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Currybetdotnet recent comments round-up 2008-08-29
Back in February and March of this year I did a series of articles about blog comments, and one of my suggestions was that doing an occasional round-up of interesting comments was a way of making sure they got attention, particularly if they had been left on older articles. One way or another I've been in a bit of an Internet connection black hole for the last five weeks or so, and it means that the moderating of comments on...

Read the full post - Published August 29, 2008 in BBC, Blogging, Ghost Walks, London Olympics, Olympics, Radio

Can you trust going to a 'Can you trust the media?' event for a good debate?
I've been lucky enough that whilst I've been in London for a month working, there have been a couple of interesting events that I have been able to go to. Last week it was Chinwag Live, and this week it was the launch of Adrian Monck's book "Can you trust the media?". It is some testament to the openness of media professionals in the UK that you could just walk into a college and go to a debate featuring big...

Read the full post - Published May 2, 2008 in Media, Newspapers, Radio, Television

The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Doctor Whoniverse
Thirty years ago today, at 10:30pm on a Wednesday night, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a new landmark sci-fi comedy - the first part of Douglas Adam's "The Hitch-Hikers Guide To The Galaxy". I was first introduced to the radio series by a school friend. Staying round his house in the early 80s, we'd stay up as late as we could get away with, listening to some C90 recordings he had of the episodes. He didn't have totally impeccable taste mind...

Read the full post - Published March 8, 2008 in BBC, Doctor Who, Radio, Television

That 2002 BBCi Search impartiality problem in full
In my recent post on the BBC's Internet Blog about the development of the BBC's web search engine, I mentioned in passing that in 2002 the BBC was accused of artificially inflating the rankings of BBC content within the results. James Cridland picked up on it, reminding us that searching for 'Classic FM' used to bring back BBC Radio 3 in top spot. The original draft of my blog post went into a little more detail about this 'technical glitch',...

Read the full post - Published November 29, 2007 in BBC, Radio, Search

Happy birthday Radio One - Established 1967
Today is the 40th anniversary of national institution Radio One. To celebrate they have emulated the NME's Ruby Trax compilation, getting modern artists to cover the 'classics' of yesteryear. I've never been a great consumer of radio myself. I used to listen to John Peel late at might, and the Annie Nightingale request show on a Sunday during my tweenage years, and before that I'd often hear the top 40 countdown in the car on the way back from visiting...

Read the full post - Published September 30, 2007 in BBC, Radio

"Show must go on" culture at the BBC more to blame for errors than a calculating culture of deceit
In all my time working at the BBC there was never anything as high-pressured, stressful, or as worrying as having an application with a 'TX critical' deadline - meaning that it had to go live and work at the appointed moment that it was mentioned in the broadcast stream. Software updates could be put back, new content publishing could be delayed, whole website launches could be shelved, as long as it wasn't going to be mentioned on TV or Radio....

Read the full post - Published July 19, 2007 in BBC, Radio, Television, Voting

Free the BBC from the same old tired DRM debate
I was pointed via Wonderland yesterday at the Free The BBC site, where a petition is gathering against the BBC's proposed use of DRM in the upcoming iPlayer application. And of course, a quick look shows that this has sparked the same tired circular arguments on the backstage.bbc.co.uk mailing list. One person has been arguing that DRM is a bad thing because their sister accidentally wiped clean their iPod, whilst someone else is claiming the only basis for the BBC's...

Read the full post - Published June 13, 2007 in BBC, DRM, Linux, Media, Microsoft, Popular, Radio, Television, Web, iPlayer

Slacker equivalent already on the market in Europe - meet Sony and Vodafone's Radio DJ
There has been a bit of a buzz around the announcement of a service called Slacker in the USA, which will be a device which plays personalised radio stations to the user on the go. Matt Marshall at VentureBeat even touted it as a potential "iPod killer". As I read through the promised feature-set, I started to get a little nagging voice in my head, saying "Hang on, isn't....this....what...I..do?" Because for the last few months I've been working on...

Read the full post - Published March 14, 2007 in Apple, Mobiles, Music, Radio, Sony

Playing with the Virgin Radio player beta
I was nudged the other day into looking at Virgin Radio's beta test of a new streaming internet radio player. The limited testing is only open to those who have registered as VIPs on the Virgin Radio site, which was a nice way of getting a small group of enthusiastic users of the site to try out the new service. My first impressions of the player were very good. Apart from having the streaming area and radio controls, the...

