I had a look around it this evening, and my first impressions, as someone with an interest in radio who is not a member of BBC staff, is that its very good!
Writing on the new College of Production Blog, Eddie Morgan explains what its all about:
The days when the BBC could rely purely on its own, largely London based, staff are gone. The BBC’s programmes are increasingly made all over the UK and by a wide range of people – whether that’s in indies or in-house on a contract. So the BBC is reliant on a vast pool of fluid and freelance labour. Radio is slightly different but there too the BBC is no longer served only by staff people in staff jobs.
Eddie Morgan,
College of Production Blog
(Read More)
The site is split in to several sections according to different types of production – there are videos about using online content, television production and radio skills, alongside talks and details on training courses for those working in the industry.
In each section there are a number of videos, each talking about different aspects of the television, radio and online world: the video I’ve put at the top of this page shows BBC Radio 2’s Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie talking about the role of the producer. My experience in radio has only been at community and Internet radio level; I’ve always self-produced my own shows, and have never worked with a producer. So this video was particularly interesting… and hopefully it won’t be long before I’m working at a radio station with enough people to provide me with that second pair of ears. 😉
Other videos I watched included:
- The role of Executive Producer Helen Thomas on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show and Chris Evans discussing the presenter/producer relationship.
- Ally Lang, Station Sound Producer for BBC Radio 2 talks through the tools & techniques of producing a trail; while Chris Raey, Station Sound Producer for BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music talks about station promos, jingles and idents.
- Broadcast Journalist Melanie Grant makes a package for broadcast, and gives some tips on producing vox pops.
- Nigel Harding, Music Policy Executive for BBC Radio 1 talks about how the music is scheduled.
- Chris Aldridge, a Senior Announcer for BBC Radio 4, talks about what skills a good announcer needs.
- Giles Aspen presents a guide to the three main types of studio microphones used at BBC Radio.
Go to the site and have a look – its free, whether your are BBC staff or not! Its bbc.co.uk/academy/collegeofproduction.
