BBC Learning Indie Commissioning Event

Chris Sizemore Chris Sizemore — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 12:30:00 +0000

Hi, I'm Chris Sizemore executive editor for the BBC's Knowledge & Learning product. Alongside Ian Myatt, head of product for Knowledge & Learning, I'm privileged to be responsible for the BBC's digital output around the factual and educational genres.

In November BBC Learning held its annual Indie Commissioning meeting at MediaCityUK in Salford. This event gives BBC Learning a chance to share our plans for the coming year with partners and indies.

We also presented an update on the BBC's new Knowledge & Learning online product, discussing both the progress we're making and the strategy behind the product.

]]>Saul Nassé, controller of BBC Learning, spoke about the BBC's overarching vision for Learning: to "inspire a life full of learning for all our audiences".

Saul laid out BBC Learning's three main areas of focus:

We commission TV programmes (and occasional radio programmes).
We commission and produce face-to-face events.
We commission and produce online content for lifelong learners and students aged five to 19 and their teachers.

Saul described BBC Learning's job as influencing and collaborating with other parts of the BBC, with partners and with indies to get this "life full of learning" to happen right across the BBC's output, not just within the Learning department itself.

In that sense the department's mission is to act as a kind of 'glue'.

In keeping with this strategic approach, Saul, Ian and I want the Knowledge & Learning online product to play a 'glue' role too, helping bind the different parts of BBC Online together for audiences.

I'd like to thank all the independent companies who gave their time to join us and share their questions and experiences. I met a lot of folks I didn't know before and from my point of view the event was a big success.

You can download the presentation from the BBC Learning Indie Commissioning session at the About BBC Learning website.

The range of commissioning briefs that were mentioned on the day can be found now (or in a couple of cases will be posted very soon) on our page about Learning commissioning priorities and opportunities.

Chris Sizemore is executive editor for the BBC's Knowledge & Learning product.

Useful Bits About The Bits?

Chris Sizemore Chris Sizemore — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:50:31 +0000

I've been working for some years now on methods of providing audiences with access to BBC Radio and TV programmes based on genre, topic, and subject. In other words, I, and many of my colleagues, have been concentrating on the "bits about the bits" part of the chain.

Recently, I managed to hack a promising little "bits about the bits" prototype together, something that attempts to address in particular Nicholas Negroponte's notion of "...bits that describe the narrative with key words..."

Chris Sizemore is Head Of Navigation & Service, BBC Multiplatform Production.

BBC Internet Blog - Chris Sizemore

BBC Learning Indie Commissioning Event

Useful Bits About The Bits?