Oxford Media Society

Oxford Media Society to host ‘world’s leading ad man’

2012-01-14T22:25:00.003Z

By Matthew Stokes

You might not be aware of it, but Sir Martin Sorrell, who will be speaking at the Oxford Media Society this Wednesday, most likely has a huge amount of control over your daily lives – or, more importantly, over the cash in your wallet.

As Chief Executive of WPP, he is at the helm of the world’s largest advertising group, which employs over 150,000 people working hard to entice you to part with your cash. Several – if not most – of the most successful and memorable advertising campaigns in history have come from WPP and its subsidiaries.

After studying at Christ’s College, Cambridge and Harvard, Sir Martin Sorrell joined Saatchi & Saatchi – at the time, the world’s biggest advertising agency – where his influence and success earned him the nickname ‘the third brother’. In 1986, he left the company to buy a controlling stake in a small company making wire supermarket baskets.

His intentions, however, went further than providing Sainsbury’s with a steady supply of baskets. Over his first three years there he acquired 18 advertising companies, including JWT – the fourth largest agency in the world at the time – in a hostile $566m takeover. Only three years later in 1989 the company bought out Ogilvy & Mather, in another hostile bid valued at $825m.

Since that time, WPP has expanded and diversified to become a world leader not only in advertising but also in branding, public relations and media investment. He steered the company through difficult times in the 1990s and 2000s, and the company now has a market capitalisation of £9.1bn. One of the most respected figures in the industry, he has unsurprisingly been labelled ‘the world’s leading ad man’.

Over 300 of the Fortune 500 companies are clients of WPP, as are over half of the NASDAQ 100 companies. In the UK, WPP work with Nestlé, BP, Unilever, the BBC, ITV, Guinness and Marks and Spencer amongst hundreds of other companies.

He was appointed an Ambassador for British Business in 1997 and joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Panel at the turn of the millennium. In 1999 he was appointed to serve on the Council for Excellence in Management and Leadership. He was knighted in the 2000 New Year’s Honours List.

He also holds a number of posts at educational institutions, including the London Business School, the Judge Business School in Cambridge, the IESE in Spain, the Harvard Business School and the Indian School of Business.

The Oxford Media Society is proud to be sponsored by WPP this term, and is honoured that Sir Martin Sorrell is opening the term’s event schedule at 8pm, January 18, 2012, in Lecture Room B, Queens College. He will be giving a talk about his career followed by a Q&A session. Admission is free for members and £2 for non-members, who can sign up on the night for membership which costs £10 a year.You can indicate your interest to attend by clicking here to join the Facebook event.

This is truly a great opportunity to see one of the most recognisable figures not only in the advertising industry but in British business today. Not one to miss – see you Wednesday!

Lord Black Explores Press Freedom in Oxford

2011-11-18T23:18:00.002Z

By Matthew Adeiza

The greatest threat to British newspaper is not necessarily government control but the challenge of maintaining financial profitability. If newspapers are not financially sustainable their freedom will be seriously curtailed. Lord Guy Black took this position while giving a lecture on the invitation of Oxford Media Society at Queen’s College, November 17, 2011.

Lord Black, Executive Director of Telegraph Media Group, traced the origin of government efforts to control the press to the Licensing of the Press Act 1662 which sought to control the publication of seditious and libellous materials. The Act expired by the 1695 and was not renewed by the Commons.

He noted that a renewed effort to curtail media excesses towards the end of the last century due to the perceived role of the paparazzi in Princess Diana’s death has not been significantly successful because of changing media technologies that make statutes obsolete before they can be reviewed.

Drawing from his extensive experiences in media and politics, Lord Black submits that emphasis on self-regulation by media organizations and journalists rather than strict government regulation is the best solution to public concern about media excesses.

He reasons that if the media are constrained through laws not to freely perform their duties democracy will suffer with its attendant consequences. This is particularly important in the digital age where there is a crisis of trust of online information. The traditional media continue to provide a source of authoritative information people can rely on.

The Telegraph boss concludes that despite general concern, which he shares, about government initiatives, especially after the phone hacking scandal, media organizations must solve their financial problems by taking advantage of digital opportunities to expand their reach and flow of income. He acknowledges that it is a herculean task as some smaller newspapers have already closed down but insists that papers need to survive to ensure the plurality of voices that characterises democracy.

Lord Black also answered questions from the audience on a wide range of issues especially the values that have stood the Daily Telegraph out in a challenging media environment. In response, he explained that his paper’s success is due largely to “authoritative, vigorous and comprehensive journalism”.

The lecture was the last in the series organised by the Oxford Media Society for Michaelmas Term. It was also the last for Timothy Williams as the president of the society, after a successful tenure from March - December 2011.

On the whole, it was a wonderful way to end what proved an exciting term that brought us in intellectual contact with some of the best journalists and media executives in the UK. A peep into next term planned activities shows a more loaded time ahead.

Lord Black to Speak at Oxford Media Society

2011-11-14T20:24:00.002Z

By Matthew Stokes

Lord Black

Three weeks ago, the Oxford Media Society hosted Andrew Mullins, MD of The Independent and The Evening Standard. If you were there you will know the enormous challenges which print media are currently facing. If not, you will nevertheless realise that the traditional newspaper is facing a task of Herculean proportions to hold its own in this age of digital media.

One title on the newsstands that is holding its own while adapting to the new climate is The Daily Telegraph. The widest-circulating quality daily, it sells over 600,000 copies a day (The Times, in second place, does not break the 500,000 barrier). The Sunday Telegraph, while losing to The Sunday Times, is also weathering this seemingly endless storm remarkably well. Circulation has fallen by just over 5% in the past year; The Sunday Times has lost a tenth of its readers over the same period.

Something, clearly, is being done right. Few people are better placed to tell us what this is than Lord Black, Executive Director of Telegraph Media Group, which owns both newspapers, as well as Telegraph.co.uk and their respective mobile and tablet versions. He will be speaking to Oxford Media Society on Thursday, November 17, 2011.

Lord Black has had a long and distinguished career in the press and media. After graduating from Peterhouse, Cambridge, with a double first in History and winning the Sir Herbert Butterfield Prize for History, he joined the Conservative Party Research Department for three years, before working as Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for Energy.

After the 1992 election, he worked for the lobbying firm Westminster Strategy and PR consultants Good Relations. Four years later, he became Director of the Press Complaints Commission (PCC). Following the death of Princess Diana, he tightened constraints on the Press, specifically to control intrusion on the young princes’ privacy. When the Human Rights Act was enacted in 1998, Black lobbied to protect freedom of expression in the press.

Seven years later, Black became Director of Communications for the Conservative Party, and was also Press Secretary to then-leader Michael Howard, before joining Telegraph Media Group in 2005, the post he still holds today.

Lord Black holds several other notable positions both within and outside the media sector. Since 2009, he has been Chairman of the Press Standards Board of Finance, which funds the PCC, and also sits on the Advertising Standards Board, which funds the Advertising Standards Agency. As Chairman of the Commonwealth Press Union Media Trust he works to maintain and enhance press freedom throughout the Commonwealth. He is also a Trustee of the Imperial War Museum and sits on the Council of the Royal College of Music.

In 2010, he was made a peer in the House of Lords as Baron Black of Brentwood. Despite his life in media, his first speech was on the role of older women in civic society and the particular problems of osteoporosis.

His diverse background is particularly relevant at this difficult time for the press. As well as the difficulties of new media, Lord Black will undoubtedly have much interesting insight into the PCC, which is currently being scrutinised by the Leveson inquiry.

Lord Black will be speaking to the Oxford Media Society this Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 8pm, in the Shulman Auditorium, The Queen’s College. If you will be attending, please indicate on Facebook by clicking here.

Everyone is more than welcome, though it costs £2 for non-members while being free to members. Annual membership fees cost £10 only. Hope to see you there!

Peter Fincham reveals his success secrets at Oxford Media Society talk

2011-11-12T18:24:00.001Z

By Emily Belton

The famous Hollywood saying “nobody knows anything” best summarises the process of commissioning television programmes. This sounds surprising coming from the Director of Television for the ITV network, Peter Fincham, and is even more unexpected from the man who commissioned Downton Abbey.

Nonetheless, it turns out that he has good reasons for his statement. Fincham was speaking at a talk co-hosted by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and Oxford Media Society at green templeton College , November 11, 2011.

The rest of his talk reveals not only the unpredictable nature of the television industry but also the ups and downs of a career in media. His tales are exciting and are certainly worth a listen - it seems that many agree: the packed room in Green Templeton College is testament to his standing in the media sector.

Fincham draws on his experiences of a varied career to enlighten his audience about. His application for a research position in the Late, Late Breakfast show in the BBC was not successful. He tells us that he was rejected for not being “populist” enough (or in his own words, he had too much of an “Oxbridge-y air about him”). While success may have arrived late in the day for Fincham, when it did eventually come, it did so in grand proportions.

He started out as a producer of the fledgling independent production company TalkBack in 1985, and eventually sold it in 2000 in a £62m deal. He was surprised when he was asked to be Controller of the BBC in 2005: “The BBC is an organisation of insiders” and he was an “outsider”. “I didn’t work my way up in conventional television at all”, he said.

Fincham believes TV journalism is imperative given the industry’s high levels of regulation and its impartiality. When he poses the rhetorical question, “Do we want the biggest national channels to have a duty of impartiality? the answer is a resounding “Yes”. As a strategist, reveals that British audiences want wholly British productions, hence the appeal of Downton Abbey and other programmes.

What of the future of television? Even though he has heard ominous predictions of TV viewing increasingly becoming ‘time-shifted’, i.e. being watched on Sky+ or TiVos, he believes that it won’t undermine the commercial underpinning of TV. TV has a “great future” ahead of it, and any issues that do arise will have solutions. In fact, he suggests an increase in live event programming in response to this rise in time-shifting viewing. While we don’t find out which programmes Fincham would cut if he had the ultimate choice, we do learn that he thinks The Apprentice, which he worked on under TalkBack, has “turned into a fantastic show”.

Finally, his advice to students thinking of embarking on a career in media is to keep knocking on doors. There is “a lot of demand for television”, with “far more output than twenty years ago”. You just need to “get through that door”. He was involved in making his first TV programme when he was 32 years old; you shouldn’t expect to be producing “the year after you graduate”.

Overall, Fincham delivers a fascinating talk, and the audience leaves having learnt something about both the television industry and the vicissitudes of a life in media.

The next Media Society event comes up November 17, 2011 with Guy Black, the Executive Director of the Telegraph Group at 8pm in Lecture Room A, Queen’s College.

Peter Fincham comes to Oxford November 11

2011-11-08T09:36:00.001Z

By Matthew Stokes

You might not realise it, but you most likely have a lot to thank Peter Fincham for. One of the most powerful people in the media sector – 15^th in the country, according to Media Guardian’s 2011 list – he has been responsible for some of the greatest television successes of the past twenty years. Whatever your taste in television, Fincham has probably been involved in one of your favourites.

