Media UK

BBC Radio Kent - news archive

This is an archive of news about BBC Radio Kent. Some links may no longer work, due to the transient nature of the internet.

Final editions of Kent weekly newspapers hit the presses
From Hold the Front Page. Posted May 16 2008, 7.00am
Award-winning Bromley and Bexley titles close down (more)

Maidstone's kmfm leaves town
From Radio Today. Posted May 15 2008, 12.00am
The KM Group has gained Ofcom approval to move kmfm West Kent and kmfm Maidstone out of their broadcast area to a new studio complex at kmfm Medway in Rochester.Plus, for 20 hours a day, programming on all three services will be shared to create a West Kent network. (more)

Union recognition at Northcliffe's Kent newspapers
From Hold the Front Page. Posted May 7 2008, 1.10pm
NUJ members gain official voice at Kent Regional Newspapers (more)

NUJ claims union recognition at Northcliffe's Kent Regional Newspapers
From Press Gazette. Posted May 7 2008, 12.00am
NUJ members at Northcliffe-owned Kent Regional Newspapers have today claimed formal union recognition. (more)

Madonna signs for Big Weekend
From Radio Today. Posted April 22 2008, 4.00am
BBC Radio 1 has announced that international pop star Madonna will headline the station's Big Weekend at Mote Park in Maidstone, Kent, next month. (more)

BBC Radio 1 secures Madonna
From Radio Today. Posted April 22 2008, 12.40am
BBC Radio 1 has announced that international pop star Madonna will headline the station's Big Weekend at Mote Park in Maidstone, Kent, next month. (more)

Two Kent Messenger ‘Extra’ titles to close due to losses
From Press Gazette. Posted April 8 2008, 12.00am
The Kent Messenger Group has announced plans to close its two loss-making weekly free titles in south-east London, and has entered into consultation with 30 affected staff. (more)

Two Kent Messenger 'Extra' titles to close due to losses
From Press Gazette. Posted April 8 2008, 12.00am
The Kent Messenger Group has announced plans to close its two loss-making weekly free titles in south-east London, and has entered into consultation with 30 affected staff. (more)

Kent weekly helps town mark return of troops from Afghanistan
From Hold the Front Page. Posted April 7 2008, 5.40am
Welcome home event marks culmination of newspaper's efforts for 36 Engineer Regiment (more)

Freelancer of the fortnight: Gavin Atkin, Kent
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted March 11 2008, 12.00am
Journalism.co.uk catches up with a member of its freelance community. Gavin Atkin specialises in medicine and pharmaceutical marketing (more)

Kent title persuades PM to answer reader questions
From Hold the Front Page. Posted March 6 2008, 2.00am
Assistant editor went to No10 on behalf of the readers (more)

New editor-in-chief appointed to take Kent weeklies forward
From Hold the Front Page. Posted March 3 2008, 11.25am
Plans will develop digital activities and review the company's newspaper portfolio across east Kent (more)

Kent weekly newspaper goes part-free
From Press Gazette. Posted February 28 2008, 12.00am
A weekly newspaper in the Archant-owned Kentish Times group will next week become the latest title to experiment with a part-paid-for and part-free distribution strategy. (more)

Kent media to gather for annual awards ceremony
From Hold the Front Page. Posted January 31 2008, 12.35am
Prestigious scheme celebrates two decades of recognising journalists' achievements (more)

Kent Messenger claims world scoop with �53m robbery accused
From Hold the Front Page. Posted January 30 2008, 9.45am
Canteen coffee secures "world's first interview" with cleared defendant (more)

Jingle Company Add 14 UK Stations to Portfolio
From Merry Media. Posted January 14 2008, 11.39pm
Dallas based jingle company JonesTM have added 14 new stations to their UK portfolio this month which includes Citybeat in Belfast and the Kent Messenger Radio Group in Kent. . (more)

New sound for UK stations
From Radio Today. Posted January 14 2008, 4.36pm
Dallas based jingle company JonesTM have added 14 new stations to their UK portfolio this month, including Belfast’s Citybeat and the entire KM Radio Group in Kent. (more)

KMG boss takes up new role at Kent Uni's new journalism centre
From Hold the Front Page. Posted December 21 2007, 12.00am
New degree programme in journalism is officially launched at the Medway campus (more)

