In 1946 the writer and novelist George Orwell complained that, In very many English homes the radio is literally never turned off. [...] This is done with a definite purpose. The music prevents the conversation from becoming serious or even coherent. (Tribune, 11 January 1946) Which coming from someone who once worked for the BBC … Continue reading The trouble is…
Blog Posts
The art of presentation…
...on radio is at once both radically complex and stultifyingly mundane. I wrote a previous article in February 2018 about some of my favourite radio presenters. In simple terms I reckon you've either got 'it', or you could - at a pinch - struggle to learn it. But mostly I'm of the opinion that the … Continue reading The art of presentation…
Radio jingles…
The jingles are the bits between the news, weather, sport, DJ and music. And this is an example of how they are made. https://youtu.be/O1Bb_DI77SE My 2022 book, published to celebrate 100 years of British broadcasting, Radio’s Legacy in Popular Culture, tells the story of radio through pop songs, movies, novels, poetry, art and sculpture. What’s … Continue reading Radio jingles…
Know any good jokes about radio…?
One of my favourites is a really old one that I first heard over thirty years ago: "I've got a friend who's a newsreader on a medium wave radio station. When we go for a drive he keeps fading out under bridges." ...which probably doesn't work too well in these days of DAB, FM and … Continue reading Know any good jokes about radio…?
Don’t Touch That Dial…
...bear with me this once. This article will appear to be joyously off-topic at the start because it won't mention much about radio; just superheroes. The reason is I want to talk about finding reality in fiction. On the face of it that sounds like nonsense, but if I try to explain I hope you'll … Continue reading Don’t Touch That Dial…
How far would you trust a journalist?
The challenge is to get the trust of our listeners. According to a survey in 2018, journalists are (along with estate agents, advertising executives and politicians) amongst the least trusted professions. Technical details of the survey can be found at the bottom of this link. I'm not quite sure how I feel about being lumped … Continue reading How far would you trust a journalist?
Turn Your Radio On
….or perhaps “Turn ON Your Radio”, or “ Turn on THE Radio”. Or “Turn the Radio ON”. It all depends on the order of the words. And it starts with country gospel, takes in post-punk, AoR, disco, rap and nu-metal. What follows is a brief history of song titles – and adverb particle positions too. … Continue reading Turn Your Radio On
A reason to believe…
...national Christian radio in Britain is, as of now, ten years old. UCB's national DAB service started at the end of November 2009. Which could come as a surprise to readers in other countries. The USA, for example, has a long tradition of Christian radio stations – today there are probably 2,400 stations (on AM, … Continue reading A reason to believe…
Behind the scenes (a bit more)…
...Just a quick mention for two really fascinating videos - each for different reasons. The first is the former BBC Radio 1 breakfast presenter, Nick Grimshaw, in 2017 finding out what the station's team assistants do. Watch it knowing that it's half meant for media-savvy types and half as a promo for the station. The … Continue reading Behind the scenes (a bit more)…
A personal appeal…
...this website/blog is looking for your personal support. Read on to the end to find out what you can do. It was conceived in January 2018 with a clip from the radio archives, and a first step towards using anthropological and sociological approaches to thinking about the radio. The idea is to write about how … Continue reading A personal appeal…
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