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‘The BBC at 100 – Will it Survive?’

Wednesday 14 July, 2021

Bite-Sized Books has just published John Mair’s latest edited book: BBC at 100 – Will it Survive? 


With the troubled atmosphere surrounding the nation’s Broadcasting House growing thicker by the day, the attacks on the Corporation continue to stack up from all sides. Mair and others ask if the new Director General, Tim Davie, can steer the Corporation into clear waters for good.


John Mair says, “This is the fourth Bite Sized BBC in Peril book I have edited in the last fifteen months. Initially the title was speculative - I now think it’s real. The BBC faces an existential crisis. It must fight for its very purpose after 100 years of making great programmes on TV, Radio and Online. The clarion call is dramatic, but I sense with the enemies new and old massing, there is a mortal danger to the greatest cultural invention of the twentieth century. I hope I'm wrong. This book allows the arguments to play. Do buy it, do read it, do let your voice be heard.”


The book, available now on Amazon Click here, draws on the know-how and inside knowledge of the great, the good, and the opinionated. Contributors include:


Tim Davie, DG, BBC


Sir Anthony, Vice Chancellor The University of Buckingham


Professor Brian Winston, University of Lincoln


Professor Patrick Barwise, London Business School


Professor Sylvia Harvey, University of Leeds.


Professor Jean Seaton, Professor of Media History at the University of Westminster and the Official Historian of the BBC


Mark Damazer, former Controller BBC Radio Four


David Elstein, former Director of Programming Thames TV and Sky Television


Liz Gerard, former night editor ‘The Times’


Dorothy Byrne, former head of news and current affairs Channel Four Television


Caroline Thomson, former Chief Operating Officer, BBC


Paul Connew, Media Commentator, former Editor The Sunday Mirror.


Robin Aitken, Daily Telegraph Columnist, former BBC News Correspondent


Professor Julian Petley, Brunel University London


Professor Leighton Andrews, Cardiff University, former Head of Public Affairs, BBC


Marcus Ryder, Diversity Champion, former Head Current Affairs, BBC Scotland


Fiona Chesterton. former Head of Daytime, Channel Four Television


Professor Ivor Gaber, University of Sussex


Bernard Clark, Media Entrepreneur, inventor BBC Watchdog


Peter York, President The Media Society and co-author The War Against the BBC


Steve Clarke, Editor ‘Television’


David Lancaster, University of Leeds


Dr Liam Mccarthy, former BBC Local Radio manager


END


Book launch event


18.00 BST on the 21st of July click here for the YouTube link.


Panellists in the book launch programme:


Chair: Sir Anthony Seldon, Former Vice-Chancellor at the University of Buckingham


Robin Aitken, Daily Telegraph


Caroline Thomson, Former COO at the BBC


Bernard Clark, Media Entrepreneur


Prof. Patrick Barwise, Author of The War Against the BBC


Prof. Leighton Andrews, Former Head of Public Affairs at the BBC


Prof. Marcus Ryder, Academic at Birmingham City University


Fiona Chesterton, Former Controller of Adult Learning at the BBC



About the author


John Mair is one of the most prolific editors of books on modern journalism in Britain today. This publication is his 40th ‘hackademic’ text. The books bring together the work of journalists and academics to discuss vital issues such as data journalism, Brexit, Trump and the media, the death of print, and the Leveson Inquiry. John has practised journalism at the BBC, Channel Four and other broadcasters and taught it at the universities of Coventry, Westminster, Brunel, Kent and Edinburgh Napier. He has judged the British Press Awards, the British Journalism Awards, the Royal Television Society Journalism Awards, and helped to set up the Steve Hewlett Memorial Lecture and Scholarships.


About Bite-Sized Books


Bite-Sized Books bring together leading experts, practitioners, academics, journalists, and commentators. Bite-Sized Books are available both in Kindle and paperback format. Usually only about 50 pages long, the books are fresh, easy to read and authoritative.


‘The BBC at 100: Will it Survive?’ is available to purchase through Bite-Sized Books HERE.


Contact:


Julian Costley


Julian.costley@bite-sizedbooks.com


+44 020 3989 2549


www.bite-sizedbooks.com


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London EC4A 3AY


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