BBC Radio 3 has deleted its Instagram… but it’s more confusing than you think
Update 4/10/24 - BBC Radio 3’s Instagram is now back - but it’s still not being used: https://www.instagram.com/bbcradio3/
BBC Radio 3 isn’t exactly famous for being at the cutting edge of social media. However, under the radar this month, BBC Radio 3 has deleted its Instagram account entirely… and it’s more confusing than you think.
Despite starting Instagram early, it had stopped using its account in 2014. Then, as the world went online during the COVID pandemic in 2020, Radio 3 deleted all their previous posts and replaced them with a single message saying:
"We're not updating our Instagram account at the moment but please join us on Twitter and Facebook - just search for 'BBC Radio 3'".
Deleting all your posts and refusing to use Instagram is weird enough, but after 4 years BBC Radio 3 has deleted the account entirely. This seems mad for any broadcast organisation in the digital age, but given what the BBC and Radio 3 are doing elsewhere on social media, it’s even more confusing.
Radio 3 is the only national BBC radio station not to have an Instagram account (including Radio 4 and the World Service!), so this isn’t a BBC radio thing. We see Classic FM has 1.6 million followers on Instagram, so there’s clearly a demand for classical content on Instagram and from dedicated classical music radio channels.
And all of the BBC orchestras, the BBC Singers, and the BBC Proms are using Instagram, so it can’t be a BBC classical music content thing. So already it feels mad that Radio 3 wouldn’t also be using one of the most influential social media platforms with over 2 billion users.
You could argue that to save on work and have a single place for classical music content, using just the BBC Proms for Instagram content may be a strategy. Even if we ignore that they have separate output throughout the year, Radio 3 and the Proms both have independent Facebook and X/Twitter accounts, and are making independent content. So, this can’t be a strategy.
You could also argue that Radio 3 doesn’t want to make the type of content that works on Instagram or actively connect to the stereotypically younger audiences that are on the platform (Instagram is now spread well across age ranges). But… and wait for it… This summer Radio 3 also launched its own TikTok account!!!
Radio 3’s TikTok account is a clear attempt to use social media to connect to new audiences and is an admission of the impact that short for social media video has… so why doesn’t it use Instagram as well?! Instagram reels and TikTok videos are similar pieces of content and consumer behaviour. Although not ideal, a legitimate and effective strategy is taking the videos you make on TikTok and posting them on Instagram. 20 seconds of extra work, zero extra resources.
What makes Radio 3 starting TikTok even more confusing is that… the Proms does NOT have TikTok. This is despite the fact that last year the BBC Proms ACTUALLY PARTNERED WITH TIKTOK!!!
What on earth is the point of organising an entire partnership and campaign with the fastest growing social media platform in the world with over 1.5 billion users, if you’re then not going to be bothered to make a free account to post content and then engage with users?!?!
Adding to the confusion, as well as Radio 3 making short-form videos on TikTok, it is also making different short-form videos on Facebook! As well as posting short-form videos for ages, Radio 3 has also been posting some of these as Facebook reels for a year now. As Facebook and Instagram are both owned by Meta, there is an option to enable automatic posting from Facebook to Instagram and vice versa. So, unlike the extra 20 seconds it would take to reuse a TikTok video on Instagram, they could be posting on Instagram with zero extra time or steps.
As this is all a bit mad, here’s a mini summary:
All BBC national radio stations to use Instagram – Radio 3 does not
Classic FM uses Instagram – Radio 3 does not
All BBC orchestras, BBC Singers, and BBC Proms use Instagram – Radio 3 does not
Radio 3 launched its TikTok at the same time as deleting its Instagram, even though it could use the same content
BBC Proms still does not have a TikTok account, despite partnering with TikTok last year
Radio 3 is posting reels to Facebook which it could automatically post to Instagram with one click… but isn’t
I am beyond confused with the BBC’s strategy for digital and social media. Not only does it seem like there is no meaningful strategy and that there is no coherence or dialogue between the different arms of BBC’s classical output, but in many cases, the decisions and strategy defy basic logic and common sense.
And this is all after commissioning a report into the classical industry that identified “untapped potential for digital”, and then a new overall classical music strategy that commits to digital.
We are now at the point where the BBC’s strategy and use of social media is the worst in the industry. There are small amateur arts organisations that are doing better with no expertise or resources. Volunteers with no experience are googling “how to use social media” and are then using social media more competently than the world’s largest broadcasting company with a wealth of in-house skills and knowledge.
I love the BBC. I am a strong believer in the license fee. But when it comes to their digital output for classical music, I am beyond confused as to what their strategy is or what they are doing.
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