Fincham will speaking at a joing event by Oxford Media Society and Reuter's Institute for Journalism at Green Templeton College on Friday, November 11, 2011 at 12.30pm. There will be drinks and light lunch 30 minutes early.

You might not like to admit it, but what would we do without Downton Abbey? (Well, I suppose Sunday night JCR meetings might get a better turn out…). Or reality TV like The X Factor, How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, Britain’s Got Talent, Lord Sugar or Kim and Aggie? Thank Mr. Fincham for all of them.

He’s also brought us The Jonathan Ross Show, Davina (unlikely to be anyone’s favourite, but you never know), Daybreak, The One Show, and tonnes of laughter in the form of Green Wing and The IT Crowd. And if you fancy showing your gratitude for these cultural bastions, come and see him talk this week in Oxford about his media career.

Fincham studied at the other place (Churchill College) before joining Talkback in 1985. After its move into the television sector in 1989, he oversaw productions such as Da Ali G Show, I’m Alan Partridge and The Bill, winning an Indie Award for his contribution to the independent sector in 2001. On Talkback’s merger with Thames Television in 2003, he became Chief Executive of newly-formed Talkback Thames.

In 2005 the BBC somewhat controversially – or at least surprisingly – appointed him Controller of BBC One. Over the following two years he increased the channel’s audience share and was in control of a £873m annual budget. He managed to survive criticisms for spending £1.2m on new ‘circle idents’ in between programmes, for Jonathan Ross’s £18m salary and for axing Neighbours. However, during promotion for the fly-on-the-wall documentary Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work, following criticisms for the publicity’s depiction of our beloved monarch walking out of a photoshoot with Annie Leibovitz, he resigned in October 2007.

Only a few months later ITV hired him as Director of Television, a post he holds till today. Although he attracted controversy for axing Heartbeat and The Bill (a choice which 97% of the population reportedly opposed), he has been praised for massive successes such as Downton Abbey, as well as for bringing Jonathan Ross and Adrian Chiles to the commercial producer.

As he readily admits, there have been occasional failings: most notoriously, Davina, which was slated by critics and the public alike, and more recently Red or Black. In October, he admitted that the show would only return if changes were made to its format.

Peter Fincham is without a doubt one of the most influential and successful media personalities today. He will be talking to the Oxford Media Society at an event in conjunction with the Reuters Institute for Journalism in the Barclay Room, Green Templeton College, Friday 11 November at 12.30pm.

Entrance is free, and sandwiches and drinks will be provided 30 minutes before the talk. There’s no reason not to come. Hope to see as many of you there as possible!

Confirm your place on Facebook by clicking here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=188412141240286.

Telegraph cartoonist Matt Pritchett Thrills Oxford Media Society

2011-11-07T18:49:00.006Z

Matt drawing cartoons for participants after the lecture

By Matthew Adeiza

Matt Pritchett may have become a cartoonist by accident but it took hard work to become a world-class cartoonist, and his humour-soaked lecture at Queen’s College, University of Oxford, yesterday, November 6, 2011 was definitely not by accident. The Telegraph cartoonist was in Oxford to share his experiences with members of the Oxford Media Society about how he manages to balance humour with decorum in a way that has won him the love and admiration of many Telegraph readers.

Matt, as he is fondly called by his fans, explained that he became a cartoonist by accident (really?). He had tried his hands on graphic design and illustration without success before settling for cartoon.

Matt started sending cartoons to newspapers because he needed money to survive (of course, man must eat). After many rejections, one of his entries was finally accepted. But that did not mean an automatic job. He still had to freelance for some time. And that meant little pay. But he wanted a permanent job. And hear this: an editor called one of his cartoons “the worst fucking thing I have ever seen!” If you were in his shoes would you quit? He didn’t!

Matt told us that he has learned that what makes the difference in his job is the extra effort. “Just a little extra”, he stressed. He makes it a point of duty to read and understand news in order to give context and currency to his cartoons while he would normally show drafts to colleagues for comments before submitting them to the editor.

But doesn’t he get harsh feedbacks from readers who feel offended by his cartoons? He said it hardly happens. Maybe because he does his homework very well. He advised his us to put in that little “extra” if we want to succeed.

Matt and Tim with participants

And then this happened: he drew free cartoons for any participant who had a plain sheet of paper and wanted a sample! Before I forget, he had dinner with us before the lecture… and other things which cannot be reported because of space and time.

You missed out? Don’t worry, next time you know what to do.

Oxford Media Society to host Daily Telegraph cartoonist Matt Pritchett on Sunday

2011-11-02T19:31:00.003Z

Written by Matthew Stokes

How do you create a joke from a serious news story? How do you know where the boundary between humour and distastefulness lies? How do you make a broadsheet reader chortle every morning, despite economic and political crises, while maintaining some level of political correctness?

Nobody is better placed to answer these questions than Matt Pritchett, pocket cartoonist of The Daily Telegraph for 23 years. Come and see him share his experiences at the Oxford Media Society’s next event.

Matt spent four years at St. Martin’s School of Art before taking up work in a pizza restaurant when the search for work as film cameraman proved fruitless. His first cartoons were published in the New Statesman, Punch and The Spectator.

After months spent submitting work to The Daily Telegraph (good to know that getting into journalism has never been an easy ride!) he became pocket cartoonist in 1988 after Mark Boxer’s death.

His front-page cartoons have brought him an unparalleled reputation in his sector. Six times a week, readers of the Telegraph are greeted with a humorous but rarely offensive cartoon. Matt prides himself on never having received a complaint from a politician and is respected for never having caused a scandal or overstepped the limits of humour.

In 2001, he was named an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List. In 2003, The Guardian named him one of the 50 funniest people in Britain. He has won several awards for his work, including ‘Cartoonist of the Year’ at the British Press Awards five times, the Cartoon Art Trust Awards three times, the UK Press Gazette Awards twice and the What the Papers Say Awards.
The Daily Telegraph also produces annual books and calendars of his work, as well as prints and a ‘Best of Matt’ volume.

Matt is coming to speak to the Oxford Media Society on the 6 November 2011 at the Shulman Auditorium, The Queen’s College, at 8pm. It promises to be a unique event from one of the most respected names in the cartoon media sector.
If you would like to have supper with Matt beforehand, please email oxfordmediasoc@gmail.com.

The talk starts at 8pm and is free to members and £2 for non-members. It costs £10 for a year's membership and this can be bought on the door or via PayPal (there is a link on the right hand side of the page).

You don't want to miss out on this fun-filled evening, do you? Hope to see you there!
Click attending on Facebook!

Will Gompertz - Arts Editor, BBC News

2011-10-28T09:26:00.000+01:00

Life story, anecdotes and Q+A this Sunday 30th October 8pm Shulman Auditorium, The Queen's College.

Will Gompertz is renowned for his quirky style of reporting not usually found on BBC News. His new job reflected the "deeper commitment to arts and music on the BBC throughout 2010", the corporation said. The post is being seen as on a par with Robert Peston's business editor role and Nick Robinson's as politics editor.

As director of Tate Media, which was launched three years ago, Gompertz was responsible for expanding the art gallery's work and appeal, including online and TV projects, major public events and magazine publishing.

Previously the Tate's director of communications, Gompertz has written for the Guardian and the Times and is currently editor-in-chief of the arts website culturecritic.co.uk.

He dropped out of school at 16 and apparently thinks he's "talentless". He has worked in the arts since he was 18, when he worked as a stagehand at Sadlers Wells theatre in London. He was a founding director of publisher Purple House and a founding director of Shots, a publishing company specialising in the moving image.

As ever our events are free to members (£10 a year, sign up on the night) or £2 for non-members.

This will be the perfect Sunday evening so make sure you give work a break for just an hour or so!

Media Society "Double Dosage"

2011-10-21T23:28:00.004+01:00

Make sure you get along to the smashing 3rd Week for the Media Society!

Tuesday
Andrew Mullins, Managing Director, The Independent, London Evening Standard and i newspapers.

Dolphin Room, St John's College

Thursday
John McAndrew, Associate Editor, Sky News

Miles Room, St Peter's College

There is no excuse not to come!

Sky News Associate Editor, John McAndrew

2011-10-21T23:25:00.000+01:00

John McAndrew is Associate Editor of Sky News, responsible for ensuring the quality and consistency of Sky News’ journalism across all platforms – TV, mobile, online and radio.

John joined Sky News as Executive Producer in 2005, after eleven years at the BBC. He has exec-produced many of their flagship strands including Sky News at Five with Jeremy Thompson for five years. John has also edited many major live political events for Sky and in May 2010, was in charge of the first ever live Sky News Leaders’ Debate ahead of the General Election. John was also editor of the channel’s Election night coverage - where on the same night, Sky News launched the UK’s first 24-hour news channel in high definition (HD). In 2010 he was also seconded to the role of Head of International News leading Sky News' highly-acclaimed foreign news team.

John began his career as a political researcher for the BBC in 1994. He was part of the team that launched BBC News Online which was awarded a BAFTA in its first year. He was also senior producer of the BBC Six o’clock News and deputy editor of the 2001 General Election. His final role at the BBC was as Editor of the Daily Politics Show on BBC2 which he launched in 2003.

John is married to ITV News Special Correspondent Daisy McAndrew, they have two children.

As ever, our events are free to members (£10 a year) and non-members are very welcome at £2 a time. Please email us at oxfordmediasoc@gmail.com if you would like to come to dinner with our speaker.

See you on Thursday!

MD of London Evening Standard and The Independent, Andrew Mullins

2011-10-21T09:58:00.001+01:00

What is the future for the newspaper industry? How much influence do newspaper proprietors have?
Andrew Mullins, the Managing Director of the London Evening Standard and The Independent, will be sharing his opinions with Oxford Media Society on Tuesday!

Mullins was MD of Evening Standard before The Independent (and Indy on Sunday) was sold to Alexander Lebedev for £1. He now manages all papers in the group. He used to work for Rupert Murdoch's News International.

The Independent recently changed it's masthead and look to stand out more on the newsstands. They launched the i newspaper just last year. The Evening Standard has become a free paper. All fasincating stuff for media lovers.

Mullins's CV:
- Managing Director London Evening Standard and The Independent Group Ltd
- Marketing Director and General Manager at News International
- Managing Director UDV Amsterdam, Global Brand Director Gin Portfolio, Global Innovations Director UD at Diageo

As ever, our events are free to members (£10 a year) and non-members are very welcome at £2 a time. Members please email us at oxfordmediasoc@gmail.com if you would like to come to dinner with our speaker.

See you on Tuesday!

Roger Mosey - BBC Director of London 2012

2011-10-16T23:31:00.000+01:00

It's the biggest broadcasting operation of 2012 and in the BBC's history and Roger Mosey is in charge of it.

