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: “Digital First” Autumn 2023 updates…

I’m writing this in the middle of September, and I'm not the bearer of particularly good news I'm afraid. In this piece I’ll hear claims about BBC long-term policy mis-decisions, and how the planned changes are "ageist and abelist" (but the presenter who said that, found her comments had been cut from the BBC Sounds … Continue reading BBC Local Radio: “Digital First” Autumn 2023 updates… →

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… →

The art of radio self-satire | Part 4…

This series of articles traces a particular history of BBC comedy – of the shows over the past one hundred years that have poked fun at the Corporation itself. It’s all about the BBC eating itself – and colleagues sacrificing one another on the high alter of satire. Well, at least it makes the audience … Continue reading The art of radio self-satire | Part 4… →

The art of radio self-satire | Part 3…

The question I’m struggling with in this series of articles is: does the BBC have a sense of humour? Individual members of staff certainly do. I’ve worked with some of the best over the years. But what about as a large corporate cultural institution: one that’s up there in British society with the likes of … Continue reading The art of radio self-satire | Part 3… →

The art of radio self-satire | Part 2…

Should a major cultural institution ever be seen to be making fun of itself? This article considers some BBC programmes – all ones on the radio – from the 1930s to the 1950s. It follows on from the first in this series of essays, available to read here, or by clicking on this preview: https://prefadelisten.com/2023/01/14/how-the-bbc-has-spent-decades-satirising-itself-part-1/ … Continue reading The art of radio self-satire | Part 2… →