Alan Yentob: 'The BBC can't compete with its hands tied behind its back'

BBC's creative director on his closeness to Tony Hall, competition from rivals like Google – and his plan for more appsAlan Yentob is having his picture taken on a staircase overlooking the vast BBC newsroom at New Broadcasting House and telling me about the flooding at his house in Somerset when we are interrupted by annoyed news staff.They ask us to move as flashes from the camera can be seen on-screen on the BBC News Channel – illustrating the perils of having a newsroom as a backdrop for live bulletins.Yentob apologises and we retire to his office – a former radio drama kitchen that sits between Old and New Broadcasting House. Apt, as Yentob bridges the old and new within the organisation. His office is narrow but cosy – desk stacked with books and an Alan Yentob mask someone sent him. There is a fold-up bike below his desk, just like the one Hugh Bonneville's character Ian Fletcher has as head of BBC Values in John Morton's forthcoming follow-up to Twenty Twelve, W1A, in which Yentob has a cameo.But as there's no table, we move to director general Tony Hall's office. As he confirms, Yentob played a part in bringing Hall back to the BBC after George Entwistle resigned. "I always felt that Tony should've been the director general. Yes, I did talk to [Lord Patten] about it and I did speak to Tony. For Tony it wasn't without its risks, he loved his [Royal Opera House] job."It seemed his influence might wane under Entwistle, but it is obvious he is now back at the heart... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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12 new books to get your hands on this week.

Hot off the presses: new books from Rebecca Makkai, Nona Fernández, and more! * Rebecca Makkai, I Have Some Questions for You (Viking) “This psychological thriller hits all the high notes, complete with at least a few revelations you won’t see coming.” –Good Housekeeping Erica Berry, Wolfish... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-21 09:56:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #rebecca makkai #nona fernndez #high notes #memoir


Bookstore Sales Bounce Back in 2022

Last year's bookstore sales increased to prepandemic levels, according to preliminary estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #preliminary estimates #census bureau #bookstore sales


As Book Bans and Legislative Attacks Escalate, the New Press Pushes Back

“As a leading publisher of progressive education books, our response to Ron DeSantis and the College Board will be to bring attention to this chilling, racist, and cynical moment,” New Press publisher Ellen Adler told PW. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book bans #leading publisher #ron desantis #college board #bring attention


Remembering an American Writer: Anthony Walton on James Alan McPherson’s Essays and Legacy

James Alan McPherson is famous as the first Black writer to win the Pulitzer Prize in fiction; a new book aims to bring fresh attention to his masterful nonfiction. The volume’s editor, poet and writer Anthony Walton, joins V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss On Becoming an... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-16 09:55:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #american writer #black writer #book aims #whitney terrell #pulitzer prize


Apple's AirPods Pro drop back to $199, plus the rest of the week's best tech deals

We've been keeping tabs on the best TV deals ahead of this weekend's Super Bowl, but there are plenty of noteworthy tech deals going on for those who aren't looking to overhaul their living room. Apple's AirPods Pro, for instance, are back down to an all-time low of $199, while Amazon is running... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-02-10 16:29:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pay extra #256gb ssd #$20 higher #roughly $40 #follow @engadgetdeals #kindle


“Just Go Back to the Work.” Filmmaker Lizzie Gottlieb on Documenting the Remarkable Partnership Between Her Father and Robert Caro

When director Lizzie Gottlieb set out to explore the remarkable partnership between her father, celebrated book editor Robert Gottlieb, and the preeminent political biographer Robert Caro for her new documentary Turn Every Page, she knew being impartial was not only impossible, it was beside the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-23 09:58:01 UTC ]
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5 boundary-pushing laptops I’m dying to get my hands on in 2023

There’s nothing more exciting to me than a laptop with unique features or an out-of-the-box design. While a slew of brand spanking new laptops were announced at CES this year, there were some that really stood out from the rest. From RGB keyboards on Chromebooks to portable laptops so thin... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2023-01-18 11:45:00 UTC ]
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A romance novelist came back to life. Angry fans say she faked her death

