Remember, our Radio products are targeted CSPs and need to be studied with reference to two elements of the theoretical framework - Audiences and Industries as well as Historical, Social and Cultural Contexts. This means we need to study the way radio audiences and industries have changed over time and what impact this may have on society.
Notes from the lesson: KISS FM Breakfast show
You'll find the notes from our lessons on KISS FM below.
Background and history
Kiss FM first broadcast on 7 October 1985 as a pirate radio station, initially to South London then across the whole city. Transmitting seven-days from the start, it would be regularly taken off-air by the authorities and so became a weekend operation shortly afterwards. This means that it has its origins in common with radio in the 1960s (such as Tony Blackburn’s Radio Caroline show) as KISS was originally an illegal station that became legitimate as it grew in popularity. KISS FM is now seen as more mainstream and less controversial and has been operating legally since 1990. In 2007, it was bought by international conglomerate Bauer Media.
The station developed a committed following across London of mostly young people with figures in the press at the time stating that the station attracted some 500,000 listeners while operating as an unlicensed pirate station.
Gordon Mac approached a successful London club promoter, Guy Wingate, to discuss ways of improving the KISS FM profile. As a result, Wingate launched the very successful Kiss nights at the Wag Club where DJs from the station would DJ night club nights. These nights increased the station's reputation as a young person’s music radio station.
KISS has tried to move with the times by engaging on social media with its listeners and by bringing in DJs who they think will appeal to a younger target audience. Jordan and Perri took over the KISS FM Breakfast show in summer 2020 after previous hosts Rickie, Melvin and Charlie left for BBC Radio 1.
KISS FM deliberately chose younger replacements who have a big social media following (Perri has over one million followers on TikTok).
You can read more about Jordan and Perri taking over the Breakfast show in this BBC website interview.
Personal relationships: important for breakfast radio
Applying Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory, a key aspect of the KISS FM Breakfast show is the personal relationship the audience feel they have with the presenters Jordan and Perri. They took over the KISS FM Breakfast show in July 2020 after finding fame as part of the dance group Diversity and also presenting a weekend show on the station. The two are good friends who have worked together for over 10 years and KISS hope that natural chemistry will appeal to their listeners.
Here's just one of the ways KISS FM first introduced their Breakfast show team:
KISS FM deliberately chose breakfast show hosts who are:
- Members of a dance troupe called Diversity who appeared on Britain’s Got Talent (watch their first performance below)
- Friends in real life and have a natural 'chemistry' which is so important for breakfast radio and connecting with audiences. They are known for their 'banter' and personality.
- Connected to political movements such as Black Lives Matter (see clip below)
Diversity - Britain's Got Talent audition:
Diversity - Black Lives Matter:
Active v passive audience
What opportunities are there on KISS FM for audiences to actively engage?
- Listeners can send in requests or shout outs to friends via social media platforms (KISS FM are particularly active across Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok).
- Audience interaction and involvement is a key aspect to the Breakfast show and Perri has over a million followers on TikTok.
- Audiences can download the KISS Kube app to stream shows at a time convenient to them.
- KISS runs over 100 events every summer that helps them connect with 300,000+ listeners. They also host an annual Halloween event at Wembley Arena for 11,000 fans.
KISS is part of Bauer Radio, a subsidiary of the Bauer Media Group (BMG). This multinational cross-media group owns numerous magazine and radio brands but also has interests in digital media, TV streaming and event organisation, mostly linked to its radio and magazine properties.
The KISS Network is made up of KISS, KISSTORY and KISS Fresh alongside recently launched online stations KISS Bliss (chilled out music), KISS Dance and KISS Garage. Each of these targets its own audience within the 15–34 age group with different styles and types of content. All are available on a number of different platforms, but the range is not the same for each of the brands.
All are available on the KISS website and the KISS Kube app, but only KISS is available on FM radio. In contrast, only KISS and KISSTORY can be received on DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting).
KISS listening figures
Like most traditional media brands, KISS FM is struggling to maintain its audience in the digital age. The previous breakfast show hosted by Rickie, Melvin and Charlie had over 2 million listeners but by the time Jordan and Perri took over it was already down to 1.4m. The most recent figures have Jordan and Perri at 980,000 listeners so less than half the 2m figure the KISS FM Breakfast show used to enjoy.
How does KISS FM make money?
Bauer Media Group revenue was 1.5 BILLION euros in 2020 which demonstrates how much money is made across their many media brands.
KISS FM makes money through advertising, sponsorship and events (such as summer festivals and the Wembley Arena Halloween party). The KISS FM Breakfast show is one of the most popular slots for the radio station so losing around one million listeners over the last few years means Bauer Media cannot make as much money from the KISS brand as it used to. Indeed, Bauer Media Group's revenue is down from 2.3bn euros - in part due to the increasing pressure on traditional media such as magazines and radio.
The changing nature of radio
Young people tend to listen to radio much less as the media landscape is saturated with other products for them to consume (games, apps, numerous TV channels, streaming services, etc).