He'll be talking about the challenge of heading up the BBC's Olympics coverage and also his previous roles. As Head of Sport he famously axed the flagship 'Grandstand' programme and negotiated sports rights deals including bringing Formula1 back to the BBC.

Mosey will be doing a presentation followed by a Q+A so come armed with questions!

Roger's CV:

- Director of BBC London 2012
- BBC Head of Sport
- BBC Head of News
- Editor, the Today programme and PM, Radio 4
- Controller, BBC Radio 5live
His widely read blog http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/rogermosey/

Our events are free for members (£10 a year) and also open to non-members at £2. You can become a member on the night. We've a total of 9 events for Michaelmas term.

To have dinner with any of our speakers please email us at oxfordmediasoc@gmail.com and we'll get back to you. It's first come first served.

See you on Thursday!

Mailing List

2011-10-06T17:18:00.002+01:00

With Freshers' Fair underway, thanks to those of you who've given us your email address. We'll be in contact with further details of our upcoming events (first one is the BBC's Roger Mosey on 20th October) soon. For those of you not able to sign up at the Fair, to get on our mailing list just drop us a brief email at oxfordmediasoc@googlemail.com
Hope to see you at one of our events very soon.
Thanks!

The Media Summer - a review and look forward

2011-09-18T18:58:00.006+01:00

Britain’s biggest paper shut down, politicians turned on Murdoch, ‘super-injunction’ became an everyday phrase, Twitter and Facebook apparently liberated North Africa and cameras are to be allowed in court. After the year we’ve had, there’s never been a better time to be a part of the Oxford Media Society.

The News of the World’s abrupt demise came as a shock to everyone, with the phone-hacking scandal tarring many of the tabloid industry’s top figures. Dirty tricks would not, however, have been a total surprise to those who heard ex-Daily Star journalist Richard Peppiatt speak at the Media Society last term.

Despite old Rupey’s valiant efforts to save his bid for BskyB, the closure of the NOTW could not rescue his wish and it left a gap in the Sunday newspaper market, which others are trying to exploit. For unique insight into what’s really happening in the crazy world of the press and proprietorship, be sure to attend our events with the Editor of The Independent, Simon Kelner; the Telegraph Media Group’s Executive Director, Guy Black; and Andrew Mullins, MD of the Evening Standard, Indie and i, this Michaelmas.

Twitter was a key part of ITV newscaster, Alastair Stewart’s talk last March at the Media Society and reporting from war-zones was Sky News’ Foreign Editor, Tim Marshall’s specialist subject last Hilary. When Egypt, then Lybia, became news, our minds were cast back to those events as the same debates were played out. Tim’s Sky News colleagues Mark Stone and Alex Crawford became news in themselves with some terrific reporting this summer. Stone’s brave confrontation of looters in Clapham and Crawford’s epic ride into Tripoli with the rebels (the only British TV journalist to do so) made for great TV and became youtube hits. Sky veteran Jeremy Thompson was also allowed to report from Damascus. We are incredibly grateful for Sky News’ sponsorship over the past two terms and look forward to hosting their Associate Editor, John McAndrew in October.

What’s the biggest media event of 2012? The London Olympics. Who better to tell us about one of the most complex operations the BBC has ever undertaken than Roger Mosey, who is in charge of the BBC’s coverage for the whole Olympiad. A former BBC Head of News and Sport, he’s been involved in explaining some of the major contentious issues for viewers including sports rights so is a must-see for you F1 and football fans, who are increasingly losing free-to-air sport. He’s our first speaker on 20th October and currently has one of the most popular blogs on the BBC website.

Who’s your favourite newspaper cartoonist? The Telegraph’s ‘Matt’ of course! The hilarious and creative Matt Pritchett will be here in November to put things in perspective.

Production, commissioning and massive ratings helped ITV1 to win Terrestrial Channel of the Year this month. The two people most crucial to that success join us in November to share their insight and tips on making great programmes and what Simon Cowell is really like! Sara Geater is the Chief Executive of Talkback Thames, the production company which makes Britain’s Got Talent and The X Factor, Britain’s biggest two programmes, along with Cowell. Peter Fincham, ITV’s Director of Television, tells us about how he’s running the channel to wean itself off a dependence on Syco by commissioning hits like Downton Abbey and signing big names like Jonathan Ross and Adrian Chiles. The Fincham event will be held in conjunction with the Reuters Institute, who will be hosting a number of excellent events over the term.

Lastly but by no means least, after a few gruelling first weeks back we can offer the perfect and most relaxing Sunday evening in Oxford! Local resident Will Gompertz will be talking Art in his most compelling manner. The BBC News Arts Editor, one of only a handful of senior journalists to have the title ‘Editor’, was previously a Director at the Tate and has written extensively for the Guardian and Times. Currently he writes regular culture reviews for his BBC blog, which is a must-read.

Membership for the whole academic year is great value at £10. In Hilary term we’ve also got one of media’s most influential people, WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell and ITV’s new Business Editor Laura Kuenssberg, who recently jumped ship from the BBC. They’ll be joined by a stellar line-up and in comparison to other Oxford societies we think we offer unbeatable value. All members of the University are welcome at all our events and it’ll be great to meet you. If the next season is as eventful as last year for the media then it’ll be a fascinating time.

Some links:
Alex Crawford's ride into Tripoli http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwT40TE-pHY&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL09439EEAE3525827
Mark Stone's looters confrontation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXcI-NL3Tro
Matt's cartoons http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/matt/
Roger Mosey's blog http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/rogermosey/
Will Gompertz's blog http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/correspondents/willgompertz/
The Reuters Institute http://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/index.html

Cheers
Tim Williams

Peter Wright Cancellation

2011-06-18T16:19:00.003+01:00

Unfortunatly due to unforseen commitments, Peter Wright, the Editor of the Mail on Sunday has had to cancel his talk to the Media Society on Tuesday. That's it for Trinity term at Mediasoc but look out in Michaelmas for a line up of great speakers once again!

Don't miss your chance to join the MEDIA SOC COMMITTEE

2011-06-15T21:18:00.000+01:00

Want to get the chance to invite your dream speaker to Oxford? Have a passion for all things media? If so then apply to be on the MediaSoc committee! Email us by Sunday 19th June at oxfordmediasoc@googlemail.com with a bit about yourself, and what media experience or interests you have, and we'll get back to you. It's really great fun so don't be afraid to give it a go!

Peter Wright, Mail on Sunday Editor

2011-06-09T13:13:00.001+01:00

Tuesday 21st June, 8th Week, 8pm

Editor of the Mail on Sunday for the last 13 years, Peter Wright has worked for the Associated Newspapers juggernaut for the last 30, previously as Deputy Editor of the Daily Mail and editor of its Femail section.

Under Wright's leadership, the paper has broken a string of scoops, including revealing Cherie Blair's links to conman Peter Foster, kicking up a storm over Russell Brand's treatment of Andrew Sachs, campaigning about ...conditions in Guantanamo Bay and exposing Lord Triesman last summer. Most recently it broke 'Huhnegate' - the allegations that Chris Huhne asked his wife to take his speeding points.

Widely tipped to succeed Paul Dacre as editor of the Daily Mail and overall editor-in-chief of Associated Newspapers, Wright is one of the most influential people on Fleet Street.

He will talk to Oxford Media Society about how the best stories come into being, how editors edit and why the Mail brand has proved so commercially successful.

The event will be followed by questions and accompanied by refreshments.

£2 entry; free for MediaSoc members.

Guto Harri, Communications Director, Mayor of London

2011-06-09T11:05:00.003+01:00

14th June 7.30pm Massey Room, Balliol College

Meet Boris Johnson's 'Spin Doctor'! Here's a biography of Tuesday's speaker. He's in constant contact with 10 Downing Street, was adviser to Morgan Tsvangirai in Zimbabwe and interviewed Tony Blair in Iraq. As a top journalist, PR adviser and Communications guru, he's been all over the world and will have loads of great experiences to share!

Guto Harri was born and raised in Cardiff and was educated at Llanhari Comprehensive School before reading Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Queen’s College, Oxford. He then went on to undertake a post-graduate degree in Broadcast Journalism at the Centre for Journalism Studies in his home town of Cardiff.

Guto started his broadcasting career in Welsh-language radio before moving on to work on the S4C news programme ‘Newyddion’ and on a number of historical documentaries for S4C, as well as presenting BBC Wales' main election programme.

Guto then moved into Westminster to cover British politics on network television, becoming a regular presenter on BBC television and radio programmes such as The World at One, The Westminster Hour, Westminster Live, PM, Straight Talk, Hard Talk, Despatch Box and The World This Weekend. He also covered the collapse of communism in Romania, Czechoslavakia and East Germany before reporting on the Gulf War from Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Northern Iraq.

In 2002, Guto became Chief Political Correspondent for the BBC's 24 hour news channel and travelled the world with Tony Blair in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq.

During this time Guto also presented the channel's weekly interview programme, One To One. His first foreign posting was to Rome in 2004, where he covered the Pope, Silvio Berlusconi, the Mafia, Opera, Wine, Business and Sport before moving on, in 2005, to become BBC’s North American Business Correspondent based in New York until June 2007. In that role, Guto travelled to about 30 states and interviewed a number of senior figures in the world of business and economics, including Robert Rubin, Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt, Larry Page, Sir Howard Springer, Bill Ford, Jeffrey Skilling, Conrad Black and Craig Newark amongst others.

After leaving the BBC at the end of 2007, Guto joined London public relations agency, Fleishman-Hillard as a Senior Policy Advisor, through which he worked for Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

In May 2008, Guto was appointed as Communications Director for the Mayor of London Boris Johnson's administration at London City Hall, having once been tipped to take over communications for David Cameron.

Here Guto’s role is to advise the Mayor – whom he met at Oxford University - on communications and to direct media strategy. This simple job description somewhat understates his absolutely pivotal importance. He does a lot of work with outside bodies such as the press, public, national and local government and international organisations. But he also works very closely with the Mayor and all his advisers to enable the dissemination of a consistent message. He is known to be in constant contact with Andy Coulson, David Cameron’s Director of Communications.

Don't miss out!

How do you get Boris Johnson out of a PR mess? Come and ask his Communications Director Guto Harri

2011-06-01T11:47:00.007+01:00

As Boris Johnson’s ‘Spin Doctor’ and formerly as BBC News Chief Political Correspondent, Guto Harri has been on both sides of the media. One of the bookmakers’ favourite to replace Andy Coulson as the Prime Minister’s Communications Director, Harri is one of the country’s top political communications advisers.

In his role as Director of Communications, Guto currently advises the Mayor of London on matters relating to media and communications. He will play an important role in Boris Johnson’s mayoral campaign in 2012.

He spent more than a decade as a political correspondent for BBC News. He was also posted by the Corporation to Rome and New York. He has presented some of the flagship programmes on Radio 4 and left the BBC to become senior Policy Advisor consultant for Fleishman Hillard before joining the Mayor's team.

He’ll be speaking 14th June at 7.30pm. Venue to be confirmed but get the date in your diary!