Radio Kent Journalist Jonathan Witchell Dies
From Merry Media. Posted December 18 2007, 9.48pm
BBC Radio Kent broadcast journalist Jonathan Witchell died last weekend at the age of 33 following a short illness. Jonathan was with Radio Kent for 10 years and has also worked at Radio Devon and Radio Lincolnshire. . (more)

BBC Radio Kent journalist dies
From Radio Today. Posted December 18 2007, 8.28pm
BBC Radio Kent broadcast journalist Jonathan Witchell has passed away at the age of 33 He died on Saturday 15th December following a short illness. Jonathan studied at Salford University before completing a Masters degree at Stirling University and joining BBC Radio Devon. (more)

Tamworth Herald and Kent on Sunday win top gongs at press awards
From Hold the Front Page. Posted November 30 2007, 12.00am
Click through for the winners and runners-up from last night's event (more)

Tamworth Herald and Kent on Sunday win NS awards
From Press Gazette. Posted November 30 2007, 12.00am
The Tamworth Herald and Kent on Sunday have been named weekly newspapers of the year in the respective paid and free Newspaper Society Awards categories. (more)

BRFM Interview Lord Norman Tebitt
From Merry Media. Posted November 19 2007, 12.21am
Lord Norman Tebitt was interviewed by Dave Williams for community radio station BRFM in Kent. The former secretary of state for trade and industry thinks that community radio is a "great idea".. (more)

CN Group executive to join Kent Messenger Group as MD
From Hold the Front Page. Posted October 4 2007, 12.00am
Interim role will help drive KM business forward (more)

Kent Messenger Group appoints new MD
From Press Gazette. Posted October 4 2007, 12.00am
The CN Group’s Chris Bisco is leaving the company to become group interim managing director of the Kent Messenger Group. (more)

Council refuses calls for Kent TV details
From Press Gazette. Posted October 2 2007, 12.00am
The Kent Messenger Group has called on the Information Commissioner to force Kent County Council to disclose details about its £1.4m broadband TV service, Kent TV, which launched last Friday. (more)

Ex-Press Gazette editor joins University of Kent
From Press Gazette. Posted September 28 2007, 12.00am
Former Press Gazette editor Ian Reeves has joined the University of Kent to help set up a new journalism degree at the Medway Campus in Chatham. (more)

Kent on Sunday swoops on local news market
From Press Gazette. Posted September 24 2007, 12.00am
As ITV announced proposals to scale back its coverage of regional news, newspaper group KoS Media sees an opportunity, as it launches eight new newspapers and accompanying websites. (more)

Kent broadband TV service goes live
From Media Guardian. Posted September 21 2007, 1.00am
Bob Geldof's Ten Alps has launched the UK's first local authority broadband TV channel. By Leigh Holmwood. (more)

Chief Constable of Kent Police Visits BRFM
From Merry Media. Posted September 20 2007, 12.15am
BRFM, the community radio station for the Isle of Sheppey, held an open day on Wednesday. During the open day, the Chief Constable of Kent Police, Michael Fuller, dropped by for a visit.. (more)

KM Group rebrands ctr 105.6
From Radio Today. Posted September 12 2007, 8.51am
As expected, ever since the sale of ctr 105.6fm to the Kent Messenger Group almost 12 months ago, Maidstone's local radio station is now known as kmfm. The name change brings the amount of km branded stations in Kent to seven. (more)

CTR 105.6 Rebrands as KMFM Maidstone
From Merry Media. Posted September 12 2007, 1.19am
CTR 105.6 FM has rebranded as KMFM Maidstone from just after midnight today. The station is owned by the Kent Messenger Group who own other KMFM stations in the Kent region.. (more)

Eight new Kent papers hit the streets
From Press Gazette. Posted September 12 2007, 12.00am
On the same day ITV announced it is cutting back on its regional coverage eight free newspapers launched by independent publishing company KoS Media hit the streets for the first time with a total distribution of 100,000. (more)

