BBC Radio 1 is to break with more than 40 years of tradition by broadcasting a midweek chart rundown for the first time.

 

The Official Chart Update will feature in a 30-minute slot in Greg James's Radio 1 afternoon show, highlighting the biggest new entries and highest climbers in the top 40.

 

Radio 1's Wednesday afternoon rundown, which will air between 3.30pm and 4pm, will be based on the same day's update already issued by chart compiler the Official Charts Company.

 

George Ergatoudis, Radio 1's head of music, said he hoped the new chart would "encourage fans to go out and support their favourite acts, because for the first time they'll really be able to really see the difference they make in the weekly chart battle and then tune in on Sundays to find out who has won".

 

The chart will launch on 10 March and comes nearly a year after commercial radio introduced a new Sunday afternoon chart, The Big Top 40 Show, with a top 10 based entirely on Apple's iTunes download chart.

 

Replacing Hit40UK, The Big Top 40 Show was touted as the "first ever totally interactive chart where the listener decides".

 

However, the show was criticised earlier this year by media regulator Ofcom for "gratuitous" plugging of iTunes.

 

The singles chart rundown, which began in 1952, has been a part of the Radio 1 schedule since the station launched in 1967.

 

Martin Talbot, the managing director of the Official Charts Company, said: "The launch of this official chart update will mean that, for the first time, music fans will get a reliable insight into how the race for number one is shaping up, ahead of the announcement of the weekly official singles and albums charts on BBC Radio 1 every Sunday. It will bring the chart to music fans across the country throughout the week."

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/feb/0...-midweek-charts

 

 

Whaw. The BBC having previous almost abandoned interest in the charts now is taking an interest again. Great news.

A bit weird, but interesting. It may turn casual followers into chart obsessives like us. :lol:

Sounds like a good idea to me. If it gets more people interested in the charts, and means less people text the chart show on Wednesday saying "Bieber shud be numba1 e iz fit" then I say bravo :cheer:

Wrong time to air it though, it be better in the evenings.

"Martin Talbot, the managing director of the Official Charts Company, said: "The launch of this official chart update will mean that, for the first time, music fans will get a reliable insight into how the race for number one is shaping up, ahead of the announcement of the weekly official singles and albums charts on BBC Radio 1 every Sunday. It will bring the chart to music fans across the country throughout the week."

 

This is obviously a lie.

 

 

Why is it a lie? It's the first time it's been on radio or TV. The midweek chart is meant to be only used within industry, obviously websites like this show it, but we're not really meant to :lol:

Sounds a bit pointless to me but oh well.

I too don't really see the point? The midweeks are widely available online anyway whether it be here or other sites.

 

It's good that R1 seem to be interested in the charts again though. Now all they need is to get rid of Reggie Yates. ^_^

I'm sure it would be better to try and stop midweeks from leaking at all and get more people interested in the Sunday chart.

Radio 1 is to air a weekly programme based on the Official Charts Company’s midweek sales flashes from March, in what has been described as “the biggest change to the charts in almost 60 years” by the OCC.

 

From March 10 a programme entitled The Official Chart Update will go out on the Greg James show between 3.30pm and 4pm every Wednesday using information drawn from midweek sales flashes for singles and albums.

 

It is intended as a “teaser” for the station’s main Sunday chart show, which airs between 4pm and 7pm, with James outlining the biggest chart stories of the week and counting down either a top 10 or top 20 of singles and albums flashes.

 

“This is possibly the most significant change to the charts since the inclusion of download Data. It could even be the biggest change to the chart in almost 60 years,” says OCC managing director Martin Talbot. “It is also about trying to make the chart as relevant to people as possible.”

 

“We believe – and our research shows – that our young audience in particular is into the charts,” adds Radio 1 head of music George Ergatoudis. “Digital singles sales we know have been going up over the years

 

and there have been some really strong stories that have ignited interest in the chart, like the Rage Against The Machine and Joe McElderry chart battle before Christmas.”

 

Radio 1 does not have listener figures for individual shows. However, Ergatoudis says he is confident that the December 20 chart show last year – in which it was revealed that Rage Against The Machine had beaten McElderry to the Christmas number one single – attracted a very large audience.

 

Statistics for the Radio 1 chart website show that it had 1.93m page impressions in the week up to December 20, compared to an average of around 250,000.

 

 

Both Talbot and Ergatoudis believe that the new show can serve as a “call for action” for fans desperate to see their favourite band at number one and will therefore boost sales.

 

“Three weeks ago, singles by Iyaz and Sidney Samson were neck and neck throughout the week,” Talbot explains. “Both sold around 100,000 units. The aim is to use the update on Wednesday to make sure that people go out and buy singles.”

 

“When singles sales have been strong they are often a result of fans actively getting behind their artists,” adds Ergatoudis.

 

The move represents a significant shift in thinking at the OCC, which used to keep midweek sales data close to its chest.

 

“It is the first time in 60 years that there will be information officially announced about what is going on in the charts,” Talbot explains. “One of the problems about the charts is we are in an age when people can buy music as soon as they hear a song. We have got a chart announced on Sunday then you have to wait seven days.”

 

To coincide with the new chart show, Radio 1 will publish the full singles and album updates online at www.BBC.co.uk/radio1/chart and updates will also be made available for use by The Official Charts Company to other licencees.

 

Ergatoudis says that the station is also planning to rebrand its Top 40 show as “the official chart on Radio 1”, to reinforce the idea that the OCC chart is “the historical record”.

 

Meanwhile, the OCC and Radio 1 have signed a new “long-term” deal for the station to use OCC chart data.

 

 

Source: MW

good idea!

I think it will make an effect on the final chart.

"Martin Talbot, the managing director of the Official Charts Company, said: "The launch of this official chart update will mean that, for the first time, music fans will get a reliable insight into how the race for number one is shaping up, ahead of the announcement of the weekly official singles and albums charts on BBC Radio 1 every Sunday. It will bring the chart to music fans across the country throughout the week."

 

This is obviously a lie.

It's true. It will be reliable because it's offical. Even media reporting like in The Sun newspaper have had incorrect midweek information.

sounds good, sometimes we don't get midweeks or have missing information for some reason or another so at least this will be available in those instances!

Why is it a lie? It's the first time it's been on radio or TV. The midweek chart is meant to be only used within industry, obviously websites like this show it, but we're not really meant to :lol:

 

 

ah, well that's different. This will be the first time that it is officially published but not the first time "music fans will get a reliable insight into how the race for number one is shaping up".

Good news actually, This could increase interest in the chart

"Both Talbot and Ergatoudis believe that the new show can serve as a “call for action” for fans desperate to see their favourite band at number one and will therefore boost sales."

 

 

I dont like the sound of this.

Little bit from Digital Spy article:

 

Presented by Reggie Yates, the show reaches 1.43 million people every week, constituting around 13% of the listening audience at that time.

To be honest, I don't really like the sound of this. It might only cause interest on certain weeks, when people have no idea who is going to be #1, and it's really close. Won't work so much when everyone knows that Cheryl Cole is going to be #1 from the second she performs on X Factor, and the gap is too wide for fans of the current #2 to buy enough copies to over-take her.