Social Media Café

There is a new initiative afoot to try and bring a new, physical space to the UK, the Social Media Café.

UKPA member Lloyd Davis discusses what it is and how he hopes it will work in the UKPA podcast.

Open Rights Group

Back in April 2006 when the UK Podcasters Association started, we were given advice and support by the Open Rights Group.

As a new organisation, we needed all the help we could get, and ORG gave it. Their intelligence enabled us to go into high-level meetings confidently, fully aware of our rights, and with developed strategies. Since then we have worked with ORG and the EFF to keep podcasting free from bad legislation and heavy-handed regulation.

As ORG celebrates its second birthday, please consider joining, or donating.

Guardian Unlimited Joins UKPA

Another major media corporation has joined the UK Podcasters Association – Guardian Unlimited. At the same time, they have joined the Radio Academy, strongly signifying their further ambitions in the area.

Head of audio Matt Wells said:

“We are now a significant force in quality speech programming, with hundreds of thousands of downloads a week. For the first time, the BBC has a serious rival in this area. It makes sense to have a seat at the top table at the leading radio industry organisation, and also to be a major player in the only body that represents podcast producers in the UK.”

The Guardian’s audio department produces Football Weekly, one of the popular football podcasts in the UK; a daily news show, Newsdesk; Media Talk and other specialist weekly shows, and the award-winning Muslim podcast Islamophonic.

Dean Whitbread, Chair of UKPA, said:

“UKPA is pleased that Guardian Unlimited has joined our organisation, the first major publisher to do so.

With a strong tradition of liberality and independence, Guardian Unlimited considerably adds to our presence and gravitas in the online media rights space. We now represent a truly diverse grouping of professional individuals, companies and media corporations, as well as passionate, unpaid enthusiasts, and our strength is our ability to speak up for all those involved in online media.

Our key roles remain to promote and protect the UK community’s interests across
the fascinating and dynamic emerging online media landscape.”