Why is the LBC /IRN Archive Important?
The LBC/IRN archive represents a missing piece in the history of radio broadcasting in the UK. Independent Radio provided an alternative voice to the BBC, and in the course of its development LBC / IRN pioneered many changes in radio journalism and radio news that are now accepted parts of industry practice. Examples include the phone-in, the first use of a radio telephone to call in on the spot reports live to the studio and the use of more than one presenter. The archive has a great significance for cultural and social historians in a wide range of academic and scholarly disciplines, including media studies, journalism, history, and politics, as well as providing a resource for teaching.
