Warning: the following Beeb-orientated material contains mentions of butchery, brothels, and breaches of health and safety. As well as sheep… This article, and its sister (due to be published next month around the 15th of August), is an imperfect and only partial list of ideas. However, this is not a “listicle”; I detest such things … Continue reading The Broadcast Century | How radio determines technology… Perhaps…
Tag: Radio Technology
The BBC century: the World Service and the Cold War – part 2 of 2
In the previous episode I talked about W. H. Auden and his worries about world events in the 1930s, heard through radio reports on the BBC both at home, and abroad. I also recalled my time on attachment as a producer – plucked from the frontier outpost of Local Radio in Derby to work on … Continue reading The BBC century: the World Service and the Cold War – part 2 of 2
Broadcasting into the void… (part three)
Parts 1 and 2 in this series of articles are about how the BBC appeared to spend the early part of last century not really knowing who was listening to the radio and why. You can read both parts here and here. In this episode Charlie Harper of the punk band the UK Subs rubs … Continue reading Broadcasting into the void… (part three)
100 years of technology: and a special mention to the Grahams…
Recently these pages have mentioned Arthur Burrows, the first voice on the BBC in 1922 when it employed just four people. In this article Burrow's connection to Jimi Hendrix, Slash, Joe Bonamassa (see below for a radio-related song) and Spinal Tap is explored. Yes, seriously. This is the link between a journalist from Oxford at … Continue reading 100 years of technology: and a special mention to the Grahams…
Radio jingles redux (All Along the Watchtower), life imitates art, and how much energy does it take to listen to the radio?
Radio jingles are a popular subject on this website. You can read more about them here, and that article includes clips of some early BBC Radio 1 jingles, a look behind the scenes of the recording of the station sound for the Lincs FM group, and bits and bobs about Radio York’s various jingle packages. … Continue reading Radio jingles redux (All Along the Watchtower), life imitates art, and how much energy does it take to listen to the radio?
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…
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)…
Behind the scenes…
...I always enjoy watching a radio show go out. It's the mix of technology: headphones, microphones (yes - those things again), mixing desks, computer monitor screens, and chairs with little wheels on the bottom of the legs. Seriously. Never try to broadcast on a dining room chair. It just doesn't work. You need to dissipate … Continue reading Behind the scenes…
I want to return…
...to thinking about what is 'radio'. I still stand by my view that it's the microphone which defines and determines the very essence of what radio is. Without it, there's no way our voices can be captured, recorded, processed and transmitted for the listener and the audience to enjoy. In that same blog post I … Continue reading I want to return…
Just look up…
...because if you look down all the time the tops of the buildings will start to dissolve and disappear. Good journalists – and academic researchers – always ask 'why?' To do any less is to commit sacrilege to both professions. When I was about ten years old my parents gave me one particular book that … Continue reading Just look up…
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