The importance of a foreign language. In my opinion it’s key. I am old enough to remember my schooldays and my struggles with Latin, “Gaul as a whole is divided into three parts”. I opted for German when I turned into a teenager: “Good day Hans, why are you here? I’m here for the trade … Continue reading Foreign languages, radio journalism, and football: what you speak, what you hear, and what you know…
Tag: Radio Journalism
Emerging into the world…
This article was published on Monday 15 June 2020, the day when some non-essential shops started to re-open in England, and when social distancing rules were being slowly changed. It was, in a word, a tentative British déconfinement. Say it with a French accent as befits the Gallic source of such an evocative word. The … Continue reading Emerging into the world…
Listening to the experts…
This article was written on Tuesday 26 May 2020. The COVID-19 lockdown caused by the Coronavirus pandemic started in Britain on 23 March. The country had, at the time of writing this, been sheltering in place (more or less, give or take a few individuals) for ten weeks. During this period your correspondent had put … Continue reading Listening to the experts…
Movies and radio memories…
There is a connection. Honestly. Do please bear with me. This article was written on Wednesday 29th April 2020, in the sixth week of the Covid-19 confinement for Britain. Easter had come and gone. The dry warm-ish spring weather had continued and by and large the nation had heeded the Governments instructions to “stay home, … Continue reading Movies and radio memories…
These are extraordinary times…
This article was originally written on Monday 30th March 2020, seven days after the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, told the country to stay at home. https://youtu.be/Ml-1hUISPj8 We live in exceptional times. A fact noted by many journalists in recent days. In The Times of London, in the Daily Telegraph, and on Channel 4's Dispatches … Continue reading These are extraordinary times…
The trouble is…
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…
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…
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?
It’s always been the case….
...that presenters switch between BBC and commercial radio stations. I recall Tony Butler in Birmingham switching between BRMB and BBC Radio WM in the 1980s. And then back again it the 1990s. And then back to the Beeb. And then back on commercial radio in the 2000s. And, of course, Ed Doolan, who also shone … Continue reading It’s always been the case….
“I never make predictions…
...and I never will” is a quote attributed to the English footballer Paul Gascoigne, who clearly knew the philosophy behind our natural desire as human beings to have a go at guessing what things will be like in the future. Most of the time we fail, which is why now is a good moment to … Continue reading “I never make predictions…
