Tim Blackmore
Tim Blackmore is Consultant Editorial Director of UBC Media Group, Chairman of Smooth Operations Ltd, Chairman of the Charles Parker Archive Trust and Chairman of the radio industry’s Sony Radio Academy Awards Committee.
He started his radio production career as one of the four young people hired by the BBC “Gramophone Department” to start Radio 1 in 1967. He launched Noel Edmonds’ career, helped turn Mike Smith from a Brands Hatch PR man into a broadcaster, wrote (with the late and much missed Charlie Gillett) and produced the first major documentary series about the history popular music since rock ‘n roll – ‘The Story of Pop’ and then celebrated Radio One’s tenth anniversary by accepting an invitation to join Capital Radio as Head of the Music Department.
After five years as Head of Music, he became Head of Programmes responsible for the then very wide range of programming created by that station. Almost unbelievably now, he presented a regular two hour Sunday night programme devoted to classical music including regular broadcasts by the Capital sponsored Wren Orchestra of London. At the end of 1982 he left Capital taking on the personal management of both Alan Freeman and Richard Allinson’s careers. As a freelance producer he worked on the ’87 and ’88 BRITS Award Shows for the BPI and in 1987 took over responsibility for the annual Ivor Novello Awards, producing and narrating the event every year until 2005.
In 1984 he worked with the team that created the radio industry’s professional association, The Radio Academy, and from 1986 until 1988 served as its first Director. In 1986 he met Simon Cole, the Head of Programmes for Manchester’s Piccadilly Radio and together they pioneered the concept of independent production for UK commercial radio, with programmes featuring Paul Gambaccini and Richard Allinson.
The result was Unique Broadcasting, an organisation that since 1989 has become the leading supplier of independently produced programmes to both Commercial and BBC radio stations. Its current contracts include ‘Something Understood’ for Radio 4 and ‘Pick of the Pops’ for Radio 2. For commercial radio, UBC supplies a comprehensive service of Entertainment News, it also produces podcasts for a range of national newspapers and other clients. In 1992, the company’s first production for the BBC won that year’s Sony Award for the ’Best Music Programme’. Written by Tim, it was a series called ‘Unsung Heroes’ which over six weeks revealed the enormous contribution to popular music made by professional song writers. The company floated as UBC Media Group in 2000 since when, through its subsidiary Unique Interactive, it has expanded into supplying software for DAB broadcasters around the world. The UBC Media Group now also includes ‘Lynx Content’, ‘Smooth Operations’, and ‘Above the Title’.
Alongside his directorial responsibilities, he’s occasionally allowed to produce the odd radio programme, as well as a range of industry events. Tim is a Fellow of The Radio Academy and in 1999 was awarded the MBE “for services to independent radio production”. He is married, with two children and six of the most adorable grandchildren in the world – ever!