Technology Media Event

2011-05-09T19:04:00.002+01:00

Here’s a great event for our techie members which you might be interested in!

Saïd Business School's Media Oxford Business Network and the Oxford Technology Media & Finance Network are co-hosting a networking event for the local media and technology community and a special panel of senior board members from one of the most exciting digital distribution initiatives since the DVD.
Featuring senior executives from UltraViolet and DECE charter members Microsoft, Sony, Neustar and Rovi, the panel promises to offer an insightful and timely discussion on the frontier of digital rights management, cross-platform distribution and content monetization models. After the panel there’s more conversation over light snacks and refreshments.

It's on Monday 16th May in the evening.

To find out what this new initiative is, how to attend, and for a whole explanation of the event with an agenda, have a look at this groupspaces page:
http://groupspaces.com/MediaOBN/item/145745

2011-04-28T13:02:00.005+01:00

Media Madness returns: Trinity Term 2011

Welcome back everyone! As it's exam term (eugh, sorry to mention it in the first line) Oxford Media Society will be putting on one or two events this term to offer you a break from revision, but not overwhelm you.

Make sure you don't miss the chance to see Richard Peppiatt, formerly of the Daily Star, come to speak on Wednesday of 1st week (as advertised in the post below). In regards to future events, we are currently confirming dates for a very exciting event in association with SkyNews, so keep checking your email and these posts to find out who our guest is- he'll be tied up reporting the Royal Wedding this weekend, so there's clue number 1 for you...

In other news, we have a new media society president on board in the shape of Tim Williams so we'd like to give him a warm welcome!

We hope you had a brilliant Easter and look forward to seeing you all again soon,

Hannah and Tim

2011-04-28T10:28:00.010+01:00

Daily Star Whistleblower Richard Peppiatt: The Anti-Careers Talk

Wednesday of 1st (4th May), 8pm, Lecture Room 23, Balliol

Richard Desmond, the media mogul who once said 'I've got so much money it's ridiculous', attracts enemies almost as much as his papers, the Express and Star, attract opprobrium. Now one of his former servants, Richard Peppiatt, has turned whistleblower, telling the world the inside story of Desmond's Northern & Shell empire in quite spectacular fashion, via this (https://nexus.ox.ac.uk/owa/redir.aspx?C=6344cae354bc4f898e4f2aa90b4a9d6f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fbit.ly%2fhvSr6J) longest suicide note in history as he resigned from the company last month.

The letter criticised the Star's 'hatemongering' anti-Muslim propaganda and admitted that the paper's stories were regularly made up. 'At 6pm and staring at a blank page I simply plucked it from my arse,' he wrote.

This term, Peppiatt comes to Oxford to deliver an antidote to the careers talk - or at least a 'how not to do it'. He will reveal more about the two years he spent on the Star to the Oxford Media Society and then answer questions on the ethics of journalism.

Giving the inside story on journalism today, Peppiatt's talk will be of interest to anyone who reads a paper, not just future journos.

£2 entry; free for Media Soc members

RSVP here - https://nexus.ox.ac.uk/owa/redir.aspx?C=6344cae354bc4f898e4f2aa90b4a9d6f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fon.fb.me%2flQd3sd

KINDLY SPONSORED BY SKY NEWS

Media in Conflict and Peacebuilding Conference

2011-04-08T16:01:00.006+01:00

For those of you who came to our event with Tim Marshall, or are interested in reporting on conflicts and foreign affairs, OxPeace are holding a day of discussion involving the media on 7th May. Speakers include Mike Wooldrige (BBC World Affairs), Professor Richard Keeble (Journalism, Lincoln Univ.) as well as a host of international experts. The topic is: Conventional and new media in reporting and creating perspectives on conflict and peace; monitoring violence, mobilizing, peacebuilding. It is free for students; £7 for others. Includes food/drink. If you want to go email either liz.carmichael@sjc.ox.ac.uk or therese.feiler@exeter.ox.ac.uk to register. For more info click here. Conference is at St John's College Auditorium on Saturday 7th May, 10am-4.30pm.

2011-03-11T05:23:00.003Z

Missed out on Alastair Stewart...?

If you weren't able to attend yesterday's brilliant talk by ITV newscaster Alastair Stewart then follow the link below for another chance to find out what he spoke about. This talk sparked a fascinating debate about the future of news journalism in the interactive world of blogospheres and twitterspheres. Don't miss out again on a wealth of insight... Click below!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/50505838/Alastair-Stewart-Media-Society?secret_password=2n9ihvk3oyfgpapt14br

2011-03-03T17:26:00.002Z

Join the Committee!

Oxford Media Society are recruiting new Committee members for Trinity and Michaelmas term.

Want the opportunity to invite your dream speaker to address the society? Want to organise your own style of events? Why not get involved? If you are interested in applying please send an e-mail to oxfordmediasoc@googlemail.com stating your interest, which OMS events you have attended and any experiences or special interests in the media. We look forward to hearing from you!

2011-03-03T15:40:00.004Z

8th Week Showdown- Double the fun!

Tuesday 8th March, Question Time with Danny Cohen, Controller of BB1
Old Seminar Room, Wadham, 8.15 pm

'The boy wonder of British Television', Danny Cohen is the youngest ever controller of BBC One. Previous to this he was controller of BBC Three which won the Digital TV Channel of the Year 2 years out of his 3 year tenure. Over the course of his career he has commissioned programmes such as Skins, Supernanny, Being Human, and the BAFTA nominated Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts.

Don't think there should be a license fee? Want to know if there'll be another series of Strictly? Come and put your questions to the man who makes the decisions...

Thursday 10th March- Alastair Stewart, ITV Newscaster
Massey Room, Balliol, 8pm

Currently presenter at ITV News, Alastair gained huge recognition in 2010 for chairing the first of the ground-breaking election debates. He has been at the forefront of news journalism for 30 years, anchoring the award winning coverage on ITN of the Lockerbie bombing, and reporting live from the fall of the Berlin Wall. He anchored ITN's coverage of the Gulf War, presenting News at Ten live from Saudi Arabia for two months.

£2 for non-members at each event

2011-02-23T11:11:00.006Z

Libby Purves, Sunday February 27, 8pm

Massey Room, Balliol College

Libby is a major columnist for The Times and has presented Midweek on BBC Radio 4 for many years. Previous to this she was the youngest ever and first female presenter of the Today programme, and edited Tatler briefly. She has written several non-fiction books, including the How Not To Be... series, and thirteen novels. She is currently the Chief Theatre Critic for the Times.
Don't miss out!

2011-02-11T12:00:00.004Z

Foreign Matters

Here's the link to Tim's blog, Foriegn Matters.
There's lots of interesting stuff on Egypt- tuck in!

http://blogs.news.sky.com/foreignmatters

2011-02-11T11:50:00.002Z

Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor Sky News

Rescheduled to Thursday February 17th, 8pm
Massey Room, Balliol College

Having had to reschedule due to his reporting in Egypt, Tim Marshall is back with even more stories to tell. Having reported from over 30 different countries, including live broadcasts from Jerusalem during some of the fiercest fighting between Israel and Hamas, Tim Marshall is a leading authority on Foreign Affairs. His blog, Foreign Matters, is currently one of the fastest growing on the web. We are absolutely thrilled to host him.

Make sure you don't miss out. Free for members. £2 for non-members.

2011-01-30T13:45:00.003Z

Only 3 days left until Paddy!

Seeing as we're getting closer to the big event this Wednesday (8pm at the Massey Room, Balliol) we thought we'd give you a little more information on the career of our speaker and resident Royal Wedding know-it-all, Paddy Harverson...

1981-84 London Scool of Economics- BsC (Econ) in International Relations
1985 Financial journalist for banking and insurance magazines
1988 Joined Financial Times as a Stock Market Reporter
1990 New York Correspondent for Financial Times
1995 Returned to London as a business reporter
1997 Appointed Financial Times' first Sports Correspondent
2000 Joined Manchester United as Director of Communications
2004 Appointed Communications Secretary to The Prince of Wales

So there'll be plenty to ask Paddy about! Come along for wedding cake and champagne in celebration of the Royal Wedding this Wednesday (2nd February) at the Massey Room, Balliol College. £2 entry for non members.

2011-01-22T15:31:00.002Z

Paddy Harverson, Head of Communications for Clarence House

Wednesday February 2nd
Massey Room, Balliol College, 8pm

As the Royal Wedding draws closer, Oxford Media Society are proud to host Paddy Harverson, Head of Communications for Clarence House (and formerly Manchester United). In light of the forthcoming celeberations we will be providing champagne and wedding cake and invite you to come and question the man behind the Royals and Rio Ferdinand.

£2 entry for non members

2011-01-15T17:08:00.005Z

Richard Tait

Thursday, January 20 8:00 - 9:00pm
Barclay Room, Green Templeton College

Editor-in-Chief of Channel 4 News, Governor on the BBC Board, Chair of the Editorial Standards Committee, Fellow of the Society of Editors and the Royal Television Society are just some of the positions Richard Tait has held outside of his role in the Centre for Journalism at Cardiff University.

And with him comes ex Oxford and Cardiff Graduate, Kate Prescott who is a broadcast journalist in the Economics and Business Unit currently producing On the Money - Radio 5 Live's Sunday night business programme.

2011-01-15T16:03:00.011Z

Welcome to Hilary

Oxford Media Society would like to welcome everyone back for another action-packed term of media fun.

If you're interested in media, are considering a career in journalism or marketing or simply like to listen to inspiring people, then Oxford Media Society will be right up your street. We organise speaker events that connect all students passionate about the industry.

Our five great speakers for the term ahead are listed on the tab to the right of this post, so make sure you check that out.

Some additional information:

Dinner with one of the speakers
We offer opportunities to dine with each one of our speakers. Before each event, we take the speaker for a dinner (either formal hall or restaurant) along with Media Society members. If you would like to attend, email oxfordmediasoc@gmail.com with the subject "[Name of speaker] Dinner" and name the speaker you would like to meet. We will inform you whether you have a spot a week before the event. (Please note that Oxford Media Society provides only the opportunity to have dinner with the speaker. We cannot pay for the dinner itself).

Joining the Committee
If you would like to form part of the committee in Trinity 2011, please email oxfordmediasoc@gmail.com with the subject "Committee" to register interest. You should also attend at least two of our events this term. We will be sending application information to all those who are interested at the beginning of 6th week.

Membership Fee
Our membership fee is only £10 for a year or £2 per event.

Sign up now
To become a memebr for the year for just £10, please pay by any of the following methods:

1. Cheque or cash
Pidge £10 in cash or cheque to Hannah White, Brasenose College, writing your name and college at the back.

