Laura Northedge, BBC Audio Planning
Robyn Read, Free Thinking and New Generation Thinkers
Olive Clancy, Loose Ends
Laura Northedge
- All emails with press release information needs to be sent to BBC-Audio-
Planning@bbc.co.uk – this is the AI system that is used by all the programmes, and
every producer has access to it - Email: title of book, pub date, author, blurb and contact- the system takes info and
puts it in the planning- works out which programmes book might appeal to - Individual email for each book- e.g. don’t just send a new catalogue or summery of
what is coming up as it won’t pull out as individual authors - System will be integrated with booking process, so all books need to go through the
system - Laura also checks the system to make sure right programmes are being flagged
- Welcome to send copy of book to Laura’s office- broad casting house
- Make sure before sending book the email has been sent
- Copy and paste info on press release into body of the email- system can read
attachments but sometimes gets confused - Never too early to send info to planning base
- Programmes Laura takes info for- Woman’s hour, front row, loose ends, Saturday
live, science programmes, start the week, free thinking, thinking aloud, media show,
arts hour, just taken over BBC Radio 2 Breakfast as well - No longer cover desert island discs, this cultural life, in our time
- Laura, manages the internal bidding system – producers put over a tick on which
author they want- Laura decides which programme goes to- stops same authors
showing up on multiple shows - If you have pitched to desert island discs and had a yes- please let Laura know- as
could go out at a different time to make sure it doesn’t cross over - Laura always happy to explain why decision is made to go on which show- but they
make the decision, e.g. if author was on woman’s hour previously - Still welcome to pitch to producers individually
- pitch producers 3-4months in advance max
- Laura, also books fiction for woman’s hour
- Woman’s hour- looking for editorial hook, big name author, debuts, zeitgeisty
(speaking to the moment) - Unless a very good reason they much prefer guests in person (BBC broadcasting
House 9:30am weekdays) - Kirsty McGuire looks after non fic
- Part of Laura’s role is to meet publishers- please do contact her for meetings for
coffees to speak through catalogue
Olive Clancy
- Works on Loose ends
- Very much sees the programme as part of the comedy slot- nearly always a
comedian in the programme - Author needs to be round table ready- jokey environment- can still have serious non-
fic books (e.g history book) but the author needs to be funny and enjoy the
environment - Repeat show- so 2 outings on radio 4
- Books in big names/celebs before considering anyone else
- In Salford 3 weeks a month
- In London first Friday month
- Think about bbc breakfast and morning live- if they want them very likely will Loose
Ends will want them to - Record Friday lunch time- so if they are doing tv can work to do this one as well if
aligns, author can do breakfast and then come to the radio - Also, in Scotland every second month for 2 weeks
- Anything that would work for Scotland or can travel please do flag- does not need to
be a Scottish author - Interested in food books, quirky science, pop history/science/medicine- if it’s the right
talker - Doesn’t ever do DTL
- If know author available and able to travel please do tell them- as helps make them
decision - Open to children celeb authors- e.g. alexander Armstrong, about author rather than
the content
Robyn Read
- Front row episodes recorded in different areas
- Tuesday- Salford
- Wednesday- Glasgow/Edinburgh
- when doing book tours- do consider if doing events in those ares as might work well
to slot in - Gives more opportunities for paperback- e,g. logistically couldn’t make hardback
work in wales/Salford but if on tour again for paperback gives another opportunity - Front row- might consider down the line for authors
- Start the week- 9am on a Monday- 3 guests talk to a presenter
- Mainly non-fic, or big names in literary or poetry
- Just done sept- look at 5 weeks stretch- look at who has books coming out- decide
on key people- will they be available in London? - Can link up from Scottish studio if unable to get London
- Get 3 lots of 15 mins for each person
- Once picked one person will look at who would work with them
- Sometimes themed- e.g. sometimes does all science- but might mix it up and include
fiction person who can riff of each other - Things in non fic world- quirky facts- pull out interesting titbits from the book
- Compelling first person stories of investigations- not everyone is a big name
- Thinking through what the conversation might be- What’s the fresh angle/take- where
is the convo going to go- don’t just want to do “why did you write this book”