Journalism
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Note To The Press : Bahave!
There’s been much blustering this weekend about the implications of a possible Royal Charter to regulate the press in the wake of the Leveson report. Newspaper editors and their representative have lined up to denounce any state intervention in regulating the sector as the thin edge of the wedge towards censorship of free speech. Well…
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Life Begins At Forty
“It’s eight o clock, I’m Douglas Cameron…” If you’re of a certain age – or a certain frame of mind – that intro will mean something to you. Forty years ago, something changed in UK radio which meant it would never be the same again. On this day in 1973, LBC launched – the country’s…
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Cometh The “Our”…
Your brand name is supposedly one of the most powerful things that distinguishes your radio or TV station from the rest of the pack. Commercial radio has known this for years, and has played on the power of identity to draw the listener in. So I sometimes wonder why the broadcaster with arguably the most…
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Go away – you’re unimportant
Back in the day, journalism was different. It was all about walking your patch, meeting real people and yes, having a boozy lunch during which you’d get three exclusives. Times have changed, of course. And there are countless other writers who can tell you about the modern day mechanics of newsrooms, based on “churnalism” –…
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Would I Lie To You?
I’ve come to the conclusion that all journalists are idiots. It must be true. Why else would a PR agency think that the following is an acceptable way to pitch a story? “Hi, it’s Clondeekee from Honest PR. We’ve got a great story for your breakfast show.” (none of them have credible names) “Is it…
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Toneh Adleh From Spando Balleh
When one of Nottingham’s best known characters died in 2004, the local media jumped on the bandwagon to pay predictable tributes to him. But Frank Robinson – also known as Xylophone Man – wasn’t a predictable bloke. So perhaps it was fitting that his final – and possibly only – interview wasn’t done by one…
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