2. Bank Transfer
Transfer £10 to
Oxford Media Society (HSBC Bank)
Sort code: 40-35-34
Account number: 22726351
Reference: [Your surname, your college]
And send us an email to oxfordmediasoc@gmail.com saying that you've paid and what your reference was (eg. 'White, Brasenose')

3. Paypal
Use the button on the right hand side to pay with your debit card or paypal account. Please drop us an email to oxfordmediasoc@gmail.com saying that you've paid.

Have a great term and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Hannah and Georgia

John Ryley, Head of Sky News

2010-12-02T08:38:00.002Z

John Ryley will address Oxford Media Society today at 6.30pm in Barclay Room, Green Templeton College.

He hails from Witney, but the Head of Sky News unconsciously did more than most to stop the Honourable Member for Witney, David Cameron, winning the overall majority he wanted for the Conservatives in May. John Ryley was the man whose single-minded determination brought about the first live TV debates between party leaders in the run-up to the election, a coup many had previously attempted but never achieved. Ryley made his position to the prospective PMs perfectly transparent in an op-ed column in The Times: show up or we'll do the show anyway with an empty seat. He was even willing to co-operate with the BBC and ITV to make it happen. Though Cameron had been expected to do well, he was outflanked by a popular Nick Clegg (remember that!) and struggled to connect with voters.

This supreme accomplishment is hardly untypical of Ryley's career. Ever the high-flyer, he was appointed Head of Sky News four years ago at the age of just 44, having already spent 11 years at the channel, latterly as its executive editor.

Described by colleagues as an "extraordinary dynamo" and a "news nerd", Ryley will be speaking about his phenomenal career at the top of British TV and the challenges facing journalists in today's 24-hour news environment.

David Abraham, CEO of Channel 4

2010-11-22T17:17:00.004Z

David Abraham will address Oxford Media Society on 30th November at 8PM. Location TBC, all welcome £2/event or free if you are an Oxford Media Society member.

At the beginning of this year, David Abraham was appointed the sixth chief executive in Channel 4's 27 year history.

In his role, he faces a huge challenge to maintain Channel 4's growth. Only last year, C4's revenues are thought to have failed below £900m, with advertising down 12%.It has been forced to cut its budget programme to £525m and its ratings have failen from 11.9% to 11.6%. Channel 4 will also need to replace its blockbuster Big Brother in 2011. Driving the growth of C4 represents a huge challenge, but many believe that Abraham, with its 9-years experience in pay-TV, will meet it.

Before becoming CEO of Channel 4, Abraham was previously the head of UKTV, where he successfully rebranded UKTV's 10-channel portfolio with short, punchy monikers such as Dave, Watch, Blighty, Eden and Alibi.

He joined UKTV in 2007 from Discovery Networks USA, where he held the role of executive vice-president and general manager of the TLC and Discover Home channels. Before moving to the US, he was the head of networks in London-based Discovery Europe.

David Abraham moved into TV management after a career in advertising; at 32 he was a co-founder of the influential ad agency St Luke's where he was instrumental in landing clients such as BSkyB, HSBC, BBC Radio 1 and BBC 2. He also helped to reposition major consumer businesses such as The Body Shop and BP. At the time, St Luke's was the coolest agency in London, boasting a deskless office, the latest technology and client brand rooms.

Abraham graduated from Magdalen College, Oxford in 1984 with a degree in Modern History. He started his career as a graduate trainee at ad agency Benton and Bowles in 1984.

Join the Committee!

2010-11-16T14:18:00.004Z

Oxford Media Society is looking for dedicated committee members for Hilary and Trinity Term 2011 (each position is held for two terms). If you're an energetic, organised individual who is passionate about the media industry please e-mailoxfordmediasoc@gmail.com, attaching your up to date CV and covering letter. In your covering letter, please tell us why would you like to be on the committee, assess this term of Oxford Media Society's activity and outline ideas for next term's events. Deadline for applications is Sunday 21st November, 8PM. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail oxfordmediasoc@gmail.com.

Moray MacLennan, Worldwide CEO of M&C Saatchi

2010-11-16T14:07:00.010Z

Moral MacLennan will address the Oxford Media Society on Monday, 22nd November in Massey Room, Balliol College at 8PM. All welcome, £2/event or free for OMS members (£10/year).

Moray MacLennan is the Worldwide CEO of M&C Saatchi and has described as "the 007 of adland". In his position as Worldwide CEO, he put in place infrastructure linking M&C Saatchi's offices around the globe and is in charge of targeting multinational clients for business.

MacLennan studied law at Christ's College, Cambridge and he joined Saatchi & Saatchi as a graduate trainee in 1983. At 26 he became the firm's youngest board director, being made group account director a year later and, at 32, joint managing director. He left the company in 1995 when the brothers Charles & Maurice quit to launch M&C Saatchi.

At M&C Saatchi, Moray MacLennan was behind the advertising campaign which saw Sainsbury's adopt orange colour and 'Making Life Taste Better' slogan. He also masterminded the Silk Cut cigarettes campaign.

MacLennan was the president of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (UK's main body for advertising, media and marketing firms) between 2007 and 2009. He has often stated that the future of British economy depends its creative talent.

John Kay reporting masterclass - SUNDAY 8PM

2010-11-10T18:56:00.002Z

John Kay, The Sun's Chief Reporter, will be giving a masterclass on 'the art of reporting' at 8pm this Sunday. The talk will be accessible and highly entertaining and, as such, is open to all, but it is especially recommended for student journalists, aspiring reporters and RISJ fellows.

Many people regard Kay to be the finest reporter of his generation. He is the only reporter ever to have scooped the British Press Association's illustrious Reporter of the Year award twice. Ina trade notorious for short-term jobs, Kay has been a national reporter since 1970 and The Sun's Chief Reporter since 1990, outlasting every editor and fellow reporter on the paper. He has worked under every editor since the paper launched and has been responsible for many of the biggest scoops of the last 40 years. He is hugely respected by such industry heavyweights as Will Lewis (former Telegraph Editor), Rebekah Brooks (famously feisty News International chief executive), and is on good terms with Rupert Murdoch himself.

Respected media commentator (and former editor of the Mirror) Roy Greenslade said "every trainee reporter should spend a day with Kay", while the Press Gazette said "John Kay proves some journalists are indispensable".

Oxford Media Soc is thrilled to offer you a unique opportunity to get practical reporting tips from the man top British journalists voted one of the top reporters of all time.

Do come along on Sunday night to hear from, and question, a true Fleet Street legend.

Seminar Room, Corpus Christi, 8pm, Sunday
£2 entry or free for members (join at oxfordmediasoc.co.uk)
RSVP on Facebook - http://on.fb.me/dg1V2B

SIMON KELNER CANCELLATION

2010-11-03T12:12:00.001Z

Dear members,

We're very sorry to announce that Simon Kelner has had to postpone his planned talk this Sunday until Hilary, because he still needs to be around to supervise each issue of the new paper, i. Sadly, we have been unable to organise any suitable replacement at such short notice.

Many apologies for this. We hope to see you all at our next event, a week on Sunday (14th Nov), when John Kay, the Sun's chief reporter, will be speaking at 8pm at Corpus Christi. He's the only reporter ever to have scooped reporter of the year twice, and is highly recommended. The Facebook event is here:http://on.fb.me/dg1V2B

All the best,

Marta and Tom

Simon Kelner - SUNDAY (7th Nov), 8PM

2010-10-31T17:33:00.002Z

8pm, Massey Room, Balliol College

Newspaper editor of the year, Simon Kelner has been editor of The Independent for ten years, not including two years as the paper's managing director. He has been at the Indy since its very first issue, in 1986, when he was the paper's deputy sport editor.

As editor, he has mastermined the paper's campaigning 'poster' front pages, its innovative 'viewspaper' and its relaunch under new owner Alexander Lebedev, who also owns London's Evening Standard. The Indy was the first UK 'broadsheet' to switch to a tabloid format - a move replicated around the world.

In a coup for the society, his visit is one of his first public talks since he launched i last Tuesday. i, the first quality national newspaper to launch in the UK since The Independent itself in 1986, is priced aggressively at 20p and aimed at the time-poor commuter who wants his or her news without virulently right-wing views and naked women.

Initial feedback on i has been extremely positive, with Kelner saying that sales have vastly outweighed even their most bullish predictions.

The talk will be a great opportunity to quiz Kelner about the new format and how it fits in with the Indy, as well as to hear from one of British journalism's longest-serving and most innovative editors.

RSVP here: http://on.fb.me/bvtzDi

Max Clifford - WEDNESDAY 8.30PM

2010-10-26T13:28:00.001+01:00

Max Clifford will address the Oxford Media Society in Vaults & Garden, University Church at 8.30PM tomorrow (Wednesday 27th). All welcome: £2/event or £10/year. There will be free wine and nibbles, sponsored by WPP.

What do Marlon Brando, Jade Goody, Simon Cowell and The Beatles have in common? They've all been represented by the celebrity publicist Max Clifford. The "king of kiss-and-tell" and PR guru, Max claims to be responsible for 170 national newspaper front pages in the last 18 months and boasts that his company, Max Clifford Associates, has never had to pitch for business since its creation in 1970.

A media phenomenon, Clifford was born in 1943 into a poor family as the youngest of four siblings. Raised in London, he left his local secondary comprehensive at 15. His first job was at a department store in Wimbledon. As he admits, it was totally unsuitable for someone with his temperament and attitude to authority and he was soon sacked. Subsequently, he got a job through his brother's contacts as an editorial assistant at the Eagle comic but when the publication moved premises, Clifford took redundancy and started his journalist training with South London Press.

In 1962 Max left the world of journalism for the glitz of the pop world, joining EMI as a press and publicity man. As the youngest and the only trained journalist in a team of four, he was given the task to promote an unknown Liverpudlian group called The Beatles, including their first tour of the US.

At the age of 27, Max set up his own PR company, which redefined the industry. He fed numerous celebrity stories to journalists (most famously "Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster") and negotiated mountainous fees for "kiss-and-tell" revelations (Rebecca Loos and her affair with David Beckham). Although he is mostly famous for selling stories, he claims that the bulk of his work comes from damage containment.

Whether you love or loath this brand of media manipulation, there is no doubt that Clifford is its founder and chief practitioner. Come and hear him speak tomorrow and quiz him about his astonishing life in the media.

Peter Bazalgette

2010-10-22T01:01:00.009+01:00

Peter Bazalgette will address Oxford Media Society at 8PM on 25th October in Rainolds Room, Corpus Christi College. All welcome, £2/event or £10 membership/year.

Peter Bazalgette polarises public opinion as does every episode of Big Brother. One of the "10 worst Britons", declared Daily Mail. "The man who has done more to debase television over the past decade than anyone else," raved The London Evening Standard. In contrast, The Independent praised him over the commercial fire power and his pioneering role in lifestyle TV programmes. It is worth recounting Bazalgette's biography to see how he gained this notoriety.

