The Training Zone
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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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Here is the news : you’re fired
Over the weekend, I watched the new Alan Partridge film. For anyone who’s ever worked in local radio – BBC or commercial – it was a rollercoaster of belly laughs and wry smiles. Because (apart from a presenter with a gun), I’ve witnessed just about every moment of that movie. But it was the overriding…
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If It’s Broke, Fix It
If you’re a seasoned anorak, like me, there was always a little bit of excitement around the first Monday following New Year’s Day. Because traditionally, that’s when radio stations would roll out their new jingle packages. Of course, that was in the days before the interweb – and unless you knew somebody at the radio…
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OFCOM Outfoxed : Again
A few years ago, I decided to add a bit of comedy to a speech I made at the NUJ conference. Those unfamiliar with such settings probably see the whole event as a joke, but anyhow. Reflecting on the increasing editorial patches of ITV News regions, I ran around the conference hall to demonstrate the…
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The Silly Season
I’m going to have to be careful here. Because I can’t say that, in recent days, I’ve not written stories that could best be described as “fillers”. And every journalist knows that there comes a point – usually at about this time of year – when proper news material takes a holiday. I’ve even joked…
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That Tone Of Voice
When the sun shines, the radio sounds better. I have no scientific formula to prove this – it just does. And on a hot summer morning, what happier sound could you wish for than the cheery voice of Tony Blackburn? But I’m not listening to a podcast of Radio 2’s Pick of the Pops, or…
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