The BBC Sound Archive
Hear from the people behind the scenes at the BBC Archive
The BBC Sound Archive
The BBC Sound Archive
An interview with Simon Rooks, BBC Sound Archivist
Simon Rooks, BBC Sound Archivist, explains why recording programmes was originally frowned on and what happened to make attitudes change.
- Click on a heading below to jump to that section of the film
- What's so special about the BBC Sound Archive?
- Why aren't there many recordings from the early days of radio?
- Why did the BBC start making recordings?
- When was the importance of the BBC Sound Archive realised?
- What sort of recordings did the early archivists keep?
- What production techniques were used to make early recordings?
- Why were some recordings wiped?
- Does the BBC keep copies of all programmes today?
- What is the BBC doing to preserve the sound archive for future generations?
Transcript
What is the BBC doing to preserve the sound archive for future generations?
The most important thing the BBC is doing to secure the future of the archive, and make it more accessible, is the preservation programme. This is digitising all the old formats and storing those in digital audio files, which will make it much easier to manage the archive and deliver the archive.