Peter attended the other place (Cambridge), where he was studying Law or rather, throwing himself in the world of extra-curricular activities with Law on the side. He wrote a gossip column in the university newspaper Varsity and became the President of the Cambridge Union. Disillusioned with law as a career, he joined the BBC as a news trainee, where he researched the show That's Life for Esther Ranzen. It is there that he learned the importance of entertainment and engaging the audience. Shortly after, he helped to create Food and Drink for BBC2, the longest running food show that aims to engage non-foodies. While working for Bazalgette throughout the programme, many have remarked on the clarity of Peter's vision: he always knew what he wanted, and as an employee always knew what to do.

In 1987, Peter founded his own entertainment company Bazal. He has had significant input in the creation of innovative lifestyle shows such as vastly popular Ready Steady Cook, Changing Rooms and Ground Force. Three years later, Bazal was acquired by Broadcast Communications, which itself was absorbed by the television production giant Endemol. It was during this time that Bazalgette popularised Big Brother in the UK. In 2005, Bazalgette became Chairman of Endemol UK and the Creative Director of Endemol Group worldwide. During his time on the global board Endemol grew strongly and in 2005 it was launched on the Dutch stock exchange. Over the next eighteen months it trebled in value and was sold in 2007 for €3.2 billion. Bazalgette pocketed £4.6m in salary.

Currently, Bazalgette writes a regular column in Prospect magazine, is a non-executive Chairman of two of Sony's television divisions in the UK,Chairman of MirriAd, non-executive director of MyVideoRights and Nutopia and also a member of BBH's Advisory Board. If that wasn't enough, he is also a Deputy Chairman of English National Opera (please read Bazalgette's recent article on arts and media here) and is a Trustee of Debate Mate charity.

Welcome to Michaelmas

2010-10-02T14:14:00.003+01:00

Welcome

Oxford Media Society would like to welcome all freshers descending on Oxford this week, and welcome back everyone else.

If you're interested in media, are considering a career in journalism or marketing or simply like to listen to inspiring people, then Oxford Media Society will be right up your street. We organise speaker events that connect all students passionate about the industry.

If you would like to know more, visit our stall at Freshers' Fair (we will be based in South Schools), pick up our termcard or drop us an email (oxfordmediasoc@gmail.com). Our seven great speakers for the term ahead are listed on the tab to the right of this post.

Some additional information below:

Dinner with one of the speakers

We offer opportunities to dine with each one of our speakers. Before each event, we take the speaker for a dinner (either formal hall or restaurant) along with Media Society members. If you would like to attend, email oxfordmediasoc@gmail.com with the subject "[Name of speaker] Dinner" and name the speaker you would like to meet. We will inform you whether you have a spot a week before the event. (Please note that Oxford Media Society provides only the opportunity to have dinner with the speaker. We cannot pay for the dinner itself.)

Joining the Committee

If you would like to form part of the committee in Hilary & Trinity term 2011 (each position is held for two terms), please e-mail oxfordmediasoc@gmail.com with the subject "Committee" to register interest. You should also attend at least three of our events this term. We will be sending application information to all those who are interested at the beginning of 6th week.

Membership Fee

Our membership fee is only £10 for a year or £2 per event. Considering that this Michaelmas we have seven events, you will definitely get back more than your money's worth!

Sign up now

To become a member for the year for just £10, please pay by any of the following methods:

1. Cheque or cash

Pidge £10 in cash or cheque to Marta Szczerba, St John's College writing your name and college at the back. Alternatively, hand it in at Freshers' Fair this week (6-8th October).

2. Bank Transfer

Transfer £10 to

Oxford Media Society (HSBC Bank)

Sort code: 40-35-34

Account number: 22726351

Reference: [Your surname, your college]

And send us an e-mail to oxfordmediasoc@gmail.com saying that you've paid and what your reference was (eg. 'Rowley, Balliol')

3. Paypal

Use the button on the right hand side to pay with your debit card or paypal account. Please drop us an e-mail tooxfordmediasoc@gmail.com saying that you've paid.

Have a great term and we look forward to meeting you soon.

Marta and Tom xx

Six nominations for Oxford

2010-09-20T15:14:00.004+01:00

Oxford University dominates this year's shortlist for Guardian Student Media Awards.

Congratulations go to the following for making the shortlist:

Cherwell - Publication of the Year

Alligator - Publication of the Year

Tom Rowley (OxStu) - Reporter of the Year

Camilla Turner (Cherwell) - Reporter of the Year

Oliver Moody (Cherwell) - Writer of the Year

Mimi Kempton-Stewart (Oxymoron) - Digital journalist of the Year

Other Universities prominent in the shortlist were:

University of York - 4 nominations

University of Manchester - 3 nominations

We couldn't help but notice that the other place (Cambridge), was nowhere to be seen. Writer's block?

Great speakers for MT10

2010-09-11T22:27:00.010+01:00

We're delighted to announce a list of fantastic speakers for the term ahead. Come along to as many as you can - £2 entry on the door or membership for the whole year is just £10 (email oxfordmediasoc@gmail.com).

The speakers are as follows (venues to be announced nearer the time):

SIMON KELNER Editor, The Independent
Sunday 24 October, 8pm
A newspaper editor of the year, Simon Kelner has edited The Independent for ten years, not including two years as Managing Director of The Independent and The Independent on Sunday. He masterminded the paper's campaigning 'poster' front pages, its innovative 'viewspaper' and the paper's recent relaunch under new owner Alexander Lebedev. The Independent was the first UK 'broadsheet' to switch to a tabloid format - a move replicated around the world. He is GQ Editor of the Year 2010.

PETER BAZALGETTE Creator of Big Brother
Monday 25 October, 8pm
Named "the most influential man in British television", Peter Bazalgette brought the Big Brother format to the UK and successfully sold it around the world. His production company, since bought by Dutch giant Endemol, was responsible for Deal or No Deal, Ready Steady Cook, Changing Rooms and Ground Force.

MAX CLIFFORD Celebrity publicist
Wednesday 27 October, 8pm
KINDLY SPONSORED BY WPP
The "king of kiss-and-tell", Max Clifford claims to have been responsible for 170 national newspaper front pages in the last 18 months. He has represented clients including Simon Cowell, Mohamed Al-Fayed, Cheryl Cole, Jade Goody, John Prescott's diary secretary Tracey Temple and Rebecca Loos. He was responsible for one of the most famous (and most fictitious) newspaper front pages ever: "Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster". Whenever several tabloids are bidding for a big exclusive story, it is more likely than not that Max Clifford is sitting gleefully at the centre of the action.

JOHN RYLEY Head of Sky News
Thursday 11 November, 8pm
"News nerd" John Ryley has been at Sky News for 15 years, heading up the entire operation for the past five. The channel has won RTS News Channel of the Year four years running under his leadership, but perhaps his most impressive accomplishment was pulling off the first Prime Ministerial TV debates during the recent general election.

JOHN KAY Chief Reporter, The Sun
Sunday 14 November, 8pm
Veteran Sun chief reporter John Kay is a Fleet Street legend. He has been the paper's chief reporter for the past 20 years, and a Sun reporter since 1974. Former editor of the paper Rebekah Brooks said she'd like to clone him, while respected media commentator Roy Greenslade said "every trainee reporter should spend a day with Kay". Named one of British journalism's top reporters ever by his peers, he has twice been named Reporter of the Year and has been responsible for many of the biggest scoops in the paper's history. He will be speaking on "the art of reporting" - a must for any student journalist or potential future reporter.

MORAY MacLENNAN Worldwide CEO, M&C Saatchi
Monday 22 November, 8pm
Moray MacLennan runs one of the biggest advertising companies in the world, founded by advertising legends Maurice and Charles Saatchi, who created the famous "Labour isn't working" 1979 election poster. Its clients include Coca-Cola, Sharp, Dixons, Heinz, Transport for London and the Conservative Party. The award-winning agency has offices in 11 countries, including the US, Hong Kong and India.

DAVID ABRAHAM CEO, Channel Four
Tuesday 30 November, 8pm
One of TV's best commercial talents, this former head of UKTV was poached by Channel Four earlier this year to reinvigorate its schedules and boost its revenues. "David Abraham's arrival has electrified Channel Four", a panel of media experts recently concluded. The former advertising agency boss has won plaudits for rebranding UKTV G2 as Dave. A former vice president of the Discovery Channel, he has adopted a risk-taking strategy at Channel Four, saying: "I would far rather that commissioners adopted a 'no guts, no glory' approach than played it safe."

Looking forward to seeing you at one of the events soon.

Marta and Tom xx

Oxford hits London

2010-09-07T11:35:00.015+01:00

Not only James Langman splashed in the national papers this summer - quite a few of Oxford's journohacks embarked on placements in the Fleet street. From The Hedge Fund review, through the Economist's Intelligent Life to daily newspapers in Rupert Murdoch's empire, many got a taste of how it is to be a real journalist. Oxford Media Society has asked a couple of them to describe their experiences at the publications.

Tamsin Meakin, Christ Church - The Daily Telegraph

I spent three weeks working at The Daily Telegraph on the online fashion desk and the daily business desk. The paper has just launched a new fashion website so much of my time was spent helping with its construction; it could be quite laborious work but it meant I picked up lots of transferable technical skills. My time with the business desk was a steep learning curve but incredibly interesting. I was lucky enough to be given articles to write for the website and the paper which meant I felt I could make a tangible contribution. Everyone I met at the paper was very welcoming and keen to ensure that all of the interns were kept busy and useful - not photocopying and making tea!

And here are some of Tamsin's articles:

Rolls-Royce-engine-trouble-sees-further-delays-to-Boeings-Dreamliner

888-scraps-dividend-as-World-Cup-Europe-debt-woes-halve-profits

Bidding-war-for-3PAR-escalates-as-HP-tops-Dell-again

Tamsin also contributed to other financial publications, such as The Hedge Fund review.

Us-securities-exchange-commission-announces-waiver-credit-ratings-requirements

Harry Phillips, Magdalen - The Sunday Times

I had a great time on the News Review desk: the people with whom I worked were at once formidably talented yet easily approachable. They made me feel very much part of a team as I carried out tasks ranging from translation of a German article about AIDS, phone interviews, research into tantric sex and the writing of short news pieces. The best thing was the nature of the section meant that if ever I didn't have anything to do, I could always read the day's papers for ideas. I liked that this counted as work.

Harry was one of this year's Rupert Murdoch scholars from the News International Placement Scheme. Other students on the placements were:

News of the World - Georgia Linday, Sarah Ventress

Susan-Boyle-gets-waxed

The Sunday Times - Marie Henderson, Rebecca Ratcliffe

The Times - Hannah Chambers, Izzy Boggild-Jones, Nithya Natarajan

The Sun - Oxford Media Society's own Tom Rowley

The-mystery-of-mutilated-seals

Strictly-Come-Sponging

Camilla Turner, St Catz - The Observer and The Intelligent Life

This summer I spent a week at the News Desk of the Observer (which I got by writing to them asking for work experience, attaching a CV and some cuttings). During the week, I attended various meetings (politics, news and editorial meeting), carried out news trawls, assisted the science editor with some research about dot com entrepreneurs investing in space and researched and wrote an article about funding of Russell Group universities. Overall, I had a very enjoyable week.

