Final Line Up: Jazz On The Beeb – A Love Supreme Or Kind Of Blue?

19th January 2010, Cockpit Theatre, Marylebone•   BBC Radio 3 Controller And Radio 2/6 Music Head Of Programmes To Respond To Charges Of Public Sector Radio “Failing The Jazz Community”•    Leading Academic And Critic Prof. Stuart Nicholson To Lead The Argument Against The Corporation•    Full Line Up Of Speakers AnnouncedThe University of Westminster’s music business network MusicTank is excited to announce the final line up of speakers for its forthcoming think tank on the future of jazz on UK public sector broadcasting.  Explaining  the BBC’s stance will be Roger Wright, Controller of BBC Radio 3 and Director, BBC Proms and Lewis Carnie, Head of Programmes, BBC Radio 2 & 6 Music.Leading jazz support network Jazz Services will be launching a significant new report at the event, and inviting discussion with the report authors, Professor Stuart Nicholson and Chris Hodgkins, Director of Jazz Services.Mykaell Riley, Head of Music Production, University of Westminster and the author of a forthcoming Jazz Services report, will begin the event by presenting an overview of the economic standing of jazz in the UK.  MusicTank chairman Keith Harris will then introduce the main thrust of the debate: author, lecturer and journalist Professor Stuart Nicholson’s keynote address making the case for greater support for jazz from public sector broadcasting.The event will take place at the Cockpit Theatre, historically the scene of many classic jazz radio broadcasts and live recordings including the eclectic 1970’s “Music In The Round”, and currently the home of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra.The Report: “The BBC – Jazz, Policy and Structure in The Digital Age”(Stuart Nicholson, Emma Kendon and Chris Hodgkins, foreword by John Fordham)In the eyes of many in the British Jazz economy, the BBC is no longer supporting jazz to the extent that it could, and many feel, should.  This paper examines the specific needs of jazz, with its particular emphasis on live performance, and how these needs are being met by the BBC in comparison to other European public broadcasters. The issues affecting jazz impact upon broadcasting policy for all niche genres, including classical and opera.  The report also suggests a solution that maximises DAB’s potential to deliver targeted, niche digital radio programming to what is claimed to be a hungry yet largely under-served audience and as such, attunes well to the Government’s recent Digital Britain report.Professor Stuart Nicholson is a lecturer, broadcaster, journalist and author of six books on jazz, including Is Jazz Dead: or Has It Moved to a New Address. Chris Hodgkins is director of Jazz Services and Emma Kendon a trustee.Event DetailsDate: 19th JanuaryTime: The Cockpit Theatre, Gateforth Street, LondonTravel: Nearest tubes: Marylebone (Bakerloo); Edgware Rd (District, Circle, Hammersmith).  Free on-street parking from 6:30pmCost: Standard – £35 / trade body members – £30 / members – £25Panel: Mykaell Riley (introduction), Head of Music Production, University of Westminster Stuart Nicholson (keynote), Professor in Music Journalism, Leeds College of MusicRoger Wright, Controller of BBC Radio 3 and Director, BBC Proms Lewis Carnie, Head of Programmes, BBC Radio 2 & 6 MusicChris Hodgkins, Director, Jazz ServicesKeith Harris (chair), Chairman, MusicTankFree Prize DrawAll event attendees will be entered into a free draw to win one of three Roberts ‘Revival’ digital radios.-ends-ABOUT MUSICTANKMusicTank is the UK's music business network, an initiative of the University of Westminster, set up with the support of 14 UK music industry organisations.MusicTank aims to foster new collaborations and circulate innovative ideas, best practice and cutting-edge strategies to increase innovation and productivity across the business.  Regular think tanks bring hot topics into sharp focus and help pinpoint the opportunities created by disruptive technologies.MusicTank conferences deal with everything from record production to copyright review while occasional social evenings blend the entertaining recollections of music business virtuosos with the opportunity to develop valuable industry contacts.MusicTank aims to override traditional partitions by providing improved access to expert knowledge via musictank.co.uk, the leading music business web-site, offering free industry discussion on new business techniques alongside useful reports and comments from leading lights.www.musictank.co.ukABOUT JAZZ SERVICESJazz Services provides a voice for jazz, promoting its growth, accessibility and development in the UK through the provision of services in information, publishing, education, touring, communications and marketing.Jazz Services is a registered charity funded by Arts Council England with financial assistance for the Jazz Promoters Scheme from the Performing Right Society Foundation.Jazz Services was formed as the London Jazz Centre Society Limited on the 20th January 1969 and changed its name to the Jazz Centre Society in November 1969. On the 18th April 1984 the Jazz Centre Society became Jazz Services Limited.