A Collaboration Between Bbc R&D and the Arts & Humanities Research Council
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8 ESSAYS – THE KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE PROGRAMME: A COLLABORATION BETWEEN BBC R&D AND THE ARTS & HUMANITIES RESEARCH COUNCIL R&D Arts & Humanities Research Council 2 8 ESSAYS – THE KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE PROGRAMME: A COLLABORATION BETWEEN BBC R&D AND THE ARTS & HUMANITIES RESEARCH COUNCIL EIGHT’S Editor’s CREATORS Letter TIM WRIGHT is a cross- STEPHEN HEPPELL Welcome to 8, a one-off newspaper from the Knowledge Exchange Pro- platform media producer and (www.heppell.net) is a gramme, a collaboration between the BBC and the Arts and Humanities Research Council or, to be more specific, between UK academics and BBC 1 a director of XPT Ltd (www. 2 professor of New Media En- kidnappedtrail.com). His vironments at Bournemouth staff. So why’s it called 8? The simple answer is that the Knowledge Ex- credits include two BAFTA- University and one of the lead- change Programme (KEP) produced eight research studies in total, cover- winning interactive projects: ing authorities on ICT and ing everything from how the BBC works with user generated content and ‘Mind Gym’ and ‘Online learning. On Page 6, he uses how older users use digital services to the development of a 3D online world Caroline’ and the collaborative the KEP studies as the spring- designed for children. web fiction and Sony Award- board for a passionate plea for nominated BBC Radio 4 play the BBC to risk playing a lead- Of course, the other reason is that 8 is a rather more intriguing title than ‘In Search of Oldton.’ On page ing role in upgrading our cur- others we could have gone with. You know the sort of thing – Enabling 3, he looks at the KEP research rent ideas of media literacy. Knowledge Partnerships in the 21st Century – Key Strategies for Future into digital memory. Innovation… Nothing wrong with that, of course, but the idea with 8 is to move away from the standard executive summary. 8 does have some of the stuff you’d expect from a more conventional publication. There are contact details for all researchers on Page 23 and on Page 11 there’s an official view of KEP’s aims from BBC R&D’s Rowena Goldman and the AHRC’s Joanna Pollock. On Pages 12-13 you can see a map of the connections built by one of the research BILL THOMPSON PAT KANE is a musician, projects. The eight studies themselves are online at the KEP blog (www.andfinally.com) is writer, consultant and activ- (www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/knowledgeexchange). You can read them 3 one of the UK’s new media 4 ist. He is author of ‘The Play now. Many BBC staff already have and their recommendations are pioneers. A Visiting Fellow Ethic’ (www.theplayethic. already being implemented. at City University, he cov- com), and one half of Hue ers digital culture for various And Cry (www.hueandcry. But the real idea with 8 was to do something in the spirit of KEP, which is media outlets, including BBC co.uk). On Page 14, he looks all about openness, about building networks and about finding new ways News Online, Focus Maga- at the KEP research studies to share knowledge and ideas. You hear a lot about this kind of thing at the zine and BBC World Service’s that focus on play and digital BBC these days. In May this year, the Director General, Mark Thompson, ‘Digital Planet.’ On Page 8, he culture and ponders a playful gave a keynote at the Journalism in Crisis conference at the University of looks at the KEP research and future for the BBC. Westminster (where I’m the Course Leader for the BA degree in Journal- digital inclusion. ism) and talked about BBC partnerships in the context of local news. The AHRC/BBC KEP, which has been running for four years now, is an indication that this isn’t just talk, that the BBC is moving towards a more open approach. To reflect that, 8 tries to open things up further, to build more links and push the ideas forward. Rather than simply summarise the KEP studies, we’ve brought in writers and creatives from outside the BBC to give their take on the overall trends revealed by the research. Their brief KATHRYN CORRICK BRONAC FERRAN is was to reflect the individual studies but also to be provocative, to suggest (www.kathryncorrick. a freelance writer/producer/ac- new directions for the research and the BBC. 5 co.uk) is a digital media con- 6 ademic. She currently directs sultant and creative, whose theidealaboratory at Imperial How provocative? Well, on Page 10, Bill Thompson suggests that the BBC’s clients include The New College for the Royal College duty to push