From [BBC-HISTORY], I have left off the full contact detail to limit
access from SPAMMERS but sure people can find them if interested.

Greetings, and with the customary apologies for cross posting:

Call for Papers: Special issue of Journal of British Cinema and
Television on the theme of transmission and transmitters

Proposals are invited for a special issue of the Journal of British
Cinema and Television on the subject of television and cinema transmission.

Transmission is one of the key technologies underpinning television and
cinema. It is the liminal, ethereal, and often invisible stage between
production and consumption. Transmitters send television signals to the
homes of viewers; satellites beam images from space to rooftop dishes;
fast internet connections enable live streaming and the rapid
distribution of Digital Cinema Packages.

A few television transmitters have become iconic – such as the masts at
Alexandra Palace and Crystal Palace, and the tower at Emley Moor. Their
images have come to stand for the institutions and structures of
television. The reach of a transmitter defines the boundaries of
regional and national television. Just as often, transmission
infrastructure is hidden from view. Few can see the television mast
which transmits their signals; none can see the satellite to which their
dish is pointed. For most viewers, transmission becomes noticeable only
when it fails.

In the case of television, modes of transmission and reception which
have defined the viewing experience since the inception of television in
the late 1920s could soon disappear from the media landscape. The recent
announcement by British broadcasters of a new service to enable viewers
to watch live television online points to the eventual decommissioning
and dismantling of television masts and transmitters.

In light of this historical turning point, and considering the
under-appreciated cultural impact of transmission technologies, we
invite papers responding in any way to the technologies, cultures, and
imagery of transmission in British television and cinema. Topics could
include:

• Analogue or digital, terrestrial or satellite, television transmission;
• The role of transmitters in the creation of regional and national
identity;
• The role of transmission in the iconography and imagery of television
and cinema branding;
• Relationships between transmission infrastructure and rural and urban
environments;
• Future changes to transmission infrastructure, decommissioning and
lost heritage.
The deadline for proposals is 30 April 2024. Decisions will be made by
the end of May with first drafts due in December 2024.

Editors: Dr Nick Hall (Royal Holloway University of London), Prof Jamie
Medhurst (Aberystwyth University) and Prof John Wyver (University of
Westminster).