Forum for former BBC staff

Forum for former BBC staff
http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl >> Nations, Regions, and Local Radio. >> Village Loudspeaker http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1583061432 Message started by Administrator on Mar 1^st, 2020, 11:18am

Title: Village Loudspeaker
Post by Administrator on Mar 1^st, 2020, 11:18am

There is a BBC News Channel programme scheduled for transmission on Friday 6th March at 2130 with two repeats the following day at 1430 and 2030 entitled "The Village Loudspeaker".

Producer Richard Latto says:- “This isn’t a definitive history of local radio, it’s a flavour of local radio and a chance to reflect on how it has changed and evolved over the years. With all the recent changes, especially in the commercial sector, local radio has generated a lot of discussion from both industry insiders and listeners, who have heard it evolve at great pace.”

More about the programme here.

Information courtesy of "ontheradio.co.uk"

The BBC site lists the programme.... here. "What does the future hold for the medium that once called 'The Village Loudspeaker'? With rare archive and well-known voices from the airwaves, this special programme traces the evolution of local radio."

BBC Radio Solent's page, here, has more about the longer radio version of the programme, including clips of interviews.

Title: Re: Village Loudspeaker
Post by Administrator on Mar 7^th, 2020, 1:02pm

More from the TV programme's production, here.

"The Village Loudspeaker: What’s happened to truly local radio?".

"With half of all local commercial radio stations in the UK now owned by three companies, and national programmes increasingly replacing regional ones, the future of truly local radio is looking uncertain.
In 20 years, local listening has gone from 40% of the market to less than 25%, and many stations have disappeared or been absorbed into consolidated "network centres".
Last year, 36 local commercial breakfast shows were replaced with two national programmes, and 10 entire regional sites closed completely."

Here is the link to the iPlayer transmission. (Only for a limited period).

Title: Re: Village Loudspeaker
Post by Burstner55 on Mar 8^th, 2020, 7:53pm

A very unrealistic and marginal view of local radio. It spends far too much time talking about records and commercial stations and completely ignores news and the importance of local radio in long running sagas and campaigns...local issues which matter to local people. Much worse, it totally sidetracks the damage done to BBC Local Radio by ham fisted central management insisting on national story led news agendas, taking away the independence and identity of what used to be a vital and much appreciated arm of the BBC and is now irrelevant to most people.

Title: Re: Village Loudspeaker
Post by JohnW on Mar 13^th, 2020, 12:08pm

Ever the glutton for punishment (!) I went on to listen to the "extended" version (on Sounds) but was very surprised how poorly it had been put together.
It was as if no one had listened to it properly and realised just how much louder/quieter some parts were.

I do hope that all Local Radio speech output is not quite as amateurish - it was a disturbing 'experience'.