite this, it gained massive audiences, becoming the most listened-to station in the world, with audiences of more than 10 million claimed for some shows (up to 20 million for some of the combined Radio 1 and Radio 2 shows). In the early-to-mid-1970s, Radio 1 presenters were rarely out of the British tabloids, thanks to the publicity department. The touring summer live ''[[Radio 1 Roadshow]]'' – usually BBC Radio Weeks promotions that took Radio 1, 2 and 4 shows on the road – drew some of the largest crowds of the decade. The station played a role in maintaining the high sales of 45rpm single records, although it benefited from a lack of competition, apart from [[Radio Luxembourg (English)|Radio Luxembourg]], and from [[Manx Radio]] in the Isle of Man. ([[Independent Local Radio]] did not begin until October 1973, took many years to cover virtually all the UK and was initially a mixture of music and talk). [[Alan Freeman]]'s Saturday Rock Show was voted Best Radio Show five years running by readers of a national music publication, and was then axed by controller Derek Chinnery.

News coverage was boosted in 1973 when ''[[Newsbeat]]'' bulletins aired for the first time, and [[Richard Skinner (broadcaster)|Richard Skinner]] joined as one of the new programme's presenters.<ref>{{cite web |title=Radio Rewind – BBC Radio 1 People – Richard Skinner |url=https://www.radiorewind.co.uk/radio1/richard_skinner_page.htm |publisher=Radio Rewind |access-date=19 November 2020}}</ref>

On air, 1978 was the busiest year of the decade. [[David Jensen]] replaced [[Dave Lee Travis]] on the weekday drivetime programme<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_bbc_radio_one/1978-04-15|title=Schedule - BBC Programme Index|website=genome.ch.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> so that DLT could replace [[Noel Edmonds]] on the ''[[Radio 1 Breakfast]]'' show.<ref>{{cite web |title=BBC Radio 1 England – 2 May 1978 |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/radio1/england/1978-05-02 |work=BBC Genome |publisher=BBC |access-date=19 November 2020}}</ref> Later in the year the Sunday teatime chart show extended from a Top 20 to a Top 40 countdown, and [[Tommy Vance]], one of the original presenters, rejoined the station to present a new programme, ''[[The Friday Rock Show]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/radio1/england/1978-11-17|title=BBC Radio 1 England – 17 November 1978 |work=BBC Genome |publisher=BBC |access-date=14 July 2018}}</ref> On 23 November, Radio 1 moved from 247m (1214&nbsp;kHz) to 275 and 285m (1053 & 1089&nbsp;kHz) to improve national AM reception, and to conform with the [[Geneva Frequency Plan of 1975]].<ref name="radiorewind1">{{cite web |title= Radio 1 History – Transmitters |url=http://www.radiorewind.co.uk/radio1/transmitter.htm |publisher=Radio Rewind |access-date=18 February 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frequencyfinder.org.uk/History_Transmission.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.frequencyfinder.org.uk/History_Transmission.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live|title = History of Radio Transmission in the UK|publisher= Frequency Finder}}</ref>

[[Annie Nightingale]], whose first Radio 1 programme aired on 5 October 1969, was Britain's first national female DJ (the earliest record presenter is thought to be [[Jean Metcalfe]] of ''[[Family Favourites]]'', but given that Metcalfe only presented the programme she is not considered a "true" DJ) and became its longest-serving presenter, evolving her musical tastes with the times.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radiorewind.co.uk/radio1/annie_nightingale_page.htm|title=BBC Radio 1 People – Annie Nightingale – Hi|publisher=Radio Rewind|access-date=20 May 2014}}</ref>

In 1978, [[Al Matthews (actor)|Al Matthews]] became the first black disc jockey on Radio 1. His Saturday night show ''Discovatin{{'}}'' was broadcast for over two years. During the summer a Wednesday show was also broadcast featuring live acts.