Blog Posts

When you miss the local voices from home. Why we used to listen to radio… and why we still do…

Poets, pop singers and radio listeners tuning in to home across the airwaves. But first, the joys of reading a newspaper... I’m of the generation that still enjoys a good print version. It’s the feeling of it between the fingers, the rustle of the pages, the ease of turning it back and creasing the page … Continue reading When you miss the local voices from home. Why we used to listen to radio… and why we still do… →

Radio jokes – can podcasting ever be funny?

The point is this: having shared some dubious jokes about the radio industry, the time has now come to poke fun at podcasting. I'll reveal in a moment why I remain sceptical about "podcasting" (and I'm the one who just put that in quote marks. Feel free to do air-quotes, but don't drop your phone). … Continue reading Radio jokes – can podcasting ever be funny? →

Globe-trotting Christians: can they save souls and look after the planet? The challenges of the missionary organisation Reach Beyond

As 2024 comes to a close, so too does our 13-part radio series about Christian missionaries in the 21st century. It’s been on-air every Saturday night from October to December on TWR-UK and is called Voice and Hands with Reach Beyond. In the final three episodes, we’ve heard about Christian radio around the world – … Continue reading Globe-trotting Christians: can they save souls and look after the planet? The challenges of the missionary organisation Reach Beyond →

Lies, radio news, and a pub lunch | part 5 of 5

This is the last in a series of pieces about four decades of metro-media life in Britain: in which I come to some conclusions about Ian McEwan and Richard Eyre’s film The Ploughman’s Lunch – set in 1982 but cringingly relevant to the 2020s. Do take a look at pages around this site, and consider … Continue reading Lies, radio news, and a pub lunch | part 5 of 5 →

Listening in – how Jesus gets on the radio. More about the work of the Christian missionary organisation Reach Beyond

For the last three months of 2024, from October to December, we’ve been broadcasting a 13-part radio series on TWR-UK called Voice and Hands with Reach Beyond. In the most recent episodes, we’ve heard about Christian radio around the world – crossing the continents. We’ve travelled to Africa, to Southern Europe, North Africa and the … Continue reading Listening in – how Jesus gets on the radio. More about the work of the Christian missionary organisation Reach Beyond →

Helping refugees – and Jesus on social media. The work of the Christian missionary organisation Reach Beyond.

The run-up to Christmas 2024 is the time when the radio series Voice and Hands with Reach Beyond goes out. In the most recent episodes, we’ve heard about recycling projects working with refugees in Athens, hope and dignity for people fleeing civil war and persecution in Southeast Asia, and the rise of social media ministries … Continue reading Helping refugees – and Jesus on social media. The work of the Christian missionary organisation Reach Beyond. →

Lies, radio news, and a pub lunch | part 4 of 5

So far in this series of articles we've met a TV researcher who's arrogant and self-obsessed, there's the tabloid hack who fancies himself as a champagne-swilling lothario, and the network radio news journalist who is a compulsive liar - at work, at home and to his friends. It's all rather ugly. You can read previous … Continue reading Lies, radio news, and a pub lunch | part 4 of 5 →

The politics of immigration, the sound of cross-border radio, and talking about Jesus online. The work of the Christian mission Reach Beyond.

The autumn of 2024 is the time when the radio series Voice and Hands with Reach Beyond goes out. It's a major project I've been working on in recent weeks. So far, in the first episodes of this 13-part series, we’ve heard about the history of mission through helping Christians set up radio stations, of … Continue reading The politics of immigration, the sound of cross-border radio, and talking about Jesus online. The work of the Christian mission Reach Beyond. →

Lies, radio news, and a pub lunch | part 3 of 5

So far. We’re halfway through a series of pieces looking at the trade and craft of a radio journalist in the early 1980s. Life then is still relevant today. That’s because I’m considering the rough terrain of morals, ethics, the BBC, Thatcher, and Yuppies – amongst other things. You can read parts one and two … Continue reading Lies, radio news, and a pub lunch | part 3 of 5 →