Everyone's doing it, even the Tory leader. So I thought it was about time we had a RadAcad blog. Our mission statement says the Academy was set up to be a forum for debate and that's the tradition I want to continue. The whole point of this is that you respond. "I couldn't agree with you more Trevor", "a visionary plan," "quite the most interesting blog I've ever read," you know the kind of thing ...........
Seriously, please let me know what think about the Academy, what it's up to, what it should be doing and how we can make membership a better experience. And don't hold back. What you think matters so tell us!
I've done two weeks as director now and I've been struck by the goodwill that exists towards the Academy. Everyone I meet thinks it's a good idea, even if they have their criticisms, and there's a palpable sense of enthusiasm to sustain and improve it. But I'm equally aware that we need to raise our game; for instance feedback about last year's Festival was critical of the quality of debate in the sessions and the quality of sound in the hall. I promise you we'll improve both in 2007. And we'll make sure there's more diversity on stage - more women, more young people, more people from our ethnic communities. The Festival committee is coming together: my old GLR chum Gloria Abramoff, Claire McGinn from BBC Bristol and Matt Hall are the first names I can announce but other top folks are having their arms twisted as we speak.
There are also problems with our structure in the Nations and the English regions. Our Scottish committee sent me an ultimatum last week threatening to dissolve themselves if they didn't hear from me by Friday. I had no idea how fed up they were. But after a Kofi-moment I'm glad to say that we're now working hard to keep them in the RadAcad family, which is where they want to be. My message to everyone outside London is 'if you want more events, please organise some'. The London office can help you with advice, contacts and publicity although with just four staff we can't handle the actual booking and staging of events.
I met Dean Whitbread this week who chairs the UK Podcasters Association. We talked about the proliferation of programme production outside the traditional studio and transmitter model and how there are lots of people joining our industry, recording interviews, comedy, music shows and finding an audience but never going near a radio station. We need to embrace their efforts in our Academy and I think Dean can play a big role.
Is Tim Blackmore the nicest man on the planet? There were moments while I was drinking red wine with him on Tuesday and discussing this year's Hall of Fame that I thought he just might be. His quiet and unpublicised support of the ailing Alan Freeman is only one example.
The London Events committee has invited me to be interviewed at their November meeting. When they told me the list of interviewers they had in mind I wondered if I should have been so willing ...... more news as it happens ........
Trevor
