Festival of (Me)dia – Conference Report

Abstract

The Festival of (Me)dia was a weekend long event (April 13th – 14th 2024) that took place as part of the larger ‘DIY TV: The History and Influence of the BBC’s Community Programmes Unit’ project which was made possible with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The aim of the project is to preserve and disseminate the history of the Community Programmes Unit (CPU). From its formation in 1972, the CPU handed over creative and editorial control to non-professional participants, in order to extend the range of voices and issues being presented by the BBC. The Festival of (Me)dia provided a space for members of the CPU to talk about what it was like to be involved in the Unit as it developed over the 30 year period it was operational.