From Saucepan to Dish to Smartphones…

The latest NED Talk (the last of the year) was given by Graham Mytton on 21 September under the title “From Saucepan to Dish to Smartphones: 53 Years in Media Research”. Although Graham’s name is very familiar to many of us as an international audience researcher, he revealed that his career in media had also included roles in presenting and production in Africa, back in the period when much of the continent was just emerging from colonial rule.

It was a fascinating talk, well illustrated with slides, that captivated the audience and generated much discussion and reminiscence afterwards. The ‘saucepan’ of the title was a nickname for an early design of radio widely used in Africa; the dish and smartphone, of course, more recent media tools.

We are hoping to run more NED Talks next year if suitable speakers can be found; although attendance has waned since the early days of lockdown, they do provide a way of staying in more regular touch with members, especially those living abroad or beyond easy access to the London venues of our face-to-face events.