interactivecultures

Last week I served time at HMP Brixton, as part of our commitment to KTF partners the Prison Radio Association. It was a productive session, which taught spot production skills and built on previous visits to Swinfen Hall, a long term male prison for young adults just outside Lichfield, and Brockhill, a male prison serving the Worcestershire and West Midlands areas.

The prisoners were part of a team working on “Electric Radio Brixton”. A PRA initiative which plays 24 hours a day on a channel of the television sets supplied to each cell. The class explored various spot production techniques and was designed to assist the prisoners in the creation of information spots about the various services provided in the prison, such as; health, education, post-release employment and safer custody.

Next month Andrew Wilkie, Manager of the National Prison Radio Network, and I will be visiting HMP Rye Hill, near Rugby, to deliver a combined session on spot production. This is in anticipation of the PRA’s quest to install a radio station in every English and Welsh Prison within the next few years.

“Electric Radio Brixton” has earned an enviable broadcasting reputation – recently scooping double gold at the Sony Radio Academy Awards 2009.

As chief judge Andy Ashton commented…

“Electric Radio Brixton is an example of what can be achieved when radio is used for what it does best – an intimate connection to deliver powerful, meaningful content that targets an audience who have a genuine need to be fulfilled. Everyone interested in making great radio would do well to follow it’s example of power full simplicity.”