Jay Sean & Raghav new music airs on A Network
From Biz Asia. Posted September 11 2007, 9.53am
RnB artist Jay Sean will exclusively perform songs from his new album 'My Own Way' on the BBC Asian Network's Uni Tour '07. After the success of the 2006 Uni Tour, Asian Network announces another ten date tour which will see its unique sound taken to Universities up and down the UK . The tour kicks off Friday 28th September at University of Hertfordshire where Jay Sean will headline with support from H.Dhami and Mumzy, Swami and Asian Network DJs Bobby Friction, DJ Kayper and Sonny Ji who will play throughout the tour with appearances also from Panjabi Hit Squad. Jay Sean had UK Chart success with his debut album, 'Me Against Myself' in 2004 as well as his singles like "Eyes on You" and "Stolen" which reached the Top 10. Jay Sean is also a big hit overseas in India where his first album sold over 2 million copies. The Kings College date - Thursday 25th October will see Jay Sean perform a special LIVE album preview. The Tour will see exclusive plays of much anticipated new material from Raghav who has seen widespread international chart success with Top 10 hits like "Can't Get Enough" and "Angel Eyes" as well as female urban artist Hard Kaur who is returning with a new album later this year entitled 'Supawoman'. Lyrical pioneers Swami will showcase new material including their hit single "Hey Hey" which is getting major MySpace attention as well as heavy radio play. Their anticipated album 'Equalize' takes influences from North African and French hip-hop to the rap of the American East Coast. Ones to watch this time around include British Asian Hip Hop acts Sona Family whose music is supported by Radio DJs Bobby Friction and Nihal, Bhangra artist Imran Khan and the Rishi Rich Showcase featuring H.Dhami and Mumzy. Rishi Rich is a pioneering producer famous for his mix of bhangra, Bollywood and urban beats. He has produced albums on the British-Asian music scene and has also made a mark on the mainstream charts, producing and remixing hits for Madonna, Britney Spears, Mary J Blige and Craig David. Uni Tour 07 takes in Hertfordshire, Leeds, Middlesex, Surrey, Manchester, London, Leicester, Warwick, Kent and Sheffield. Full details of artists appearing is shown below. Mark Strippel, BBC Asian Network Head of Music said: "Asian Network is proud to really support and nurture the British-Asian music scene. Asian Network is where you'll find the hottest DJs and artists and new British Asian material - first. That's why artists choose to work with us exclusively. We’re especially excited to have the first exclusive access to Jay Sean’s new album". Bobby Friction, Asian Network's flagship specialist DJ said: "I'm so revved about the Uni Tour because it's grown substantially this year and we're covering length breadth of UK. The tour musically is going to be Asian beats heaven, with a mix from the established order dropping exclusives and performing with us, PLUS what's really got me hot under the collar is the new generation of acts who'll be using this tour to break through. British Universities are actually on the cutting edge when it comes to live Asian music and creativity." (more)

Kent trainee claims scoop after winning interview with ex-Pakistan PM
From Hold the Front Page. Posted September 6 2007, 12.00am
How local newspaper beat nationals to a global story (more)

BBC Essex presenter dies
From Radio Today. Posted September 4 2007, 8.03pm
BBC Essex's Faith producer and presenter Chris Bard has died suddenly whilst researching a broadcasting project in Ireland. The radio host had presented the Sunday faith programme on BBC Essex since 2001, and made his first broadcast on BBC Radio Kent in 1975. (more)

KMFM commended for radio training
From thenoise.co.uk. Posted August 30 2007, 8.44am
The KMFM group in Kent has been highly commended in the broadcast category at this year’s National Training Awards. The award, created by the UK Skills and the Broadcast Training and Skills Regulator, aims to recognise excellence in training people in broadcast skills. KMFM was the only local broadcaster to make it onto the shortlist for the [...] (more)

KMFM Happy with RAJAR Results
From Merry Media. Posted August 17 2007, 11.06am
KMFM are over the moon with the latest radio audience figures released yesterday by RAJAR for Q2-07 revealing that they have a 11.1% market share in East Kent, ahead of their nearest competitor, Invicta FM, who have a 9.9% share.. (more)

Tony Blackburn Joins Kent's KMFM
From Merry Media. Posted July 28 2007, 1.54am
Tony Blackburn has joined the KMFM family of radio stations in Kent to present a show on a Sunday afternoon in which he will play his favourite tunes. The former Radio 1 and Classic Gold presenter will present his first show on August 5.. (more)

Tony Blackburn joins KMFM
From Radio Today. Posted July 27 2007, 10.03am
In the same week that Tony Blackburn announces his departure from Classic Gold, RadioToday.co.uk can reveal he is to join kmfm for weekly syndicated show across Kent. The show will air each Sunday from 4pm till 7pm and feature "his favourite tunes". (more)

