There is a BBC News Channel programme scheduled for transmission on Friday 6th March at 2130 with two repeats the following day at 1430 and 2030 entitled "The Village Loudspeaker".

Producer Richard Latto says:- “This isn’t a definitive history of local radio, it’s a flavour of local radio and a chance to reflect on how it has changed and evolved over the years. With all the recent changes, especially in the commercial sector, local radio has generated a lot of discussion from both industry insiders and listeners, who have heard it evolve at great pace.”

More about the programme here.

Information courtesy of "ontheradio.co.uk"

The BBC site lists the programme.... here. "What does the future hold for the medium that once called 'The Village Loudspeaker'? With rare archive and well-known voices from the airwaves, this special programme traces the evolution of local radio."


BBC Radio Solent's page, here, has more about the longer radio version of the programme, including clips of interviews.

A very unrealistic and marginal view of local radio. It spends far too much time talking about records and commercial stations and completely ignores news and the importance of local radio in long running sagas and campaigns...local issues which matter to local people. Much worse, it totally sidetracks the damage done to BBC Local Radio by ham fisted central management insisting on national story led news agendas, taking away the independence and identity of what used to be a vital and much appreciated arm of the BBC and is now irrelevant to most people.