*CFP* "RADIO CONFERENCE: ENTERTAINMENTS, CULTURES, INFORMATION & TECHNOLOGY", UNIVERSITY OF CHESTER

Radio Conference: “Entertainments, Cultures, Information & Technology”

University of Chester

10th - 11th September, 2019

This conference has four broad themes:

• Radio and culture
• Radio and entertainments
• Radio and information
• Radio and technology

The purpose of this conference is to:

Discuss, explore and share new perspectives and research on and about the history, development, contemporary contexts and possible futures of radio, as a mass media that also appeals to particular demographics.

The four broad themes:

Please think of these as guides that embrace the social, political, economic, legal and cultural aspects of radio in the widest of senses.

1. the role of radio in reflecting, embodying and expressing different cultural identities. This theme may include, for example, the historical, e.g. national radio in the 2^nd World War across Europe, or the contemporary, e.g. radio and post-apartheid identities across South Africa, or the regionalisation, e.g. private radio in Indonesia.
2. the role of entertainments used by, and developed by, radio. This theme may include, for example, music programming over the decades, the rise of subscription music apps, comedy and light entertainment programmes, dramas and serials, concerts, children’s programmes, food programmes, presenters, and podcasting.
3. the role of radio in re-packaging and disseminating information and news. This theme may include, for example, historical and contemporary radio journalism, news programming, false news, interviewing, ethics and politics.
4. the role of technology in the development and consumption of radio broadcasts. This theme may include, for example, historical and contemporary research on radio communications technology and design. For example, the development of the portable and car radio, DAB, legislation and regulations, pirates and private radio broadcasting.

We would welcome abstracts from researchers and practitioners.

If you are a research student, then let us know as we have some subsidised places.

The conference organisers:

Michelle Ponting – radio broadcaster/journalist (lecturerm.ponting@chester.ac.uk)

As a broadcast journalist at Manchester’s Key 103 - in her 13 years there Michelle collected a number of industry awards – including a nomination at 2014s O2 Media awards and the award for ‘Best Interview’ at 2015s IRN awards. ‘A Wheel Manchester Gangster’ was an exclusive interview Michelle conducted with one of Manchester’s notorious gang leaders who scaled the big wheel in Manchester – he said he would only get down after speaking to Michelle and telling her his side of the story. Michelle covered the Manchester riots in August 2011 for Key 103 and also provided updates that night for Al Jazeera TV.

Michelle was one of the team that helped to set up Newlove FM – the short licence community radio station that was set up by the family of the murdered Warrington man Garry Newlove.

At the University of Chester Michelle leads the successful award winning student *CAT radio*(thecatradio.co.uk).

  

Jim Mason – musician/producer (lecturerj.mason@chester.ac.uk)

Jim has worked professionally as a composer, lyricist, producer, engineer, re-mixer, performer and chord recogniser.  In various capacities, he has had key involvement with twelve hit singles on major UK club charts (including two No.2 hits), and key involvement with Top 40 hit singles on the Official UK Singles Chart.

He has also had success worldwide, including writing and producing a No.1 hit single on one of France’s major club charts, which also spent 7 weeks in the main French singles chart.

Although Jim’s success has mainly been in commercial dance music, he has undertaken a wide variety of paid and non-paid music work, including playing piano on an alternative folk album, undertaking projects combining Western electronic music with traditional Vietnamese Ca Tru music, recording 16^th  century lute and viol music for a notable film, performing as part of a ‘covers’ band, and writing and producing corporate video music, documentary theme music, telephone ‘on-hold’ music and many other projects.

  

Dr. Simon A. Morrison – music journalist/script writer (lecturers.morrison@chester.ac.uk)

For two decades Simon was a journalist, at the coal face of club culture. He worked as a journalist for a varied list of publications including The Guardian, The Observer, Loaded, Marie Clare, Red, Mixmag, DJ, Clash, Muzik, Shortlist and The Big Issue. He has editorial experience at a number of magazines, and for two summers lived in Ibiza, working as editor of Ministry of Sound’s island publication, Ministry in Ibiza. He also reviewed gigs and worked as the pub critic for /The Manchester Evening News/. For many years Simon was a columnist for DJ magazine.

Simon has produced and presented TV and radio, including stints writing the ITV show Club-A-Vision, presenting television from Ibiza, hosting island-wide radio shows and producing a documentary on the 15th  anniversary of Manchester nightclub The Haçienda for Kiss Radio. He continues to contribute to BBC Radio 5Live and has also recently featured as a contributor on BBC Breakfast News.

Simon also helped to organise the 2013 music/literature festival ‘Louder Than Words’ in Manchester, which brought the likes of Hugh Cornwell (The Stranglers), Tim Burgess (The Charlatans), Alan McGee (Creation Records) and Wilko Johnson (Dr Feelgood) to talk about music and writing within the intimate surroundings.

Dr. Chris Hart – copywriter/author (lecturerc.hart@chester.ac.uk)

Chris has and continues to work in publishing, contract research and marketing, and is a keen aficionado of vintage music technology. His recent books include, World War 1 – media, entertainments and popular culture(2018), Doing your literature review(2018), and World War 2 & the media (2015 with Guy Hodgson and Simon Roberts).

Chris has published widely on such topics as Talcott Parsons, the Chicago School of Sociology, Englishness and identity and research methods. In addition, he has led international research projects funded by industry, the findings from which have been included in the UK National Budget (2015).

With Simon Morrison Chris is working on a book about the music of Pink Floyd (Palgrave, 2020).

Publication opportunity

A selection of papers from the conference will be published by a major international publisher. We have extensive experience in book editing and publishing and have several publishers interested in receiving a book proposal from us.

Abstract submission: 29 March 2019 (m.ponting@chester.ac.uk)

Decision on abstracts: 19 April 2019

Conference Schedule publication: 31 May 2019

Selection of papers for publication: 5 October 2019

Deadline for submission of papers for publication: 28 February 2020

Preparation of Book manuscript: 29 February – 31 July 2020

Publication of book: December 2020

Fee 2 days: £180.00 inclusive of lunches etc.

Bookings open 19 April 2019 – details will be on the website.