for digital inclusion will see its influence and power decline. Statesman magazine, McCann of Art’s Industrial Design Engi- Overall, the writers here are positive about the more open, sharing BBC Erickson, Handbag.com, New neering Department. On Page championed by the KEP studies. In fact, they want more. Several suggest Media Age and the London 20, she writes about innovation the BBC should become a kind of open platform, a space where others can Development Agency. On in the knowledge economy and build on foundations it lays and maintains. Page 17, she looks at the KEP the research partnerships cre- studies’ treatment of interactiv- ated by the KEP studies. That’s easy to say but implementing it will be rather harder. The KEP re- ity and participation. search represents a step in the right direction. It tries to go beyond jargon to remind us that different people use media in different ways for differ- ent reasons. They’re a reminder that the idea of ‘public service’ can’t be taken for granted any more - there are lots of different publics now and their concept of service has changed radically. The KEP studies and 8 showcase some of the work being done towards redefining what a public service represents. JIM MCCLELLAN NEWSPAPER CLUB (getmydrift.typepad.com/ (www.newspaperclub. Helen Thomas, head of BBC Yorkshire and a participant in a KEP 7 jim) is a journalist turned 8 co.uk) is a new tool that helps study into regional archive content sums it up nicely. “In the future, hackademic, specialising in people and communities make the BBC working in partnership will be the norm. It will be an open new media. He’s written for the their own newspapers. It’s an organization, which embraces content created by communities, indi- Face, i-D, The Guardian, The offshoot of RIG, a multi-dis- viduals and employees.” Observer and the BBC and is ciplinary organization working currently Principal Lecturer in in post-digital design whose cli- So – enjoy 8. Enjoy the essays, the graphics and the pictures – all of which Journalism at the University of ents include Six To Start, This were taken by the KEP participants. Most importantly, read the studies Westminster. He’s 8’s editor. Water and Penguin. Newspa- and get in touch, either with the academics, the researchers or the contribu- per Club’s Ben Terrett and Alex tors to 8 if you want to find out more. Parrott are 8’s designers. Jim McClellan [email protected] westminstermediacomment.wordpress.com BIULDING PARTNERSHIPS NETWORKING RESEARCH SHARING KNOWLEDGE 3 1TIM WRIGHT DIGITAL MEMORIES: ‘WE’VE LOST CONTROL’ Memory is cheap these days, so cheap we can save almost everything from our digital lives if we want to. But how do we make sense of all the stuff we save? Can the BBC help us reconnect our public and private memories? In 1980 two pop stars died: John And even though Lennon is un- practical this business of preserving band access (in most places) wed- Lennon and Ian Curtis. Lennon’s doubtedly the more important fig- and sharing one’s memories can be. ded to practically free web-based assassination was big international ure historically and his assassination services is providing us right now news at the time and now survives a symbol of society’s ongoing obses- At one end we have media executives with a wonderful opportunity to de- in several media archives (including sion with show business, celebrity imposing their cultural hegemony velop the kind of digital playground the BBC’s On This Day website) as a and fame by any means possible, it is upon us, choosing to commemorate where people might quite easily defining moment of that year. Curtis who defines 1980 for me, and it Lennon not Curtis, asking for mem- merge their personal memories with is the memory of his death that elides ories of the Miners’ Strike, but not community-based media and link Curtis’ suicide made the cover of easily into my memories of me. memories of Norwich City beating into a fully digital national archive a few indie music magazines, and Bayern Munich (dammit!). And at in ways that could be significant and whilst it’s recently been commemo- Not that I have too many memories the other we have our collective in- meaningful at both a personal and rated in the vogue-ish biopic Con- of me. None that I can share with ability to generate and organise per- public level. trol beloved of 40-somethings like you easily, you’ll be pleased to hear. sonal media in any way that might me, his death has never really been When I think of where my memo- makes it accessible or – dare I say it? And it’s the BBC without doubt more than a minor blip on the na- ries lie and how I might share them, – meaningful to anyone else.