 | |
| Genre | Current affairs,Media |
|---|---|
| Running time | 60 mins since 3 April 2024 (previously 28 mins) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
| TV adaptations | BBC News Channel |
| Hosted by | Ros Atkins Katie Razzall |
| Produced by | Richard Hooper |
| Recording studio | Broadcasting House |
| Original release | 1 October 2008 – Present |
| No. of episodes | 431 (to 23 December 2016[1]) |
| Website | BBC Radio 4 |
| Podcast | The Media Show podcast |
The Media Show is a weeklyBritishcurrent affairsradio programme andpodcast onBBC Radio 4 which examines the current state of themedia. First broadcast on 1 October 2008,[2] it is presented byBBC News' analysis editorRos Atkins and culture & media editorKatie Razzall.[3] Until February 2017, when he died, the show was usually presented bySteve Hewlett, a columnist forThe Guardian newspaper and visiting Professor of Journalism and Broadcast policy at theUniversity of Salford.[4] It has also been presented byAmol Rajan,Emma Barnett,Paddy O'Connell,Julian Worricker,Edward Stourton[5][6] andAndrea Catherwood.
The series is seen by some as a replacement ofThe Message, a previous BBC Radio 4 series covering the media which was hosted byJenni Murray and was dropped in 2008.[2][7]The Media Show is produced by Richard Hooper.[8] Previous producers have included Katy Takatsuki, Paul Waters, Simon Tillotson, Ruth Watts and Dan Hardoon.
The Media Show looks at various different kinds of media, includingprint,television, radio,online, andtelecommunications. It also features discussion of various media areas such ascreativity,culture,censorship,business, andethics. Hewlett said of the programme that: "I hope [it] will be able to lift the lid on many of the current stories within the media, offering genuine insight and intelligence, making this show a must-listen for both those within the industry – but always accessible to a wider audience of those interested in a subject that affects all our lives."[2]
On 14 November 2012, the programme broadcast a one-hour-long special edition, prompted by the controversy that theBBC was undergoing at that time, partly highlighted by the resignation ofGeorge Entwistle from his job as Director-General of the BBC.
Reviews ofThe Media Show have been mixed. Elisabeth Mahoney inThe Guardian wrote that the show covered "a pleasing range of stories" and that it was better thanThe Message because "it's better to have a BBC outsider hosting [compared to insider Murray], and to place the show right in the middle of the week, allowing some looking back, but also some consideration of the unfolding media stories that will dominate the rest of the week."[9] However, Mahoney criticised the way it dealt withThe Russell Brand Show prank telephone calls row saying that, "you'd hope for in-depth analysis and insight. Instead, they left the story until last, and zipped through it."[10]