Kent newspaper launches to create 20 jobs
From Press Gazette. Posted July 27 2007, 12.00am
KoS Media is to launch eight weekly newspapers across Kent along with accompanying mobile services, websites and what it describes as "online TV stations" in a £1m venture. (more)

Newspaper launch in Kent to create 20 jobs
From Press Gazette. Posted July 26 2007, 12.00am
Independent publishing company KoS Media is to launch eight weekly newspapers across Kent along with accompanying websites and what it describes as “online TV stations” in a £1m venture. (more)

BR FM Combines Radio with School with Council
From Merry Media. Posted July 22 2007, 2.17pm
BR FM - a community radio station in Kent - is taking 40 students from a local school (S.C.C.) to Swale house home of Swale borough council where local students will be holding council and putting questions direct to council officials.. (more)

Red Sands Radio to broadcast on 1278 kHz from 14-23 July
From Media Network Weblog. Posted June 19 2007, 10.37am
A ten-day Restricted Service Licence (RSL)  operation will take place from 14-23 July 2007 from the same Fort used by British offshore broadcaster Radio 390 in 1964-1967. Red Sands Fort, 7 nautical miles off Whitstable in Kent, is the location, and UK communications regulator Ofcom has allocated 1278 kHz for the operation. For those outside the local [...] (more)

Quake brings reader boost across Kent titles
From Hold the Front Page. Posted May 8 2007, 12.00am
Multi-media hit for KMG as news staff produce coverage online, in-paper and in a picture special (more)

Outrage over A&E cutbacks prompts Kentish Times action
From Hold the Front Page. Posted April 24 2007, 12.00am
Hundreds of readers pledge support as weekly takes up fight (more)

Death of former Kent editor
From Hold the Front Page. Posted April 10 2007, 12.00am
Tributes are paid to "talented all-round journalist" (more)

Kent media company named official Tour de France partner
From Hold the Front Page. Posted April 3 2007, 12.00am
Big race visits Kent for first time - and KMG will be part of the action (more)

Kent Messenger Group chief executive to leave the company
From Hold the Front Page. Posted March 19 2007, 12.00am
News boss steps down after 13 years with group (more)

Invicta FM Arrange X Factor Mother's Day
From Merry Media. Posted March 13 2007, 4.31am
This Mother's Day Invicta FM's breakfast show 'James and Ali in the Morning' have arranged for one Kent mom to have X Factor finalist Ben Mills perform a very small gig in the comfort of her front room.. (more)

Capital Gold promotes England
From Radio Today. Posted February 27 2007, 10.01am
Capital Gold stations in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Kent, Sussex and Hampshire have joined up with VisitBritain’s official website for tourism in England, enjoyengland.com in a one year media partnership deal to promote activities and short breaks in England. (more)

BR FM Completes First Training Course
From Merry Media. Posted January 28 2007, 2.59am
BR FM has completed its very first training project, shortly after winning a grant from the Kent County Council's Rural Revival Project.. (more)

Crack radio squad track down A-Team Big Brother man
From Breaking Radio. Posted January 6 2007, 11.42pm
THE A-TEAM may have managed to evade the military for a "crime they didn't commit" while working as soldiers of fortune, but one of the stars of the show could not escape two determined DJs from Kent. (more)

BR FM Gets Surpise Call
From Merry Media. Posted January 4 2007, 12.43am
Danny Lawrence, the afternoon show presenter on Kent community radio station BR FM was running a mystery pop star competition and got a surpise caller to the station.. (more)

Policeman Takes to the Air at BR FM
From Merry Media. Posted December 13 2006, 5.12pm
Police Officer at Kent Police will be taking to the airwaves of community radio station BR FM.. (more)

Kent Messenger Group talks to 4,500 readers
From Press Gazette. Posted November 23 2006, 12.00pm
The Kent Messenger Group has conducted 4,500 face-to-face interviews in one of its largest reader surveys. (more)

CTR 105.6 FM Sold to the Kent Messenger Group
From Merry Media. Posted November 11 2006, 2.49am
The local radio station for Maidstone - CTR 105.6 FM has been sold to the Kent Messenger Group bringing the total amount of stations the company owns to seven.. (more)

