Old Hymerian talks at Hull Literary Society
16 November 2009
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Old Hymerian, Michael Barton will be talking about Marconi and the BBC, at the Hull Literary Society on Tuesday 17th November. This will take place at the Royal Station Hotel, and starts at 7.30pm - tickets available on the door.
Michael Barton joined the BBC as a studio manager at the Leeds centre which specialised in drama and brass band concerts. Then he went to Manchester, producing radio current affairs, features and children’s programmes. He was editor of the nightly magazine Voice of the North and produced Children’s Newsreel and Children Talking which later became a successful BBC2 TV series.
He participated in the BBC’s early local radio experiments and in 1967 was appointed Manager of BBC Radio Sheffield, Britain’s second local station. For the last 13 years of his BBC career Michael was Controller of BBC Local Radio, overseeing the expansion of the Local Radio network.
During these years Michael became fascinated by the life of Guglielmo Marconi, the man who transformed the modern world with his invention of radio. Needing someone to formally open BBC Radio Essex in Chelmsford, it was suggested to Michael that Marconi’s widow would be the ideal choice, as Marconi himself had set up the first ever radio station there just after the first world war.
The links between the BBC and Marconi have provided a rich source of audio and pictorial material which Michael brings together to tell the story of this astonishing pioneer and the organisation he helped to create.
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