Read the full post - Published March 2, 2007 in Media, Music, Product review, Radio, Usability, Web

Paul Dacre's claim that, due to the BBC, commercial radio is "ailing"
Despite the odd government white-wash inspired truce along the way, I imagine that my worldview and that of the Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre are almost implacably opposed. I read with interest, therefore, his much quoted Cudlipp lecture the other week, which amongst other things, accused the BBC of "cultural Marxism". I don't want to look at the speech as a whole, as Lloyd Shepherd has already done that job for me - my favourite line in Lloyd's response being...

Read the full post - Published February 3, 2007 in BBC, Daily Mail, Media, Radio

Today and the Hunting ban repeal vote

Published January 9, 2007 in BBC, Politics, Radio, Voting

The one-way Mary Whitehouse radio experience

Published October 20, 2006 in BBC, Media, Radio

The New York Times and geo-location of internet users - what I might have said on Radio 4 yesterday

Published August 31, 2006 in Localisation, Media, Newspapers, Politics, Radio

Vote for your favourite John Lennon track using our new system

Published December 6, 2005 in BBC, Radio, Voting

Five Live and George Best on the BBC Homepage

Published November 25, 2005 in BBC, Football, Radio

Belam Senior On BBC Radio

Published October 22, 2005 in BBC, Other, Radio

John Peel Day on Flickr and the BBC Homepage

Published October 14, 2005 in BBC, Flickr, Music, Radio, Web

The Best Of The Best Woman's Hour Vote on BBC Radio Four

Published September 28, 2005 in BBC, Radio

Open Mic On Five Live

Published September 20, 2005 in BBC, Football, Media, Radio

Greatest Painting Result In Print

Published September 7, 2005 in BBC, Media, Newspapers, Radio, Voting

Turner Prize - The Greatest Painting In Britain Vote Result

Published September 5, 2005 in BBC, Radio, Voting

Last Chance To Vote For Britain's Greatest Painting

Published September 4, 2005 in BBC, Radio, Voting

Greatest Painting Vote Update

Published August 24, 2005 in BBC, Radio, Voting

The Today Programme's Greatest Painting In Britain Vote

Published August 16, 2005 in BBC, Radio, Voting

He Thinks Therefore Michael Gove Is Not Voting Marx

Published June 23, 2005 in BBC, Media, Radio, Voting

Now In Our Time shows the BBC is "ignorant as well as biased"

Published June 22, 2005 in BBC, Evening Standard, Radio, Voting

Beethoven vs The Crazy Frog

Published June 20, 2005 in BBC, Music, Radio

Cardiff Singer of the World Audience Vote

Published June 17, 2005 in BBC, Music, Radio, Voting

If You Want To Outvote Marx....

Published June 10, 2005 in BBC, Radio, Voting

In Our Time Greatest Philosophers Vote in The Guardian

Published June 10, 2005 in BBC, Media, Newspapers, Radio, Voting

In Our Time Greatest Philosopher Vote

Published June 1, 2005 in BBC, Media, Newspapers, Radio, The Guardian, Voting

Four radios and a wedding

Published May 22, 2005 in Football, Radio

Vote to name the new Wembley footbridge on BBC.co.uk

Published May 19, 2005 in BBC, Football, Radio, Voting

More music votes on bbc.co.uk

Published January 5, 2005 in BBC, Music, Radio, Voting

Bob Geldof is the Listener's Lord

Published January 4, 2005 in BBC, Radio, Voting

Today's Listener's Lord

Published December 29, 2004 in BBC, Radio, Voting

Nominate your Listener's Lord

Published December 23, 2004 in BBC, Radio, Voting

Voting prejudice

Published December 9, 2004 in BBC, Radio, Voting

Last chance to vote in Radio Five Live's Sporting Year

Published December 2, 2004 in BBC, Radio, Voting

BBC Radio Five Live's Sporting Year Vote

Published November 22, 2004 in BBC, Radio, Voting

DCMS Review of the BBC's Digital Radio services

Published November 3, 2004 in BBC, DCMS, Radio

John Peel

Published October 26, 2004 in BBC, Music, Radio

Carling Cup free-for-all on Five Live

Published September 21, 2004 in BBC, Football, Radio

Gramophones and Grooves on Radio 4

Published September 17, 2004 in BBC, Radio

DCMS and Digital Radio

Published July 8, 2004 in DCMS, Radio

New Radio 3 site and a more open BBC all in one

Published June 30, 2004 in BBC, Radio, Web

Zidane is the Radio Five Live Eurostar

Published June 2, 2004 in BBC, Football, Radio, Voting

Radio Five Live Veteran's Vote

Published May 17, 2004 in BBC, Football, Radio, Voting

Eurostars

Published April 25, 2004 in BBC, Football, Radio, Voting

Five Live Sporting Century vote in the Evening Standard

Published December 2, 2003 in BBC, Evening Standard, Radio, Voting