Trevor Dann

A late but very welcome addition to the panel for this week’s London event is Dixi Stewart, a veteran of GLR and now a stalwart of Radio 4 production. She’ll be joining Jez Nelson and the rest of the team (see below) on Thursday evening to discuss creativity on and off-air, where you find it, how to nurture it and how to sustain it.
 
I hope you managed to hear our latest podcast featuring our new Diversity Project Officer, Elaine Williams, and the secretary of the Radio Industry Diversity Group, Janice Turner. If you missed it click here and our smart new player will swing into action. All comments on the views expressed by our ‘podcastees’ are very welcome. Later this week we’ll be loading up an interview with Mark Damazer, controller of BBC Radio 4 and BBC7. Fascinating stuff.
 
We held a planning meeting last week at the Indig02 in Greenwich where Production 08 and the Celebration of Music Radio are due to take place in April. It really is an amazing venue and it’s just 20 minutes by tube from central London. If you’re coming to London from any distance you’ll be pleased to know that the conference kicks off at 11am so you’ll have plenty of time to get there. Early bird rate for registrations ends this week so if you want to ensure your place and save money please click here or go to our website as soon as you can. One of the latest sessions to be confirmed is a conversation between Christian O’Connell, our host, and one of the biggest stars of UK music about the perils and pitfalls of the celebrity radio interview. We’ll be able to reveal his identity in a week or so.
 
Yorkshire readers please remember Hirsty’s Radio & Music Quiz which is on TONIGHT. I hope to see you this week at the creativity event, at Bournemouth University on Thursday or at talkSport on Friday. 
 
Trevor Dann
Director

Our latest podcast, which will go up later today (Monday), features our new Diversity Project Officer, Elaine Williams, and the secretary of the Radio Industry Diversity Group, Janice Turner, discussing the issue of ethnic representation on and off air. I think you’ll find it interesting and stimulating. All comments very welcome. Previous podcasts with Mark Story, Phil Riley and Tim Blackmore are still available for download and can now be enjoyed online via our new player. Forthcoming podcasts will feature two BBC network controllers, Mark Damazer from Radio 4 and Lesley Douglas from Radio 2. Do let me know if you have any questions for them or if you’d like to suggest guests for future podcasts. There are only a few days left to secure tickets for Production 08 at the early bird rate. Newly added to the programme are a session with the top guys from Facebook and a Playlist Clinic with some of the best UK music programmers. Christian O’Connell will be hosting. Mark Radcliffe, Jay Crawford, Scott Solder, David Lloyd, Karen Pearson, Mike Walsh, Martyn Ware, Matt Wells and many others will be helping you to make your station and programmes better. We’ve managed to secure the wonderful IndigO2 venue inside the former Millennium Dome as our location. So this is a great opportunity for everyone based outside London to see one of the world’s most impressive music venues. And don’t forget it’s just 20 minutes by tube from central London.

Trevor Dann
Director

Congratulations to everyone involved in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. I enjoyed it hugely - hey, it’s not every evening you get to sit next to a member of Led Zeppelin! – but more importantly, it was a celebration of a vibrant UK musical scene. Anyone who thinks ‘folk’ in the 21st century is all about fingers in the ear and hush puppies, would be thrilled by the range of music on show from UK artists who don’t always feature in mainstream radio. I especially loved the Imagined Village featuring folk stalwart Martin Carthy, his equally celebrated daughter Eliza and a group of British Asian musicians.

Trevor Dann
Director