Also, people now expect to consume media products not in a linear fashion (you turn on the radio and hear what’s currently broadcast) but on-demand (streaming services such as Spotify, Amazon Music and Deezer). This means Kiss FM is attempting to target an audience of 15-34 year olds who are consuming media in a totally different way compared to radio in the 1960s.
Radio in the 1960s v radio today
There are many differences in the radio industry between the launch of BBC Radio 1 in 1967 and the global online marketplace we see today:
- More radio stations broadcasting (There are around 600 licensed radio stations in the country) and thousands of online broadcasters.
- Improved quality as radio moved from AM to FM and now to DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting).
- Radio stations have become increasingly specialised (look at KISS, KISSTORY and KISS FRESH or rivals Absolute Radio, Absolute 60s, 70s, 80s, etc.)
- Many shows are downloadable on-demand (e.g. as podcasts), on a range of devices (e.g. using iPlayer on TV) and streaming-only ‘stations’ (e.g. Spotify ‘stations with no DJs')
Regulation: how is KISS FM regulated?
KISS FM is regulated by Ofcom. This means the KISS FM Breakfast show must follow the Ofcom broadcasting code and not include anything inappropriate for children or younger listeners.
In 2006, KISS was fined a record fee for any UK commercial radio station of £175,000 by media regulator Ofcom. Ofcom punished KISS for "numerous and serious breaches" of broadcasting codes after receiving 10 complaints from April to November 2005. They involved prank calls on the Bam Bam breakfast show where consent was not sought from the "victims" and controversial material aired when children were likely to be listening. KISS said it accepted the findings and apologised for any offence. You can read more on that case here.
Work through the following questions to complete your final Radio case study on the KISS FM Breakfast show CSP:
Audience
Look at the KISS media pack carefully. This will give you a brilliant background to the brand and how they target their audience (important note: it features the old Breakfast presenting team).
Answer the following questions:
1) Read page 2. What is KISS FM's mission?
2) Look at page 3. What is the target audience for KISS FM? As well as writing the key statistics from the media pack, try and suggest what psychographic groups would fit the KISS audience too.
3) Now look at page 5 - The KISS network. How does KISS use digital media and technology to reach its audience?
4) Now look at the other side of page 5. What content do KISS Fresh and KISSTORY offer and how can audiences access those stations?
5) Read page 6. What are the different ways audiences can actively engage with the KISS radio brand?
3) Now look at page 5 - The KISS network. How does KISS use digital media and technology to reach its audience?
4) Now look at the other side of page 5. What content do KISS Fresh and KISSTORY offer and how can audiences access those stations?
5) Read page 6. What are the different ways audiences can actively engage with the KISS radio brand?
6) Are listeners to the KISS Breakfast show active or passive? You can argue this point either way - explain your opinion in your answer.
7) Now think about the clips you've watched or listened to of the KISS FM Breakfast show with Jordan and Perri. What audience pleasures are offered by the KISS FM Breakfast show? Use Blumler and Katz Uses and Gratifications theory here.
7) Now think about the clips you've watched or listened to of the KISS FM Breakfast show with Jordan and Perri. What audience pleasures are offered by the KISS FM Breakfast show? Use Blumler and Katz Uses and Gratifications theory here.
8) How have audiences changed in terms of how they listen to music and radio since the 1960s?
9) How does the KISS FM Breakfast show contrast with Tony Blackburn's 1967 Radio 1 Breakfast show and the launch of BBC Radio 1?
10) Use Stuart Hall's Reception theory to offer a preferred and oppositional reading of the KISS FM Breakfast show. For the preferred reading, why do fans love the show? On the oppositional side, why might someone criticise the show or not want to listen?
Extension tasks
Read this BBC feature on Jordan and Perri taking over the KISS FM Breakfast show. Pick out three reasons KISS FM were keen to get the pair to present their breakfast show.
Industry
1) When did KISS FM first launch and what type of station was it then?
2) Look at the Bauer Media Group's list of brands. How many different types of media can you find on there? What brands do you recognise?
1) When did KISS FM first launch and what type of station was it then?
2) Look at the Bauer Media Group's list of brands. How many different types of media can you find on there? What brands do you recognise?
3) How does KISS FM make money and how much revenue did Bauer Media Group make in 2020?
4) How many listeners does the KISS Breakfast show have and how has this changed in recent years?
5) How is KISS FM regulated and what can happen if they break the rules?
Extension tasks
Read this BBC feature on Jordan and Perri taking over the KISS FM Breakfast show. Pick out three reasons KISS FM were keen to get the pair to present their breakfast show.
Read this On The Radio article on listener figures for UK radio stations. How does the KISS FM Breakfast show compare with rivals? Why are many traditional radio stations struggling?
Read this BBC feature on the previous KISS FM breakfast show hosts and how they were poached by BBC Radio 1. What can you find in the article regarding the importance of BBC Radio 1 and also KISS FM's success?
Finally, try this exam question on Radio: How successful have radio stations like KISS FM been in attracting a young audience to traditional radio?
Due date on Google Classroom
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