Posts by Kate Fallis

We have held our Big Talk events for several years, but this was the first time we’ve had an all-radio and an all-female line-up. When it comes to PR stories, whilst many brands would love to find airtime with them, they’re a tough audience to please

It’s RAJAR day! The Q2 2019 results are out and there are some major changes across national and regional radio in the UK. We’re taking a look at those changes to see who’s come out on top this quarter…

Love Island, it’s one of ITV 2’s most popular reality television series, with producers scrolling through thousands of applications each year. While it may seem life in the villa is all things glamorous, it is indeed a big risk for these (mostly) everyday beautiful people to leave their full –time jobs and hope they stay in the series long enough to make an impact. Don’t get me wrong – most Islanders go on to make mega-bucks, but what about the ones that only hang on for a few days? Before we look at the successful future careers of the main attractions, we have to take a look at the ones who came in looking for love, but probably only left the show as unemployed.

It’s a national, digital radio station which reaches over half a million people every week, but also one that is perhaps not as well understood as the more mainstream BBC stations. So it was with interest that we welcomed George Mann, Impact Editor at BBC Asian Network, to speak at one of our regular Shout! Communications Small Talks.

In this digital age, it’s smart phones that rule the world; but are you using yours to its full potential? According to our recent Shout! Communications Small Talk speaker, Marc Settle, if you’re only using your phone for calls and texts, then you might as well have an old-school Nokia from the early 2000s! Marc is the BBC’s trainer in mobile journalism and his insights were nothing short of extraordinary. Not only is mobile technology changing the way broadcast journalists work, it will change the way we view and interact with it as an audience too.

To OB, or not to OB? That is the question…Whilst many radio days can be completed from the comfort of our lovely Bloomsbury studio, there are some which can benefit from the atmosphere of an outside broadcast (OB).
An OB typically consists of studio equipment which is set up in a remote location, outside of a studio. It means live and pre-recorded interviews can be conducted with more context and atmosphere. Potentially (technology allowing) it can be done from anywhere: an event, a ship-launch, a field…you are only limited by your imagination. So, if you’re tossing up the pros and cons of an OB for an upcoming campaign, this should give you more of an idea of what it’s all about.

The “B” word. It’s topical, it’s divisive and you’ve probably not gone a day without mentioning it since at least June 2016. We’re talking about Brexit. That was the topic of our latest Shout! Communications’ Big Talk event, where we asked a stellar line-up of senior broadcast editors to share their thoughts on the current political landscape.

The radio group will network its breakfast shows on Capital, Heart and Smooth by the end of 2019 and will close numerous regional stations completely. Hoping to rival the likes of BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2, Global say they’re creating the three largest commercial radio breakfast shows in the UK on Capital, Heart and Smooth with 4.8m, 3.7m and 2.7m weekly listeners. It comes after Ofcom made changes to its localness guide and announced the deregulation of commercial radio in October 2018.

There is no denying podcasts have taken the world by storm in a scarily short amount of time. It’s crazy to think around 6 million UK adults are tuning in to podcasts every week. That’s a number that’s almost doubled in five years (from 3.2 million in 2013) according to the latest Ofcom figures.


By Kate Fallis, Broadcast PR Consultant
So, you’ve booked in your broadcast campaign and the launch day has finally arrived. Now it’s showtime and the pressure is on your spokesperson to weave in key messages and branding within the interviews, to keep you, or if you’re an agency, your client happy.

By Kate Fallis, Broadcast PR Consultant
Securing overseas coverage for clients is becoming much more prevalent and often the icing on the cake off the back of a successful UK campaign. Many clients have an EMEA and global brief too and selling in to international broadcasters is increasingly a requirement.

By Kate Fallis, Broadcast PR Consultant
We recently had the pleasure of hosting Jim Grice, Head of News and Current Affairs at London Live, at Shout! Communications for a ‘Small Talk’. As a regional and national media veteran, we knew Jim’s insights would be invaluable to us and our guests, so we’d like to share them with those of you who weren’t there.

By Kate Fallis, Broadcast PR Consultant
There’s always something going on in the pop culture world, but perhaps the most exciting news for many reality TV fans across the UK this week is the beginning of Love Island, Season 4. If you’re a dedicated listener, chances are you may have heard presenter Nick Grimshaw’s announcement this week – he’s moving to the drive slot from September, swapping with fellow Radio 1 presenter Greg James.

By Kate Fallis, Broadcast PR Consultant
The latest RAJAR figures are just out, reflecting the first 3 months of this year, and there are some surprising outcomes to say the least.

By Kate Fallis, Broadcast PR Consultant
Securing broadcast coverage can be the cherry on top of a great campaign, bringing all elements together on television and radio to reach millions, so it’s no wonder our clients love it! If you’re reading this, then chances are you’re someone who has either had first-hand experience with, or is interested in broadcast PR.

by Kate Fallis
Our second fantastic speaker at the latest Shout! Big Talk was Chief Correspondent at Good Morning Britain, Richard Gaisford.