Digitisation of the Independent Radio News Archive

Commercial radio in Britain was launched in October 1973 when Independent Radio News (IRN) and its sister organisation, the London Broadcasting Company (LBC) were granted their licences. A joint IRN/LBC archive of programmes and news items was established and this, together with its catalogue, constitutes the archive in its current form. It forms an important part of the history of radio broadcasting since it provides an alternative source of radio journalism and news and current affairs broadcasts to the BBC’s own collection, but in its current form the archive is inaccessible for research.

This project aims to conserve in digital form as much of the news and current affairs in the archive as possible and place the material within a teaching and research environment where it can be exploited for future knowledge. One of the most significant developments in the field of media and communications studies (including journalism, broadcasting and cultural studies) has been the growing interest in history and archives. Making archived programme material, together with searchable databases, available online has major implications for learning, teaching and research across the humanities curriculum.