Monday 31 October 2011

Review of What Has Religion Done For Women in The Guardian


This was a one hour documentary fro BBC Radio 2, I fine edited and mixed  for the producer Mark O'Brien recently.  It is an interesting and revealing insight into women and religion and goes beyond the stereotypical viewpoints and voices. The Guardian picked it up as one of its featured programmes in its Rewind Radio series. This is what they had to say...

I was brought up short by the use of music in What Has Religion Done for Women?. Presented by the very great Shelagh Fogarty, as part of Radio 2's Faith in the World Week, this was an intelligent, open-minded investigation into how women of different faiths integrate some of their religion's trickier aspects into their lives. Fogarty spoke to Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Christians, and there were some lovely moments: a Sikh woman talking about how she managed to overcome her embarrassment at having hairy legs (Sikh women aren't meant to cut their hair); Fogarty herself donning a niqab and entering, then leaving, a shop packed with women and children, because, she said: "We're alarming people."
But. This being Radio 2, the producer clearly thought that we couldn't absorb Fogarty's points without relevant music to help. Though it's debatable whether helpful is the right word for the Scissor Sisters' "Mary"; that is, when it's dropped immediately after a discussion on the artistic representations of Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary. "Mary!" warbled Jake Shears, meaningfully, "You shouldn't let 'em make you mad." There was a debate about Muslim women's modesty of dress. Followed by Dolly Parton singing: "I can see you're disappointed, by the way you look at me". Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" popped up after the Sikh lady's "hurray for hairy" section; Aretha singing "Respect" after a subtle point about the niqab ensuring that men have to deal with women as an intellect, rather than a body. The cumulative effect was the same as if Shelagh had been followed around by Dave Lee Travis, with his trigger finger twitching on the "Quack Quack Oops" button. I'm not sure that was what was intended.

I have to say as someone who helped the producer place the music, I have disagree with some of the reviewer's points. The music for me added another layer to the story, yes a little tongue in cheek at times, and some of the choices weren't the stereotypical choices for that point in the documentary, but I stand by them.

Wednesday 26 October 2011

BBC cuts, local radio and World Service


Today's stories about MPs asking the BBC Trust to reconsider proposals that will see local radio programmes during off peak times broadcast on a regional, rather than local, basis. Headcount in some instances is expected to be reduced by a disproportionately large number, with some stations facing job cuts of 20% of current staff. 

With the cuts already announced for the World Service it seems to me that the BBC is choosing to cut the soft targets, the ones that are less likely to answer back.  The cuts in the World Service will undoubtably affect our standing and the BBCs respect across the world for providing impartial news to areas of the world that wouldn't otherwise get any reliable news.

The cuts in local radio will go along way to taking the BBC out of the community at a local level with a combination of regional link up and the possible rebroadcasting of 5 Live. 

I appreciate that saving need to be made, that isn't at issue here but for my money I would do something with BBC3 and/or BBC4 to make the savings and like local radio and the World Service to do what only a public service broadcaster can do. 

At the local level there was a time in the 80s when commercial radio was deeply routed in the community, I spent nearly 10 years at Piccadilly Radio and Key 103 so I have first hand experience of this and the way commercial radio has migrated to a jukebox radio format over the last decade or s to remain economically viable. 

So the only way of having viable local radio is to provide it through the public service remit.  Equally no one else is going to provide a world wide impartial news service that the BBC World Service supplies so again this should be protected. Surely the areas that commercial services can't offer should be protected like they have done with Radio 4.

Tuesday 25 October 2011

What Religion Has Done For Women on Radio 2

I fine edited and mixed this one hour documentary for the producer Mark O'Brien last Wednesday.  It is an interesting and revealing insight into women and religion and goes beyond the stereotypical viewpoints and voices.


As women find themselves increasingly at the centre of religious news around the world - from Tahrir Square in Cairo, to the ban on wearing headscarves in France and Belgium, and the arguments over women bishops in the Church of England - Shelagh Fogarty speaks to women of different faiths to find out what their religious culture and beliefs mean to them.
Religion is seen by many as universally controlling women in all aspects of their lives, from how they see their bodies, their careers and roles in the family and society. Meeting female religious leaders and ordinary, everyday women of different faiths, Shelagh challenges many of the popular myths and stereotypes.
She meets theologian Tina Beattie at the National Gallery who explains the historical images of famous religious women - Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, Eve in the Garden of Eden, Salome and even depictions of pagan goddesses from mythology. Tina Beattie points out that, throughout the ages, the quintessential woman has been either the virgin or mother or the whore and temptress - but little else in between.
Even though many of these iconic women are depicted naked, or at least reveal an abundance of flesh, why has the woman's body become the object to cover-up in modesty and not men's? Shelagh talks to Muslim women who are happy to cover themselves in a particular way. To experience people's attitudes and challenge her own perceptions, Shelagh puts on a niqab and joins them on a shopping trip. She also travels to a London Synagogue to hear why women choose to cover their own hair with wigs, wear ultra conservative regulation clothes, and remove themselves from their husbands once a month when they are deemed 'ritually impure'. Is Shelagh's perception of what she considers to be female oppression correct, or do these customs and religious discipline actually empower them as women?
Shelagh also explores the extent to which women are able to participate in their own acts of worship. Contributors include Canon Lucy Winkett, a young woman priest at St James Piccadilly. She talks about the Church's attitude towards women and how she dealt with a certain amount of abuse when she was appointed as the first woman precentor at St Paul's Cathedral.
Whilst much of Shelagh's encounters and discoveries challenge some of her own views, this documentary also acknowledges that there are cases of women oppressed and abused by religious tradition. Shelagh draws together all her experiences and considers whether women are beginning to enjoy their religious identity, distinct from that of men, and whether they are served by religion and valued as spiritual people.

Mark has found some different voices and his music choices are very good with a few that you might expect and some you wouldn't. Well worth a lisetn either live or via iPlayer.

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Fast Train freelancer project to focus on radio


Radio Fast Train will be hosted by the BBC Academy in partnership with Skillset, and will be produced in association with The Radio Academy, Radio Independents Group, RadioCentre, and Community Media Association.
It will take place on 7 February 2012 and comprise a day of free training sessions for freelances and independents in the radio sector.
Acting head of the college of production Donna Taberer said: “Radio, like other parts of the media industry, is facing huge change.
“Radio Fast Train is a fantastic opportunity to discuss and learn new technology, new ways of working, inspire creativity and a chance to collaborate and share ideas for the radio of the future. It’s key for the Academy to engage with freelancers, indies and radio organisations.”
Radio Fast Train will centre on four themes: Ideas; Technology; Skills; and Business.
Sessions and masterclasses will include Visualising Radio, Audience and Social Media, Writing for Radio, and Managing the Talent.
The event will be project-managed by Debbie Kilbride, who won Sony Gold & Silver Awards for her work on BBC Radio 4 and Saturday Live, has worked in local, community & network radio for BBC Radios 1, 2 & 4 and in both production & interactive teams.
There will be opportunities for networking and the chance to meet the key players at BBC Radio.
More details, including how to register, will be announced over the coming months,
The event follows Fast Train for television in May 2011 - a training and networking event hosted by the Academy and sponsored by Skillset which attracted around 350 TV freelances to taster sessions and masterclasses - for free.