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: 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? →

Radio on the telly (and the movies too…)

Last month I wrote about some of my favourite radio moments on TV and in the movies. I'd now like to share some more. Also, I'll provide an update on the changes to the BBC's Local Radio services in the autumn/winter of 2023, I’ll have some memories of working in England's smallest county, and I’ll … Continue reading Radio on the telly (and the movies too…) →

When they put radio on the TV and movie screens…

I am a journalist and radio presenter by trade, an academic historian by training, and a writer by vocation. All together they just about pay the rent and put food on the table. They also feed my passion for broadcasting. But I’ve spent the summer and autumn of 2023 sharing the sadness of the BBC’s … Continue reading When they put radio on the TV and movie screens… →

BBC Local Radio: “Digital First” news – October 2023

This is the latest of three pieces. You can read the others here and here. In this edition there’s a critique of recent emergency flood reporting at one local station, I’ll share news of continuing concerns from MPs, and we’ll hear echoes from one hundred years ago – when once again the Beeb was tinkering … Continue reading BBC Local Radio: “Digital First” news – October 2023 →

BBC Local Radio: is “Digital First” the End?

It is with a heavy heart that I write this. As a raw radio hack I graduated from the London College of Printing in 1982 – a training ground for some of the best local radio talent of that generation. I worked in BBC Local Radio for the next two decades: at Leicester, Lincolnshire, Derby, … Continue reading BBC Local Radio: is “Digital First” the End? →

The one about the paperback writer…

The paperback edition of my book about the history of radio is available from 27 July 2023. So, as I write this the BBC (originally a Company, later a Corporation) is 101 years old. Born on-air on a foggy November evening in 1922 in the Strand not far from the River (*See footnotes*) Thames, it … Continue reading The one about the paperback writer… →

The art of radio self-satire | Part 6…

I’d like to share a couple of examples of Beeb bashing. Criticising the world's first and - in my opinion - the best public service broadcaster has a long and ignoble tradition. It’s neither a recent thing, nor the exclusive prerogative of some sections of the British national press. So, in this piece I’ve got … Continue reading The art of radio self-satire | Part 6… →

The art of radio self-satire | Part 5…

Over the past few months, in part to recognise the centenary of the BBC, I’ve been reflecting on a history of comedy at the Beeb – and in particular on shows during the past one hundred years that have poked fun at the Corporation itself. But whilst you may consider it to be a perverse … Continue reading The art of radio self-satire | Part 5… →