Camilla's contribution to The Observer:

Elon-musk-spacex-rocket-mars

I also interned at the Economist - at their quarterly arts supplement Intelligent Life. I was supposed to do it for 5 weeks but resigned after three as it was basically unpaid secretarial work e.g. answering the phone, sorting post etc. I would not recommend interning at quarterly magazines.

Louise Court, Editor of Cosmopolitan

2010-06-07T13:53:00.004+01:00

Louise Court will address the society on 10th of June - here we provide some background about the Editor of every woman's bible.

Louise Court started her journalistic career in a traditional, old-fashioned way: grafting her way in a junior reporter role at the local East Grinstead Courier. The first front page article of this fun, fearless female? Winning the pancake race in the village.

As an aspiring Fleet Street hack, Court took up many work experience opportunities, including one at the Surrey Mirror paper where she was told, “Sorry, we only take high-fliers”. But that didn’t discourage Louise. She soon left the junior reporter position and became a showbusiness writer at Express Papers. Subsequent jobs followed: she joined Woman’s Own as an assistant editor in 1990; in 1994 she joined Best, becoming editor four years later. In 2005 Court was appointed editorial director of ACP-mag and, finally, in February 2007 she became the Editor of every woman’s bible – Cosmopolitan.

Court has always had a passion for magazines – as soon as she started earning she would buy every glossy mag she could afford. Journalism flows in her blood – both her dad Monty and her brother are journalists. It was Louise’s dad who inspired her to enter the industry. He was news editor at the Daily Mail and the Sunday Mirror and always gave constructive criticism to his daughter. He would comment on the articles saying, "That part was good, but that was a very clichéd intro", inspiring and pushing her further.

Louise has two sons and her favourite issue of Cosmopolitan is the annual naked male centerfold edition. She loves every aspect of her job, but particularly enjoys designing Cosmo covers.

Check out her Twitter account: http://twitter.com/louisecosmoed

The event is kindly sponsored by Patisserie Valerie.

Patisserie Valerie

2010-05-28T14:32:00.003+01:00

Is there a combination that goes better together than Cake and Cosmo? Hardly. That is why, we would like to thank our sponsor, Patisserie Valerie Oxford for providing us with plenty of cakes for our event on 10th of June!

We will be able to listen to Louise Court, the Editor of Cosmopolitan and indulge in the heaven-sent produce of the bakery.

You can visit Patisserie Valerie Oxford any day between 8am and 7pm. The bakery is located on 90 High Street, so is a perfect stop on your way from Exam schools for your sugar rush after a lecture (or an exam, finalists…)

Patisserie not only sells special occasion cakes, it also caters for delightful and healthy breakfast, coffee and lunch.

If in need of a chocolate binge after heart-break, its ice cream sundaes and pastries are particularly worth checking out.

For more information see: www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk

Vogue boss SUNDAY 8.15PM

2010-05-21T14:34:00.003+01:00

As its Managing Director, Nicholas Coleridge has overseen a huge expansion in the activities of Conde Nast - the publishers of Vogue, GQ, Glamour and Tatler - over the past 19 years. With the recent launches of Wired and Love, even in a punishing economic climate, there are no signs that he is about to give up anytime soon.

On Sunday night he will be sharing his insight into the industry (and, we hope, some anecdotes from two decades at the top of the cut-throat international publishing business) in a talk entitled 'how to survive in the world of glossy magazines'.

A great survivor himself, Coleridge is also Vice-President of Conde Nast International (so one of the people Anna Wintour answers to, if that's possible to imagine) and takes a special interest in the company's Indian arm - and all aspects of Indian culture.

He has appointed some of the UK's top editors, from Alexandra Shulman at Vogue to Dylan Jones at GQ - and Geordie Greig, who recently left Tatler to become Editor of the Evening Standard and Editorial Director of The Independent.

So we think it's safe to say that Coleridge is not unqualified to talk about magazines.

Come and hear what he has to say at 8.15pm on Sunday (this Sunday - 5th week) in the Massey Room, Balliol College. £2 admission to cover our costs.

NICHOLAS COLERIDGE'S TALK IS KINDLY SPONSORED BY WPP.

Geddes Prize

2010-05-17T13:23:00.001+01:00

Belated congratulations to Henry Clarke Price, former Cherwell editor-in-chief, who scooped this year's Philip Geddes Prize for an outstanding Oxford student journalist.

David Priestland, a Teddy hall history don and one of the prize's judges, said: "All of the judges were very impressed with the range and quality of his journalism." Clarke Price is planning to spend the prize money - £1,000 - on a project on youth education for citizenship in Australia. John McManus won the Clive Taylor sports prize.

The prize runs annually to celebrate the memory of former Oxford journalist Philip Geddes, who was killed by an IRA bomb when he was just 24.

Applications usually open in Hilary - look at www.geddesprize.org for details nearer the time.

WPP

2010-05-13T11:58:00.002+01:00

If you're not into journalism, but would quite like to work in the media, you might well be interested in the opportunities WPP has to offer.

WPP is the world's biggest 'communications services group'. So what does that actually mean? Well, it owns a wide variety of subsidiary companies that specialise in these aspects of media:

Advertising - JWT, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide

PR - Hill & Knowlton, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, Cohn & Wolfe

Media investment (that means planning, negotiating and buying advertising) - Mindshare, MediaCom, GroupM

Research insight (finding out whether something will sell for a client) - Added Value, Millward Brown, Research International

Each company has its own separate identity, but WPP acts as an umbrella company, relieving all of the subsidiaries of the boring, administrative work, leaving them free to be all creative. As a result of the multiplicity of companies it owns, WPP can also offer a comprehensive service to its clients, while offering one single, central point of contact. For example, WPP manages Unilever's worldwide communications activities.

The company was set up by Sir Martin Sorrell in 1985, when he privately invested in the Wire Plastic Products company. He joined it full-time as Chief Executive a year later, coming from a 7-year stint at Saatchi & Saatchi. Since then, Sorrell has acquired many "below-the-line" advertising-related companies for WPP. Today, the company has revenues of £7.5 billion and owns more than 150 companies.

If you're considering a career with WPP, the company's flagship scheme is the incredibly competitive Marketing Fellowship for graduates. This 3-year programme entails working in three of WPP's subsidiary companies in three different countries.

The 2011 application process hasn't started yet, but if you want to have a look at last year's scheme see here: http://www.wpp.com/wpp/careers/marketing/graduates

WPP KINDLY SPONSORS OXFORD MEDIA SOCIETY'S NICHOLAS COLERIDGE EVENT

Reuters seminars in Oxford

2010-04-30T15:12:00.002+01:00

Oxford's Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism has just released its list of twice-weekly seminars for Trinity term, and they look very much worth going to. With speakers including Director-General of the BBC Mark Thompson, Transport Secretary Lord Adonis and Sky News Political Editor Adam Boulton and topics ranging from the UK elections to Iran, RISJ has once again assembled a stellar line-up.

The Wednesday seminars are from 12-2pm in the Barclay Room at Green Templeton College, while the Friday seminars are from 5-7pm in the Seminar Room at Nuffield College. All undergraduates, grads and others are welcome. Hope to see some of you there. The full termcard is below:

Wednesday seminars
12-2pm, Green Templeton

Week 1 Wednesday 28th April: “The UK elections and beyond – the challenges of the digital revolution for media companies”
Speaker: Nic Newman, former Future Media Controller, Journalism at the BBC

Week 2 Wednesday 5th May: “The decline of international coverage in the UK and US media” Speaker: Martin Moore, Media Standards Trust, and a visiting fellow at the RISJ

Week 3 Wednesday 12th May: “The watchdog’s new bark – The changing face of investigative journalism”
Speaker: Donald Matheson, University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and RISJ Visiting Fellow

Week 4 Wednesday 19th May: “Professional journalists, citizen journalists, militaries and protesters: telling the story, setting the context and staying safe”
Speaker: David Schlesinger, Editor-in-chief, Reuters

Week 5 Wednesday 26th May: “Reporting Iran”
Speakers: Lindsey Hilsum, International editor, Channel 4 News and Nahid Seyedsayamdost, St Antony’s College

Week 6 Wednesday 2nd June “Tell it to the birds... why the Twitter revolution is falling on deaf ears"
Speaker: Joy Lodico, freelance writer on books, the media and culture and contributing editor to Prospect magazine

Week 7 Wednesday 9th June “Title TBC”
Speaker: Jean Seaton, Professor of Media History, University of Westminster

Week 8 Wednesday 16th June “Documentary making outside the BBC”
TBC Speaker: Alex Connock, Chief Executive, Ten Alps

Friday seminars
5-7pm, Nuffield

First Week (Friday April 30)
Lord Adonis (Secretary of State for Transport)The best trade? Academic, journalist or politician

Second Week (Friday May 7)
No seminar Watch election results

Third Week (Friday May 14)
Adam Boulton, (Political Editor, Sky News), Impact of 24/7 on Broadcast Reporting

Fourth Week (Friday May 21)
Baroness Williams of Crosby The coverage of politics in the UK & USA

Fifth Week (Friday May 28)
Mark Thompson (Director General BBC)

Trinity Term 2010

2010-04-27T15:48:00.012+01:00

Dear All,

Trinity is upon us and we're pleased to present an exciting list of speaker events for the term ahead.

We have something that will suit everyone - from the investigative journalists amongst us to the fashion-obsessed glossy-magazine loving.

Nicholas Coleridge, Managing Director of Conde Nast

SPONSORED BY WPP
23rd May, 8.15PM
Coleridge has been UK Managing Director and Global Vice-President of Conde Nast (the world-famous publishers of Vogue, GQ, Tatler, Glamour, Vanity Fair and many other titles) for 19 years. Having appointed most of the current crop of editors and also written many best-selling novels, it is perhaps unsurprising that Coleridge is one of the best-connected people in British media.

Louise Court, Editor of Cosmopolitan

10th June, 7PM

Louise Court is a definition of a fun, fearless female. A big personality and a brilliant leader of Cosmo since 2006, she has climbed her way up since she started off as trainee. She became a showbiz writer at Express Newspapers before joining Woman's Own as an assistant editor in 1990. In 1994, she joined Best, becoming editor four years later. In 2005 Ms Court was appointed editorial director of ACP-mag.

William Lewis, former Editor-in-Chief of Telegraph Media Group and Journalist of the Year 2010 (in association with the Oxford Union)

15 June, Oxford Union

Lewis is doubtlessly the most celebrated journalist of the year 2010: not only he scooped the prestigious award from Press Association, but also The Daily Telegraph was awarded the Newspaper of the Year along a string of awards for the coverage of MPs expenses investigation. As the editor-in-chief of the paper at the time, he oversaw the coverage of the story. Lewis also supported Daily Telegraph's controversial shift to skepticism towards climate change and was the first editor to integrate online and print editorial teams into one.

