The BBC Asian Network: The Cultural Production of Diversity

Aujla-Sidhu, Gurvinder

This ground-breaking new book provides a unique, in-depth analysis of the BBC Asian Network, the BBC’s national ethnic-specific digital radio station in the UK. Gurvinder Aujla-Sidhu offers an insight into the internal production culture at the radio station, revealing the challenges minority ethnic producers faced as they struggled to create a cohesive and distinct 'community of listeners'. Besides the differences of opinion that emerged within the inter-generational British Asian staff over how to address the audience’s needs, the book also reveals the ways in which 'race' is managed by the BBC, and how the culture of managerialism permeates recruitment strategies, music playlists and mother tongue language programmes. In-depth interviews unveil how the BBC's 'gatekeeping' system limits the dissemination of original journalism about British Asian communities, through the marginalisation of the expertise of narratives created by the network's own minority ethnic journalists.  

Details

Published by: Palgrave Macmillan

Publication Date: 2021-04-20

Format: Hardcover

ISBN-13: 9783030657635

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-65764-2

Dimensions: 210cm x148cm

Pages: 229