BBC Radio 5 live digital pilots senior producer and #MumTakeover editor Jo Deahl talks about engaging younger audiences and the return of the award-winning #MumTakeover.
“I’ve got this idea”. I’m certain the best and most interesting things start with this one sentence. And when you work in the most creative organisation in the world, there are a lot of people with a lot of ideas.
It can be hard in News, with its second-by-second deadlines, it’s 24/7 output demands and an environment of increasing demands, it can feel hard to make those big ideas a reality.
But I firmly believe things are changing. This is just the perspective of one producer - me - but those ideas are being actively sought out, and heard, and producers are being empowered to turn their ideas into great content for our audiences.
There is a clear vision – and most importantly supported by action – that has gone into hooking in younger audiences. From the guests that we choose, to our distinctive news agenda, podcasts like You, Me and the Big C, diverse co-hosts on Afternoon Edition, Outside Broadcast’s from Westminster to Nunneries, and harnessing the creativity of our staff – the whole team, from the people who answer the phones to the editors, are working to create bold new content, and get a diversity of voice on air.
We have too our Under 44’s champions, a group made up of younger staff, who meet monthly to share their ideas and to support each other in pitching those ideas successfully.
BBC 5 live digital pilots team - Jo Deahl, Al Entwistle, Ellie Layhe, Jessie Aru-Philips, Paul Carter - and #mumtakeover producer Davi Ramos, along with 5 live presenter Anna Fosterr backstage at the Radio and Music awards.after winning Best initiative for reaching new audiences
It's this energetic, creative powerhouse that is being recognised by the rest of the BBC. At the recent BBC Radio and Music Awards, Bob Shennan commented that “5 live stole the show”. One of those wins was BBC 5 Live’s #MumTakeover which won best initiative for reaching new audiences.
BBC 5 live’s #MumTakover was my "I have an idea” moment. I work on the 5 live digital pilots team – a small team of four people who make brilliant content aimed directly - and featuring - young northern women who are less likely to engage with the BBC. We produce short films for BBC News' Facebook pages, write blogs for BBC Three as well as 5live, and programme content for 5 live radio, on subjects as diverse as the nappy free baby movement, wheelchair pole-dancing, vaginal steaming to body dysmorphia.
Success for us is engagement. The subjects we choose and the distinctive style of what we do means our content gets above-average viewing times, comments and shares as well as impressive viewing numbers, mainly by women under 40. It was reading those comments and the way women opened up about mental health that made me think, we need a #Mumtakeover.
So the idea was to create the UK’s biggest conversation around young motherhood and mental health from post-natal depression, to loneliness, to work/life balance and the pressures facing women to do it all – the mental load of motherhood. With the Pilot's remit in mind I wanted young northern women to be at the heart of it – on air and on social, talking candidly, with a focus on positive solutions and accessing support. And I wanted it to be BIG, reaching those audiences that don’t traditionally engage with BBC News. I banged on about it at home:” We SHOULD do this. It’s important, it will be amazing”. Until my partner – pretty bored of me by this point - said: “just do it for goodness sake!”.
And we did it. On 28 November 2017 we brought together 400 northern mums – some with incredible stories they had never shared before - to Blackpool Tower. We persuaded three key influencers of young women to co-host - Stacey Solomon, Rochelle Humes, and Giovanna Fletcher, alongside 5 live’s Anna Foster. And we brought in three outside organisations, Netmums, Better Start Blackpool, and the Maternal Mental Health Alliance to be official supporters. AND we persuaded 100+ social influencers to get everyone talking about it on social. Every programme on 5 live bought into it - showcasing female stories throughout the day on a range of topics.
Stacey Solomon
We had huge support from the rest of the BBC too, from Women’s Hour to the World Service, BBC Three to BBC News Online, including a special programme on the BBC News Channel, a live page and a full ‘takeover’ of the BBC Home Page. And 5 live had itself a #MumTakeover.
The engagement was unprecedented. On Facebook, #MumTakeover delivered almost half a million engagements (with an 85% female audience mostly in the 25-34 age category) and our content on the BBC News website produced almost a million page views. To win the best initiative award was the icing on the cake.
Of course, it took a lot of people to achieve this. It feels like one of those alchemy moments where everyone involved just seemed to be brilliant and passionate about the project. From my head of news, Rozina Breen, who commissioned the idea; my partner in crime Al Entwistle, a digital ninja who led on the digital and social strategy; my own small team – the 5 live digital pilots, who are experts in shaping content to engage young northern women; to the events team at BBC North HQ and 5 live’s programme teams who embraced the on-air content; as well as the core team on BBC 5 Live who worked up a great news story and co-ordinated our guests across the BBC; plus our comms and marketing teams and Editorial Policy. And of course 5 live presenter Anna Foster who made it all look so easy on the day.
During #MumTakeover 2017 BBC 5 live pledged to continue the mums and mental health story. And we have. Tomorrow (Monday 30 April 2018) #MumTakeover is back to support the start of the UK’s Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week. From Wake Up to Money to Up All Night, 5 live will bring mums, celebs and experts together to talk candidly about a whole range of issues.
DJ Simone Riley will author a special report for Breakfast on Post Natal Depression in BAME women. MTV star Lateysha Grace will guest edit on Afternoon Edition asking How Do I Co-Parent with my Ex? Anna Foster will be with mums including actress Jennie McAlpine asking ‘what needs to change’, and will feature an exclusive interview with Sky Sports presenter Celina Hinchcliffe about her experience of Post Natal Depression. Pop Star Jamelia will be talking mum-shaming on Drive, and Phil Williams will be handing over to the dads with a panel of fathers including comedian Russell Kane. There’s also loads of brilliant digital content including a video for 5 live from You Tube star Tova Leigh on our special #MumTakeover page at http:www.bbc.co.uk/mumtakeover.
#MumTakeover is part of 5 live’s State of Mind season looking at mental health in the UK. You can get involved tomorrow by listening to 5 live and texting your thoughts to 85058, supporting the day on social by commenting using our two hashtags #MumTakeover and #maternalMHmatters
And where next for the 5 live digital pilots team? Watch this space.
#MumTakeover is on BBC 5 live all day on Monday 30 April 2018
Jo Deahl is 5 live digital pilots senior producer and #MumTakeover editor