Geordie Greig, Editor of the London Evening Standard and Editorial Director of The Independent
Date TBC
A former Editor of Tatler, Greig was instrumental in the sale of the Evening Standard to the Lebedevs last year. In his first year in charge of the paper, he has radically distanced it from its Daily Mail history, running an advertising campaign apologising for past errors, and has taken the publication free. As part of the Lebedevs recent purchase of The Independent, Greig has also been appointed Editorial Director of those titles. He has been called 'the world's greatest networker'.

Paul Lewis, Reporter of the Year 2010, The Guardian
Date TBC
Lewis is one of The Guardian's most admired reporters. He won plaudits for his tenacious uncovering of the police's treatment of protesters at the G20 summit in London last year.

More information about locations and how to apply to dine with the speakers will follow shortly.

We will also be posting separate entries with more information about each speaker before the events.

Looking forward to seeing you at an event soon!

Marta and Tom

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

2010-04-11T22:32:00.014+01:00

Oxford is incredibly lucky to have an Institute devoted solely to the study of journalism. However, not many undergraduates know about it and even if they do, they do not know what it entails or how to get involved.

That is why Oxford Media Society asked David Levy, the Institute Director, to tell us about the Reuters Institute in a Q&A format. We would like to thank David for kindly agreeing to do so.

Oxford Media Society (OMS): What is the Reuters Institute?

David Levy, Institute Director (DL): The Reuters Institute for Study of Journalism (RISJ) is part of the Department of Politics and international Relations. It is dedicated to the rigorous international study of journalism in a way that brings together the perspectives of academic analysts, practising journalists and policymakers.

The Institute has three main areas of activity:
a) the Journalist Fellowship Programme which brings practising mid career journalists to Oxford from across the globe to conduct research on an aspect of journalism for periods of 3-9 months

b) publications, events and a range of interventions in the debate about the future of journalism

c) academic research into journalism organised around three themes - The Changing Business of Journalism, the Changing Practise of Journalism, and Journalism & Democracy/Accountability

OMS: Who came up with the idea?

DL: The Institute was created in 2006 and built on the Reuters Foundation Journalism Fellowship Programme which had been established for over 20 years. The idea was developed between several figures in Oxford, including John Llloyd, Contributing Editor to the FT and Director of Journalism at RISJ, and the Reuters Foundation who awarded an initial grant of £1.75m for the establishment of the first 5 year period of the Institute.

OMS: What are the main achievements of the RISJ to date?

DL: The Institute has developed the Fellowship Programme which now brings over 20 journalists a year to Oxford, has organised a range of high profile seminars and lectures in Oxford and elsewhere, and launched two new publication series RISJ Challenges and Working Papers that bring RISJ research to a wider audience. Challenges published in the past year include What's Happening to our News? an investigation into the impact of the internet on UK news organisation, Trust in the News a study of how trust is changing and two publications on Citizen Journalism - Red Kayaks and Hidden Gold, by John Kelly of the Washington Post and Social Media and Mainstream Media, by Nic Newman of the BBC. RISJ also has three research projects underway currently; on 'Comparative European Journalism', 'The Changing Business of Journalism and its impact on democracy', and ‘International News in Africa, India and Pakistan: provision, consumption and trust in a rapidly changing broadcasting environment’

OMS: How can Oxford undergraduates get involved in the RISJ's work?

DL: We hold two seminars a week - one on a Wednesday lunchtime at Green Templeton College and another on Media and Politics at Nuffield College on Fridays at 5pm. Both are open to all. In addition we are always open to ideas from undergraduates about issues we might tackle and our journalist fellows are a potential source of information about journalism, both within the UK and internationally. (The details of current journalist felllows are listed on our website and past journalist fellows research papers can be found there)

OMS: What plans do you have for next term? How can we find out more about the Institute?

DL: Our seminar lists will be posted on our website very soon (by week 0) and can be found at http://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/ You can also register there for an RSS feed of updates to our website and to download any of our publications. If you would like to be added to our mailing list please e-mail our Web and Publicity officer k ate.hanneford-smith@politics.ox.ac.uk

Student Journalism Awards

2010-04-08T09:02:00.006+01:00

Let's admit it: student journalism awards are what every aspiring journohack dreams of. They're a great way to break into the industry, look shiny on your CV and usually the award includes work experience, which in the long run may turn into a job offer.

Oxford Media Society has compiled a list of student journalism competitions - please leave a comment on the blogspot if we've missed anything important.

1. The Guardian Student Media Awards
The holy grail in the world of student journalism.

In 2008, Cherwell won the 'Website of the Year' award, whilst OxStu's Hannah Kuchler scooped 'Reporter of the Year' for her Griffin/Oxford Union story. Tom Rowley was the runner-up in the same category in 2009, while the Oxymoron won Best Magazine.

In 2010, the number of categories has been dramatically reduced, from 14 to six, meaning that the competition will be fiercer than ever.

2. NUS Awards
A less glamourous sister of The Guardian Student Media Awards. In fact, between 1978 until 1998 the two were hosted together, before they split.

The National Union of Students has two media categories in their yearly NUS awards: Best Student Media and Best Student Journalist. Matthew Holehouse won 'Best Student Journalist' in 2008 for his work on donations.

What does the NUS look for? It wants the paper to be not only entertaining and scrutinising - they want it to form campaigns, too. In the reporter category, the NUS values "the difference a report makes to the lives of students".

3. Vogue Talent Contest

Here is an offering to all those who prefer to write features rather than news reports and would like to purse a career in fashion.

Write three short pieces - one about a personal memory, one about a cultural trend, and the third one a polemic - and work experience at Vogue just might be yours. Alternatively, a selection of entrants will lunch with the judges of the competition - a pleasure in itself.

4. GQ non-fiction awards
The newly launched GQ award is a gem for anyone who loves to write non-fiction and the main prize of spending a month at the Norman Mailer Writers Colony would surely be a dream come true. All you have to do is to write a 2,000-4,000 non-fiction report on the topic of your choice by the 1st of May and you just might have your summer sorted.

Other competitions:
5. Guardian International Development Journalism Competition

6. Alistair Cooke Award in Journalism

NB: This is a postgraduate study award, rather than a writing competition.

2010 News International Placement Scheme

2010-03-18T14:28:00.008Z

The News International Benefaction Scheme was given to Oxford University in 1993 by Rupert Murdoch who graduated from Worcester College with a degree in PPE and a further Master's degree.

As a result, the University welcomes each year the Visiting Professor of Broadcast Media (this year it is Stephen Garrett, who delivered a series of lectures on TV series this Hilary) and has a Professor of Language and Communication. The benefaction has also funded three lectureships and a major research grant. It also includes the placement scheme with the most fancy name imaginable: The Rupert Murdoch Scholarship.

Every year, many Oxford student journalists apply, but only 7-14 spend their time in Wapping offices.

Both Oxford's News International Liaison committee and the Editors of the News International papers judge the entrants.

So what stories wrote last year's participants? Check out the links to find out.

Sian Cox-Brooker, The Sun, News Section

http://tinyurl.com/ykntdg5

http://tinyurl.com/ybymkso

Ellie Buchdahl, The Times

http://tinyurl.com/ygpseda

Costas Pitas, The Times

http://tinyurl.com/ylrw3my

Marta Szczerba, The Sunday Times, Business Section

http://tinyurl.com/yglt4em

http://tinyurl.com/yk6cbru

Others who took part worked in Culture section of The Sunday Times or in the features section of News of the World.

From my own experience, the scheme was what you made of it. As in every kind of journalistic work, you had to show initiative and be incredibly nosy from the very beginning. I was incredibly lucky to meet a couple of journalists' contacts over coffee, do research about Kaupthing for a story, eat a lovely lunch in the Design Museum thanks to a PR company and be a PA to John Waples for a week. And I got three bylines. Furthermore, all interns at the time had a trip to the printers and visited the BSkyB studios, which was a very insightful experience.

The deadline for applications is Friday of 0th week of Trinity Term 2010. To apply fill in this form and attach relevant documents.

Good luck!

Oxford Media Society resumes

2010-03-14T18:20:00.005Z

I'm pleased to inform you all that the Oxford Media Society is being resurrected once again. The blog should be updated regularly from now onwards and a new term card will be published nearer the Trinity term.

Richard Beeston - postponed

2008-11-17T20:11:00.002Z

Unfortunately, Richard Beeston has had to postpone his talk on the 24th. We're going to try and rearrange for some other time before the end of term. Will keep you posted.

Fomer Cherwell editor dies

2008-11-14T15:26:00.002Z

Fred Newman, writer, magazine-founder and keen student journalist, has died.

http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=6&storycode=42452&c=1

Simon Jenkins on 'being a columnist'

2008-11-13T01:38:00.005Z

Friday 14th, 5pm, at Nuffield College

http://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/events/media-and-politics-seminar/event/cal/event/20081114//list-242/tx_cal_phpicalendar//being-a-columnist.html

Philip Geddes memorial lecture

2008-11-07T04:22:00.002Z

Philip Geddes Memorial Lecture

LIONEL BARBER, editor, The Financial Times, will deliver the Philip Geddes Memorial Lecture at 5.30 p.m. on Friday, 7 November, in the Doctorow Hall, St Edmund Hall.

Subject: 'W(h)ither journalism? The future of the press and new media.'

Join us on Facebook

2008-10-09T18:10:00.002+01:00

Find our group here.

Membership

2008-10-09T16:38:00.002+01:00

If you'd like to join Media Soc please pidge a cheque (made payable to 'Oxford Media Society') to Tom Seymour at Wadham College.

Membership fees are as follows:

One year's membership: £12
Life membership: £20

Benefits of joining:

Free entry to all Media Soc events
Invitations to social events
Regular email updates on all the latest internship and job prospects
Members will have the chance to go for dinner with our guests after they have spoken to the society

Non-members can attend speaker events by paying £3 on the door.

Sign up

2008-10-08T22:34:00.000+01:00

Missed us at Freshers' Fair?

If you want to join our mailing list, just send an email to oxfordmediasocATgmailDOTcom.

We'll let you know when events are coming up and where they are taking place.

Four media award nominations for Oxford

2008-10-02T19:35:00.001+01:00

Oxford is well represented in this year's Guardian Student Media Awards. Congratulations to the following for making the shortlist:

Oxymoron - Magazine of the Year
Hannah Kuchler (OxStu) - Reporter of the Year
Cherwell - Publication Design of the Year and Website of the Year

And how that figures in comparison to other universities:

York - 10 nominations in 7 categories
Edinburgh - 8 nominations in 7 categories
Oxford - 4 nominations in 4 categories
Imperial - 4 nominations in 4 categories
Arts London - 4 for the LCC in 2 categories + 1 for the Uni as a whole
Leeds - 4 in 2 categories
LSE - 4 in 2 categories