CTR sold to KM Group
From Radio Today. Posted November 10 2006, 12.00pm
EXCLUSIVE: Maidstone's local radio station, CTR has been sold to the Kent Messenger Group.The agreement to purchase shares from major shareholders of CTR now gives KMG total control of seven local FM stations in Kent. (more)

Morgan uses Kent paper to call truce with Hislop
From Press Gazette. Posted November 2 2006, 2.00pm
Former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan called an end to his longstanding feud with Private Eye editor Ian Hislop, exclusively through the pages of the Kent on Sunday. (more)

Bob Bounds to be new editor of the Kent Messenger
From Media Guardian. Posted October 19 2006, 1.00am
11am: Bob Bounds is to be the new editor of the Kent Messenger, the UK's biggest-selling regional weekly newspaper. By Steve Busfield. (more)

BRFM Bridge Radio Confirms Their New Frequency
From Merry Media. Posted August 28 2006, 9.34pm
Community radio station BRFM Bridge Radio have confirmed that their frequency for covering Kent will be 95.6 FM. BRFM Bridge Radio was one of the lucky stations to be awarded a 5 year community radio licence by Ofcom in May and will broadcast to the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. The station aims to launch on air in Winter Autumn 2006/2007. The Station Director Danny Lawrence praised the hard working team at BRFM "I would like to say thank you to all the team at Br fm - and to everybody who has helped to spread our name. Community Radio is the answer for us as the people of the island and beyond love radio and the benefits of community radio is so high in our area.". (more)

Kentish Saturday Observer adds Review section
From Press Gazette. Posted August 16 2006, 11.00pm
The Kentish Saturday Observer is expanding its editorial, with the launch of a new leisure, lifestyle and property magazine supplement. (more)

Kent Messenger editor absails for children's cancer unit
From Press Gazette. Posted July 20 2006, 12.00am
Kent Messenger editor Bob Bounds took part in a mass abseil down a 70ft building to help his paper smash a £35,000 appeal target for a children’s cancer unit. (more)

Kent reporter gets £5k offer from BNP
From Press Gazette. Posted June 1 2006, 12.00am
British National Party organiser Dennis Whiting offered Whitstable Times reporter Constance Lee £5,000 to return to her parents’ homeland of Malaysia during a newspaper interview. (more)

Editor ignores Kent Police Crimewatch embargo on murder witness pictures
From Press Gazette. Posted May 25 2006, 12.58am
The Kentish Saturday Observer and Kent on Sunday broke a Kent Police embargo by publishing pictures on their website of potential key witnesses to a murder which were due to be broadcast exclusively by the BBC’s Crimewatch. (more)

Kent newspapers lead Crimewatch rebellion
From Press Gazette. Posted May 23 2006, 5.32pm
Free newspapers the Kentish Saturday Observer and Kent on Sunday have broken an embargo imposed by Kent Police by publishing pictures of potential key witnesses of a murder on their website which were due to be broadcast exclusively by BBC television show Crimewatch. (more)

How Community Station BRFM Came to Be
From Merry Media. Posted May 19 2006, 12.50pm
BRFM Bridge Radio was one of the lucky radio stations to be awarded by Ofcom a 5 year Community Radio Licence on Wednesday. The station will broadcast to the Isle of Sheppey in Kent with the dream of BRFM beginning in 2004 with the Director Danny Lawrence who always had an ambition to run a radio station.. (more)

Bridge Radio for Isle of Sheppey
From Radio Today. Posted May 19 2006, 8.15am
The Isle of Sheppey, just off the North Kent Coast was one of the eight new areas to gain a new radio station this week as Ofcom awarded the final batch of Community Radio licences for round one. BRFM - or Bridge Radio FM is run by Danny Lawrence and aims to provide a community service to the 37,000 population on the Isle of Sheppey. It was Danny's child hood ambition to run his own radio station and this week that ambition has come true. He told RadioToday.co.uk: "Now the licence has been awarded we can move forward and produce good community radio for the area." (more)

Ofcom Awarded Final Batch of Community Licences
From Merry Media. Posted May 18 2006, 1.44pm
Ofcom awarded a further eight community radio licences, bringing the total number of licences awarded to 107 since November 2004. The areas given licences were Leasowe in Wirral, Toxteth in Liverpool, Runcorn in Cheshire, Northwich in Cheshire, Lancaster in Lancashire, Chelmsford in Essex, Burnham-on-Crouch in Essex and Sheerness in Kent.. (more)

