The story of how British TV news became less stuffy and more competitive was the topic on a recent “MTSU On the Record” radio program. 

Dr. Maddie Liseblad

Host Gina Logue’s interview with Dr. Madeleine “Maddie” Liseblad, an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media, first aired Dec. 1 on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 and www.wmot.org.

You can listen to their conversation via the Soundcloud link above.

Liseblad’s new book, “American Consultants and the Marketization of Television News in the United Kingdom,” examines Frank Magid and Associates’ consultancy of British television news platforms in the 1990s.

The idea was to introduce changes in presentation and editing that would make British newscasts more like American newscasts.

The traditional standard was set by the government-funded British Broadcasting Corp., which presented excellent journalism in a very stiff, formal manner that was not necessarily appealing to all viewers.

“It was very long-winded,” Liseblad said. “They would have politicians on the air giving sound bites for two, three, four minutes … U.K. television has this tradition of not inserting personality into their TV broadcasting.

“They didn’t have the anchors being shown on air for a very long time, and when they first showed the anchors on the air — they’re called presenters in the U.K.— they didn’t identify them.”

To hear previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, visit the searchable “Audio Clips” archives at www.mtsunews.com.

For more information about the radio program, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.