Hello
Mary’s away, so it’s my pleasure – Broadcast Assistant Christine Marsh - to bring you this week’s newsletter.
Some of you may be familiar with me, as I used to be the host on our old Radio 7 message board.
It feels like only yesterday that I joined Network Z - our pre-launch name for BBC 7 which grew into Radio 4 Extra, but in fact it will be 10 years this April. I was recruited as the archive assistant, as my background was in archive research. The post was initially conceived as just a six-month attachment, but due to the increasing volume of work, it became a permanent position.
Just as our network has evolved, things have also changed in the archive since my time there. Our current archive assistant Craig is no longer surrounded by shelves of CDs digitised from the original 1/4" tapes , as in my day. Instead he manages the digital delivery of files in WAV form - which saves us an enormous amount of shelf space - with all our programmes being kept in virtual storage.
The BBC is committed to preserving and storing its programmes and other media assets; and ensuring these are made accessible for research, re-use and heritage purposes. In the digital age, the archiving and media management process is now much more closely related to the programme-making process.
It is a source of great satisfaction to me that the programmes from the past can be enjoyed by new generations of listeners and even after all these years of searching the archive catalogue, I can still find something which surprises me. It is always particularly satisfying to be able to schedule a title requested by a listener. We always welcome and take note of your suggestions.
We are primarily an archive network, however we do commission a small number of new readings and dramas every year. One of the new commissions going out next week is Diving Belles, readings of Lucy Wood's recently published debut collection of contemporary short stories. These intriguing tales capture the landscape and mythology of Cornwall, one of my favourite places, so this is a listening highlight for me next week.
Mary’s away, so it’s my pleasure – Broadcast Assistant Christine Marsh - to bring you this week’s newsletter.
Some of you may be familiar with me, as I used to be the host on our old Radio 7 message board.
It feels like only yesterday that I joined Network Z - our pre-launch name for BBC 7 which grew into Radio 4 Extra, but in fact it will be 10 years this April. I was recruited as the archive assistant, as my background was in archive research. The post was initially conceived as just a six-month attachment, but due to the increasing volume of work, it became a permanent position.
Just as our network has evolved, things have also changed in the archive since my time there. Our current archive assistant Craig is no longer surrounded by shelves of CDs digitised from the original 1/4" tapes , as in my day. Instead he manages the digital delivery of files in WAV form - which saves us an enormous amount of shelf space - with all our programmes being kept in virtual storage.
The BBC is committed to preserving and storing its programmes and other media assets; and ensuring these are made accessible for research, re-use and heritage purposes. In the digital age, the archiving and media management process is now much more closely related to the programme-making process.
It is a source of great satisfaction to me that the programmes from the past can be enjoyed by new generations of listeners and even after all these years of searching the archive catalogue, I can still find something which surprises me. It is always particularly satisfying to be able to schedule a title requested by a listener. We always welcome and take note of your suggestions.
We are primarily an archive network, however we do commission a small number of new readings and dramas every year. One of the new commissions going out next week is Diving Belles, readings of Lucy Wood's recently published debut collection of contemporary short stories. These intriguing tales capture the landscape and mythology of Cornwall, one of my favourite places, so this is a listening highlight for me next week.
BBC Radio 4 Extra
