ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ launches new Creative Development Unit in Bristol focused on podcasts
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio’s in-house production division - previously called ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio & Music Production - will relaunch on Monday as ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Audio with a new development unit focused on podcasts.

Published: 26.06.2020
Category: Bristol; Radio; Commissioning
This is an exciting time for all of us in audio production. Everyday new audiences are discovering the joy of podcasts and their appetite for new voices and formats is growing.
The Creative Development Unit (CDU), based in Bristol, will turbocharge the production division’s podcast ambitions. The CDU team will draw upon the creative and production expertise across ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Audio’s four production bases to develop landmark podcasts as well as partnerships and co-produced audio projects for the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½. They will also work with teams and individuals - new to podcasting - on pitching and development.
The new unit, with a core team of four, is led by Clare McGinn who previously ran ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Audio’s production department in Bristol. It builds on the success of recent ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Audio podcasts including James Acaster’s Perfect Sounds and The Missing Cryptoqueen for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Sounds, Forest 404 and Evil Genius for Radio 4, 13 Minutes To The Moon and Fall Of The Shah for the World Service, and the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Earth podcasts for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Studios.

Graham Ellis, Controller of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Audio, says: "The new unit supplements rather than supplants the development work which goes on every day in our departments and allows us to bring our world class staff together around specific ideas in a way which isn’t limited by structures or genres. Producing brilliant content for the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½’s radio stations remains at the heart of what we do, but with on-demand content playing an increasingly important part in people’s lives and in our portfolio, we want ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Audio to be able to maximise all opportunities."
Clare McGinn, Head of Creative Development Unit, ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Audio, says: "This is an exciting time for all of us in audio production. Everyday new audiences are discovering the joy of podcasts and their appetite for new voices and formats is growing. Through our stories, music, journalism and entertainment ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Audio teams across the country are perfectly placed to meet that demand. It feels like the right time for us to find new ways of working and new partners to deliver great ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ podcasts to listeners."
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Audio produces speech, music and events programming for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio, The World Service and ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Sounds. The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Audio site showcases new and existing podcasts as well as the full breadth of output and services from music and speech radio to entertainment formats and live events.
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio commissions content from a huge range of production companies across the UK, including from ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Audio.
LZ