Award winning Deputy Managing Director of BBC Magazines visits

By Rena Pancholi

UClan Magazine students were the first in the country to be visited by Editorial Leader of BBC Magazines Nick Brett.

Nick is also Chairman of the Periodicals Training Council (PTC) and recently won the prestigious Mark Boxer Award at the British Society of Magazine Editors (BSME) awards.

He was recognised through the award as being ìan individual who, in the opinion of the BSME Committee, has made an outstanding editorial contribution to magazines in this country.î

Nick's visit to UCLan is the start of a new round of talks to periodical journalism courses.

BBC Magazines are the third largest publisher of magazines in the UK with 47 titles. On his only trip to the north Brett, resplendent in an eye-catching floral shirt, delighted eager students with a first hearing of a ìhot off the pressî presentation.

This was followed by a comprehensive question and answer session with Brett good-naturedly answering numerous queries.

Proposals for new magazines were discussed including a studentís suggestion for a magazine devoted to puddings.

Prizes

Brett also generously awarded MA students, Lizzie Cernik, Julian Pletts and Martin Pilkington subscriptions to a BBC magazine of their choice for correctly answering quiz questions.

He was genuinely impressed and flabbergasted when Martin knew why 3M, the company who make post-it notes, are called 3M.

Brett spoke about the challenges faced by magazines from new technology, including user-generated websites such as You Tube. Clearly a big fan, he said about the site: ìItís almost better than watching television.î

He also talked about the strengths of the magazine as a form of media and stressed the need for them to also be interactive.

Brett stated: ìmagazines are at their most effective when we let the reader in.î He said the first thing a reader of Top Gear magazine usually asks is ìwhatís Jeremy Clarkson like?î Brett described magazines as engaging, intimate and involving and the first form of non-linear media.

Brettís own career started in newspapers, on the Stratford Express in 1977. On his first day he was sent out undercover to find out how easy it was to buy a gun in East End London. He returned with his £50 intact but went on to a Fleet Street job.

Guinness Book of Records

He became the 11th editor of the Radio Times in 1988. The same year, the Christmas edition of the magazine sold 11.7 million copies and entered the Guinness Book of Records as the highest selling copy of a magazine ever. The Radio Times remains the UKís most profitable magazine.

After eight years at the Radio Times, Brett moved into a management position at the UKís third largest magazine publisher. He is now deputy managing director of BBC Magazines and in January 2006 he also became group editorial director for BBC Magazines in London, Bristol and Mumbai.

BBC magazines has a large international presence, with people from Serbia to India reading titles such as Good Food and Girl Talk ñ the BBCís childrenís market is one of their most lucrative. It also sounds like one of the most fun to work for from Brettís description of pink, fluffy Girl Talk offices.

The next BBC magazine to be launched some time next year looks likely to be a countryside magazine. Brett also talked of a top-secret project in the works, a large-scale launch happening soon, but left the students guessing as to what the title might be.

My money is on Puddings Weekly.

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Our print and broadcast courses are accredited by the The Broadcast Journalism Training Council and the National Council for the Training of Journalists. Our MA Magazine Journalism is accredited by the Periodicals Training Council.