News and Events

Radio Professor celebrates 40 years of Radio 4

27 September 2007

BU Professor of Radio Sean Street is helping to mark the 40th anniversary of BBC Radio 4.

Professor Sean Street of the Media School will join a special broadcast on BBC Radio 4 this Sunday (30 September).

Entitled '4 at Forty,' the programme will air at 7.15pm. Professor Street joins an eminent panel chaired by Eddie Mair to discuss Radio 4’s place in the social fabric of the nation. The group will discover how Radio 4 evolved into what it is now and they will predict what the future might hold for the station.

The date of the broadcast marks the 40th birthday of Radio 4 (formerly the Home Service). At the same time on the same day, another big radio noise was happening further down the dial as Tony Blackburn welcomed listeners to 'Onderful Radio 1' for the first time. Radio 4 is credited with starting the speech revolution in radio and now commands a regular audience of 10 million people.

"Radio 4 may well be the one domestic service that retains something of what [original director general of BBC] John Reith wanted BBC radio to be in the first place," says Professor Street.

"That is to say, it preserves a certain serendipity of listening – you tune in for one thing and then find yourself drawn in to something else. Perhaps, with formatting, that's less than it used to be, but it can still happen.

"It's true that James Boyle, who was controller before Helen Boaden and now Mark Damazer, instituted some controversial changes in the late 90s, not all of them bad," he continues. "I think those were difficult times, not just for Radio 4 but for the BBC under the regime of [BBC Director General for 1992-2000) John Birt.

"I always remember something that another controller, Michael Green, once said," Professor Street concludes. "Shortly after he took up his post, Green had a letter from a listener, welcoming him, but adding: 'You know Mr Green, this is not really your station, it's ours, and you should remember that before you make any changes . . .'"

Joining Professor Street on the panel are:

Dame Liz Forgan: Chair of the Scott Trust and Chair of the National Lottery Fund, former Managing Director, BBC Network Radio, and former Director of Programmes at Channel 4
Lord Chris Smith: former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Miranda Sawyer: author and radio critic for the Observer
Sarfraz Manzoor: writer, broadcaster and the programme's roving reporter.

'4 at Forty' will air at 7.15pm on Sunday 30 September on BBC Radio 4 (92-95FM), 198MW, Digital Radio, Digital TV and online at www.bbc.co.uk/radio.