What do young people want from today's BBC? Initial observations from outreach work carried out by the BBC's Regional Audience Council for London

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore young people's views, both positive and negative, about BBC services, and to investigate their preferred means of accessing news. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reports recent research for the BBC conducted in November 2007 by the Regional Audience Council for BBC London, as part of a study covering all of England on behalf of the Audience Council England which advises the BBC Trust. Data were gathered from questionnaires and focus groups. The sample comprised 42 young adults. Findings – Results show respondents were most interested in discussing television content, delivery, and BBC services. Secondary topics raised included the image/reputation of the BBC, scheduling matters and presentation issues. Findings indicated that although modes of access may be changing, television remains the preferred means of accessing news within this group. Research limitations/implications – Differences regarding social variables in the respondents are not considered in the analysis. Practical implications – Knowledge of the preferences of discrete audience groupings is becoming increasingly important to broadcasters as “mass” audiences fragment and more opportunities to view are offered. This paper offers insight on the preferences of the youth market. Originality/value – This paper makes a contribution by updating and contributing to the debates about young people's media consumption within the context of today's competitive multi‐media environment.