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 →

Lies, radio news, and a pub lunch | part 2 of 5

This piece explores life in 1980s Britain. It’s the latest in a series of articles which offers an analysis of Ian McEwan and Richard Eyre’s film The Ploughman’s Lunch (1983). You can read part 1 by clicking on this preview: https://prefadelisten.com/2024/08/14/lies-radio-news-and-a-pub-lunch-1-of-5/ Subscribe to make sure you get future episodes - around the 14th of each … Continue reading Lies, radio news, and a pub lunch | part 2 of 5 →

Lies, radio news, and a pub lunch | part 1 of 5

On the one hand journalism and broadcasting have long been connected to drink and drugs. For historical evidence of this, and my own lived experience, see my recent pieces here and here. In this article I now want to widen the discussion to include considerations of ethics and radio journalism. In particular about lying, dissembling, … Continue reading Lies, radio news, and a pub lunch | part 1 of 5 →

Oh, alright then. Just one more before I do the two o’clock…

My last piece about the consumption of alcohol by media professionals provoked a host of reactions – largely on social media outlets. And the distinctions are interesting. Social media’s algorithms have given the responses a degree of bias. Perhaps they’re influenced by my past activity on each of the socials. Computers never forget. And here’s … Continue reading Oh, alright then. Just one more before I do the two o’clock… →

Booze and journalists. They’ve been together for decades…

And radio producers have been prone to the vice of alcohol too. I speak from experience. During my bachelor days of the early 1980s I recall spending a lot of evenings with colleagues in a bar. One of my first shifts was at a radio newsroom in an English provincial city during the Falklands/Malvinas conflict. … Continue reading Booze and journalists. They’ve been together for decades… →

Radio jokes – the ones that exist may not be funny…

For PODCAST jokes, click here. For more details about MY BOOK on radio history as told through movies and pop songs CLICK HERE. So, there's a couple of cartoons that I've enjoyed recently. They’re from the British satirical news magazine, Private Eye. Cartoonists don't earn massive amounts of money, so I'll not post the images … Continue reading Radio jokes – the ones that exist may not be funny… →

Making a noise… on the radio…

In this month’s article I’ll be mostly thinking about the noise that transmitters make (“hum”), the sound of journalists harrumphing (“tut tut”), and the agitation of local radio football commentators (“rising like a salmon to save the ball…”**). Do read this book if football culture interests you. Early radio was, of course, analogue. Although at … Continue reading Making a noise… on the radio… →

Got the FM radio on…**

This piece celebrates analogue radio on the FM band. In light of recent events it seems fitting to put down some memories and promises of VHF frequency-modulated broadcasting. A colleague in Chile, a radio historian and researcher, asked me for any books I knew that charted the story of FM broadcasting in Britain. His request … Continue reading Got the FM radio on…** →

Radio listeners, TV trailers, voice-overs and book reviews…

In which I offer some useful readings about the art and practice of journalism and why it matters. I’ll ask about whether small-scale radio stations can get an idea of how many people are listening without having to shell out a shed-load of cash to an audience research company. I’ll consider whether voice-over artists have … Continue reading Radio listeners, TV trailers, voice-overs and book reviews… →

Radio: What’s Another Year?

In which I reflect on the events of 2023, consider some of the challenges ahead in the UK radio industry, and listen to a song and watch a TV sitcom about the wireless. To start with, here’s an excellent summary of 2023, the Beeb’s latest annus horribilis. https://bylinetimes.com/2023/12/13/ministers-accused-of-waging-culture-war-on-bbc-amid-licence-review-and-more-cuts/ Meanwhile, a view from Rhodri Talfan Davies, … Continue reading Radio: What’s Another Year? →