BBC Radio 1 is to be given more high-profile BBC branding in an attempt to reconnect the corporation's younger audiences - many of whom don't realise the station is a BBC
BBC Radio 1 is to be given more high-profile BBC branding in an attempt to reconnect the corporation's younger audiences - many of whom don't realise the station is a BBC service.R1 controller Andy Parfitt and director of radio Jenny Abramsky have agreed to extra on-air mentions of the BBC and further branding of the station, although no corporate BBC messages will be allowed.The move is part of director general Greg Dyke's push to make the corporation more relevant to younger audiences, who have historically had less affinity with the BBC. Director of marketing and communications Andy Duncan said: 'Radio 1 gets a lot out of being part of the BBC but must give something back.' New youth station BBC 3 - still pending approval from the government - will also be given high-profile branding as part of the plan.The move is part of a massive increase in BBC marketing activity this year. The department has been given a budget of between #15m and #20m - up from less than #5m a couple of years ago - to launch campaigns around the new BBC digital services, with each viewer expected to see 100 on-air messages. The boost is the BBC's largest marketing spend to date.The two children's channels debut on 11 February, while the first digital radio station, BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, launches in early February. BBC 4 airs from 2 March.New on-air branding of BBC TV channels will continue after BBC 2's successful change in November. A fresh look for BBC 1 is planned for later this year.