Tag: bbc sounds

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Listening to Lunar Lore

Like millions of people over the last few weeks, I’ve been following the progress of the Artemis II project to orbit the moon and return home.

I’m no expert on space, but the mission appears to have been a textbook one. The splashdown was even timed perfectly for primetime Friday night TV in the US, although we in the UK had to stay up somewhat later.

Since the last visit to the moon, computing power and data rates have improved enormously, offering a multimedia experience that was still science fiction in 1972. Despite this, I largely followed the trip in audio form.

BBC Sounds already had an podcast called 13 Minutes to the Moon that was resurrected for the occasion. The title is somewhat misleading because the episodes aren’t 13 minutes long; rather, it orginally covered the final 13 minutes before the Apollo 11 landing.

In its most recent form, Maggie Aderin from The Sky at Night presented a daily summary with guests including the astronaut Tim Peake.

Oddly enough, the lack of visual information didn’t diminish the coverage at all. At times, in fact, it helped when the presenters stepped in with context and small details that a video stream probably wouldn’t have paused to explain. I’ve mentioned before that I enjoy audio drama, and listening to each update felt like the next part of the saga.

These missions are all but guaranteed to seep their way into popular culture over the next few years because we’ve seen this pattern before.

We’ll see retrospective documentaries and scripted dramas exploring the relationships between the crew members. We’ll see a glut of novels using space travel as a backdrop or a metaphor, much like we’ve seen terrorist attacks used since 2001.

Some works will be thoughtful, and a good many more will – frankly – be opportunistic. Either way, they’ll be trying to make sense of a moment that’s not only historic, but already feels that way.

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Understanding Ephemerality

Over the past couple of months, I’ve been catching up on the When It Hits the Fan podcast on BBC Sounds. It’s advertised as an insider’s view of how critical stories are managed from a public relations point of view. David Yelland, a former editor of The Sun, presents alongside former Royal communications advisor Simon Lewis.

Considering their backgrounds, the two sometimes bring differing or even opposite perspectives, yet there is a surprising crossover of agreement. Where is a debate, these are always respectful. Many other podcasts could learn from this.

Episodes tend to centre around how a communications lead will shape a message to influence the perception of its subject while staying within legal and ethical boundaries. There are also mini-episodes in how to manage what they describe as your ‘own personal PR’, from negotiating a salary to dealing with mismanagement from bosses.

Having heard so many episodes spread over the last years, I’ve found it interesting how language, timing and framing determine whether a story escalates or fizzles out in the short-term. In the long-term, almost every story becomes forgettable to a greater or lesser extent.

One example discussed was an incident from Normandy in June 2024 when Rishi Sunak, who left a D-Day commemoration early This was a hot topic at the time, especially as it happened during an election campaign, but has not become a defining moment in his political career.

Then there was the rebranding of Jaguar in November 2024. This attracted a lot of discussion on release, possibly in the hope of generating buzz and therefore free advertising. In the last 12 months, however, this has generally been met by public indifference.

As I write this, I’m reminded of this what a senior manager told my team a few years back: “Look back through your old emails. What was the meaning of life a month ago is probably irrelevant today.’ It’s the same with going through old blog entries. Who remembers when I talked about the Sheree Mack plagiarism scandal or the list of forgotten Booker Prize winners?

In short, When It Hits the Fan is a offers an insight into the power of persuasive language when it matters, yet it’s a useful reminder that many stories burn brightly before quickly becoming ephemera. A new episode is currently being posted every week.