Created in Birmingham

Broadcast magazine have an overview article of Birmingham digital media companies from the perspective of traditional television production. While not telling me anything new it’s a solid snapshot of the scene. Unfortunately Broadcast requires you to log in to read the thing, something I don’t usually have a problem with but the process here is so protracted and annoying that I’ve re-posted the article here to save you the heartache. via Stef

The Birmingham Post’s interview with designer Michael Wolff (who did a very interesting Q&A at the Plus festival) appeared online on Monday. The hook is his opinions on Birmingham’s branding which he describes as “like a bus stop without the details of the bus service”. The article goes on to get responses from Debra Davis at the council and Dave Hodgson from Marketing Birmingham.

The Stirrer reports on the announced BBC cuts and how they’ll affect the West Midlands. Apparently we’re not doing too badly and might pick up some of the factual programming from London. On the flip side (and not strictly West Mids related) the merging of online, radio and TV news is probably not a great thing.

4Talent are running a Commissioning Competition which also combines a talent search and training session. Sort of.

To enter submit “three ideas that you think could work as a 4Talent multimedia feature, along with a current CV and links to a showreel and/or examples of your work.” The successful 10 applicants will then be invited to a workshop featuring “a screening of some best-practice examples of our films, alongside an expert insight of what works for different formats, from talking-head profiles to thematic mini-docs.”

“You’ll then have the chance to introduce yourself and pitch your ideas to the rest of the group. At the end of the day, the best four will be picked by a 4Talent Commissioning Editor and one of our pro producers to receive a £500 commission, and they’ll explain the strengths and weaknesses of the various pitches.”

The Birmingham session is at Maverick Television on Tuesday 16th October. Full details, including examples of what they’re after, on the 4Talent site.

Work on the Charles Parker archive at the Central Library was recently completed and it’s being launched (as it were) at the AGM of the Friends of the Charles Parker Archive on September 28th. All are welcome.

Charles Parker was a pioneer of radio broadcasting and oral history in the 60s and 70s and did most of work in Birmingham with figures such as Ewan McColl and Peggy Seeger.

At his death in 1980 he left a huge archive illustrating all aspects of his life and work including correspondence, notebooks, transcripts of lectures, production books, articles, over 4,500 recordings of speech and music, and a library on the oral tradition, drama, music and politics. He was involved in anti-racist activity from the late 1950s and this is reflected in the collection which also includes rare and significant material on Gypsy and travelling communities. During his research he became increasingly aware of the ill-treatment of travellers and the prejudice which existed towards them. In 1969 a controversial eviction from a site in Birmingham led him to form the West Midlands Gypsy Liaison Group to campaign for travellers’ rights with his long time collaborator Phillip Donnellan.

The archive will be available on the Connecting Histories website and in the library while the AGM takes place at 6.30 pm on Friday 28 September in Conference Room 4 at Birmingham Central Library. For more details contact Pam Bishop on 0121 244 3513 or p.bishop [at] blueyonder.co.uk

Plugged In is a one day event run by Digital Central and Neon “to debate the future of the region’s music and radio industries” on Monday 26th March from 10am to 4.30pm.

• How do we sustain a vibrant regional music industry that helps contribute to the regional economy?
• What can be done to better facilitate and develop new and existing music scenes and industry clusters in the region?
• How can regional radio better represent the region’s music?
• How can our music heritage and events enhance the West Midlands’ tourist industry?
• How can the industry capitalise on new music and radio technologies?

More details here.

Podnosh lists some of the new radio dramas being broadcast on Radio 4 over the next few weeks that were produced in the BBC studios at the Mailbox.