My Life In Media: Carolyn Quinn
From The Independent. Posted May 1 2006, 12.00am
Carolyn Quinn has presented the Today programme since 2004 and presents Saturday PM. After taking a degree in French at the University of Kent she joined the BBC Local Radio reporters' scheme. She moved to the BBC's political and parliamentary team in 1989 and became a political correspondent in 1994. She lives with her husband in west London. (more)

Carolyn Quinn: My Life In Media
From The Independent. Posted May 1 2006, 12.00am
Carolyn Quinn has presented the Today programme since 2004 and presents Saturday PM. After taking a degree in French at the University of Kent she joined the BBC Local Radio reporters' scheme. She moved to the BBC's political and parliamentary team in 1989 and became a political correspondent in 1994. She lives with her husband in west London. (more)

Radio Tashkent International appears to have closed
From Media Network Weblog. Posted April 1 2006, 10.58am
Kai Ludwig reports that the German service of Radio Tashkent International has been sending out E-mails confirming that the station has closed down as of today (1 April). Unfortunately, this is not an April fools joke. The staff say they protested at the earlier decision by management to close the station, and were only officially informed yesterday that it was definitely closing. At least the (more)

Radio Tashkent International: over and out
From Media Network Weblog. Posted March 24 2006, 11.14am
Kai Ludwig writes: In a letter received yesterday the editorial staff of Radio Tashkent International wrote that they expected the service to be entirely closed effective March 31. But now it seems that the foreign service ceased to exist already today, since the related audio streams do not work anymore. Just checked and found that indeed both stream adresses, http://217.29.119.164:3079 and (more)

Kenton Allen tells of Oscar glory
From Media Guardian. Posted March 6 2006, 10.20am
10.15 update: BBC executive Kenton Allen is having the night of his life after winning an Oscar for Six Shooter, the short film he produced in his holidays. By Chris Tryhorn. (more)

New BBC transmitter in Kent
From Radio Today. Posted February 1 2006, 9.40pm
Around 53,000 more people in Kent can now receive BBC national digital radio, with the addition of the Chartham transmitter to the BBC�s expanding UK digital radio network. The transmitter provides a digital radio service in and around Canterbury. (more)

Journalists hurt in Kent police van crash
From Press Gazette. Posted January 31 2006, 1.04pm
Eight journalists traveling in a Kent Police van were involved in a collision with a BMW today in Gillingham. Eight journalists traveling in an unmarked Kent Police van were involved in a collision with a BMW today in Gillingham. (more)

Kentish Gazette appeal shows its readers care
From Press Gazette. Posted January 12 2006, 12.41am
Tony Budell, one of the aid workers bound for the Ukraine with the donations from Kentish Gazette readers (more)

More FUN on DAB Digital
From Radio Today. Posted January 10 2006, 5.25pm
FUN radio announces this week that it has extended its DAB Digital Radio coverage to include Cardiff & Newport, Sussex and Kent. FUN radio caters for pre and primary school children and their parents and carers, providing a safe-haven for children that is entertaining and educational, as well being fun. The station encourages children to learn through the radio, in particular through educational music and song, as well as through reading and playtime. (more)

Radio Tashkent International appears to have abandoned shortwave
From Media Network Weblog. Posted January 8 2006, 12.13pm
Following up reports to the DX Listening Digest mailing list, it appears that Radio Tashkent International is no longer broadcasting on shortwave. The 1200 UTC English broadcast signed on with the announcement that "From 1st January 2006 you can hear Radio Tashkent International on the Internet" and gave times of English programmes as 0100, 1200, 1330, 2030 and 2130 UTC. No shortwave frequencies (more)

Peter York on Ads: A green, clean machine to wow them in W11
From The Independent. Posted January 1 1970, 12.59am
The Queen's just done a deal. She's going to America - state visit, tour of dude ranches/ Kentucky Derby and so on - which will involve some emissions, some sky-smearing from planes. So she's redeeming herself by planting a small forest, or similar. She's got tremendous worldwide experience of practical tree-planting and she'll have them in there in a moment. So while her grandsons are out there in Boujis or Mahiki, polluting away, granny's up with the eco-players. Carbon footprint - last year's big word, so clear it should get a prize - is now in absolutely universal circulation, on every corporate social responsibility department agenda, a sub-text in every other Radio 4 programme, part of a very big conversation. (more)