[ecrea] CFP - Reaching out: the past, present and future of BBC Local Radio Audiences

De Montfort University and MeCCSA Radio Studies Network are inviting 
proposals for papers to be presented at their forthcoming event, 
"Reaching out: the past, present and future of BBC Local Radio 
Audiences", taking place in Leicester, on Wednesday 8th November 2017.

The deadline for the Call for Papers/proposals to speak is this Friday 
16th June.

Please find the background information and submission details below.

The BBC’s new Royal Charter and Agreement published at the end of 2016 
has set in motion significant institutional changes for the corporation. 
As 2017 draws to a close what differences, if any, will audiences notice 
in output? This year, 2017, also marks 50 years since the BBC’s Local 
Radio ‘experiment’ began in Leicester on November 8th. This is a good 
opportunity, now that its operations fall under the auspices of Ofcom, 
to assess the BBC’s commitment – past, present and future - to its local 
radio audiences, and vice versa.

How well has BBC Local Radio lived up to Frank Gillard’s dream of 
establishing stations that would carry out ‘modern radio journalism’ 
geared to the interests of the ‘local community’ in every city? Five 
decades on, what does the future hold for the 39 BBC Local Radio 
stations in England? This one-day conference at De Montfort University 
aims to celebrate the history of Local Radio but also examine the 
current situation and look ahead to the future.  How is encouraging 
local BBC radio stations to work in partnership with other local news 
media benefitting local communities? Do initiatives such as the BBC’s 
Women in Radio scheme encourage more participation and engagement, and - 
perhaps more importantly - boost listenership? What impact will Ofcom’s 
audience consultation on the BBC’s performance have on the provision of 
local services?

Proposals for 15-minute papers or presentations are invited which focus 
on, but are not limited to, the following areas:

BBC Local Radio and its relationship with its audience(s).

The practicalities of creating a sense of a community – how does BBC 
Local Radio contribute to achieving a sense of belonging, or 
responsibility to, a specific region or area?

Case studies illustrating how the BBC has appealed or is appealing to 
new audiences (young, BAME or those underserved by the BBC).

Local News and the ethics of the Fourth Estate; coverage of public 
services and institutions, including the creation of Local democracy 
reporters for the benefit of all audiences.

The concept of ‘local’ and how BBC Radio addresses and reaches out to 
communities within their patch.

The role BBC Local Radio plays in the representation of minority 
communities in their locality, the development of specific non-English 
programmes.

The role of BBC Local Radio as a training ground – how well are trainee 
journalists and newly-recruited producers and presenters equipped with 
innovative production practices or skills and for what ends? How well do 
access schemes targeting young, BAME or people with disabilities work?

Digital technologies and the changing nature of ‘audiences’; BBC Radio’s 
future in light of fragmenting audiences.

We welcome proposals from independent researchers, archivists, 
postgraduate students, academics, and broadcast professionals. We are 
happy to receive papers submitted together, but reserve the right to 
organise panels as we think best.  Please use the following format for 
proposals, on one side of an A4 document:

Name, contact details

Title of paper or presentation

250-word summary or abstract

100-word biography

Send proposals as a Word doc or PDF attachment by email to Gurvinder 
Aujla-Sidhu at (Gaujla-Sidhu /at/ dmu.ac.uk) <mailto:(Gaujla-Sidhu /at/ dmu.ac.uk)>

Deadline: 16 June 2017

Details of Keynote Speakers and ticketing information will be published 
in due course.


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