Extract from “On Sound Foundations”, Chapter 2, “A Proper Little Madam!”
“At their best, radio and TV create communities; they break down barriers, binding diverse groups of people together with a common interest, be it soap, news or music.
“I tend to think of radio communities as villages. Some are large, some are small – some no-one outside has ever heard of; but within those groups, everyone knows the place so well, they can talk to each other in shorthand. They know every local landmark and become fiercely protective if any are moved or messed with (just check out ‘Feedback’ on Radio 4 if you don’t believe me); and they feel they know each other.
“The names of listeners who write or phone regularly, stick with presenters – and other listeners can remember those names years later. For instance, I’ve never forgotten Siobhan from Hendon, aka ‘The Duchess of North London’ or James – the young lad from Berkshire, who had more front than Blackpool and Southend put together (he’s probably in sales now) – yet I’ve heard nothing of either of them for more than twenty-five years. Then, of course, the listener feels they know the presenter – and just occasionally, they do.
“There are elements of that in television, but it’s less intimate; less personal. It’s one-to-many communication, rather than one-to-one. If radio is a village, TV is a city. When it works well, there’s still a sense of pride, of belonging, but you’re far less likely to know the neighbours personally.”
I didn’t know I thought that until I wrote it a couple of months ago; but since I put it down in writing and started talking to people about it, it’s met with a lot of recognition.
The technology which has put ‘radio’ and ‘television’ into our hands – yours and mine – means we can now build villages or cities around our businesses. The choice has nothing to do with size. It’s about the ethos – especially the one-to-one versus one-to-many engagement. Personally, I prefer to aim for a village, but what about you?