Scandal and despair hit the romance community when Susan Meachen was purportedly bullied into suicide. Was it a hoax?In 2020 the tightly knit and passionate world of self-published romance literature was shocked by the news that the novelist Susan Meachen, following bullying by other writers,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-14 10:00:06 UTC ]
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Napoleonic Conspiracy Theories, Unsociable Shabbiness, and More Occupational Hazards of the Second-Hand Book Trade

“Booksellers are constantly giving their patrons extraordinary bargains. In London recently a copy of an early edition of Keats’ Poems, originally bought from a dealer for 2s was sold for £140, and a first edition of Burns’ Poems bought in Edinburgh for 1s 6d brought £350.” –R.M. Williamson,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-07 09:53:48 UTC ]
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Hands on with Microsoft Designer, an AI art masterpiece

The upcoming Microsoft Designer is a visual art design tool that you simply must try for yourself. It’s simply one of the best consumer apps Microsoft has ever made, following in the footsteps of Clipchamp. Why use Designer? Two reasons: AI art and templates. In Designer, you can combine... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2022-11-30 21:59:02 UTC ]
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How Mastodon and federated services put social networks in the people’s hands

The Internet is getting weird again. Twitter’s recent stumbles under new ownership have surprisingly shined a quick light on the world of federated and decentralized social networking services, like Mastodon. These services are peer-to-peer or community-run networks, depending on the... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2022-11-30 11:45:00 UTC ]
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Martin Sorrell-backed S4S Ventures, Bertelsmann invest $10M in data asset management outfit as it blends new content, analytics-based marketing for clients

The recent explosion in content has created the need not only for more sophisticated tools to manage it, but better ways to attach data and analytics to the content in order to better optimize it at the right time for the right opportunity. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2022-11-22 05:01:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's Black Friday sale brings Kindle e-readers back to all-time lows

Amazon's Black Friday deals have started going live, and its Echo Show displays, Fire tablets and Fire TV devices are already being sold at a discount. Also on sale? Its Kindle e-readers, some of which are now listed for the lowest prices we've seen for them on the website. The Kindle Paperwhite... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-11-18 13:13:24 UTC ]
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The Art of the Hand-Sell: 31 Spooky, Eerie, and Uncanny Books for Halloween

Is there anything scarier than not knowing what great book you’re going to read next? Big love to the booksellers at Exile in Bookville (Chicago, IL), Raven Book Store (Lawrence, KS), Copper Dog Books (Beverly, MA), and The Haunted Bookshop (Iowa City, IA) for their generous recommendations.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-10-31 08:59:42 UTC ]
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Hell and Back by Craig Johnson, Read by George Guidall

Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens. Golden Voice narrator George Guidall compellingly narrates Craig Johnson’s latest Longmire... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-10-24 13:48:59 UTC ]
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Booksellers Thrilled to Get Back Together

In-person regional bookseller conferences came roaring back to life this fall with six high-energy shows. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Ingram Backs Book.io, A NFT Book Marketplace

Book.io, which describes itself as “an NFT marketplace for buying, reading, and selling e-books and audiobooks,” is looking to help authors build new revenue streams, and has buy-in from Ingram. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Fans Come Roaring Back to New York Comic Con 2022

New York Comic Con returned to the Javits Center at full strength for 2022. Held October 6-9, the event drew 200,000 attendees, according to a spokesperson for ReedPop, the show organizer. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Watchmen author Alan Moore: ‘I’m definitely done with comics’

As he releases his first short story collection, the revered writer talks about magic, the problem with superhero movies and why he will never write another graphic novelI’ve been enamoured of prose fiction for quite a long while,” says Alan Moore. He is speaking to me from his home in... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-10-07 09:00:54 UTC ]
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