Thursday, March 08, 2012

Media Network Ends its 30 Year Run


Andy Sennitt - Retiring Editor Media Network

Media Network web editor Andy Sennitt announced late this afternoon that their international media news blog is closing down as of Saturday March 24th  2012. Andy is retiring. Radio Nederland Wereldomroep (Radio Netherlands Worldwide) is heading off in a very different direction in the future. So it makes sense to bow out knowing that a job has been well done. Several thousand people a week have relied on Andy’s sharp eye in spotting international media developments and their implications for those who work in the business of international story-telling. I understand the plan is to keep it online as a reference, since it’s a searchable record of media stories over the last decade that has more than academic value. That’s good news.

I hope you’ll join me in thanking Andy for great time and effort he put into editing the on-line version of Media Network. There are over 15,000 stories on the blog going back to October 2003 and he’s continued the tradition of international media reporting in fine style. That can only come from someone who is fascinated by the medium – it’s not a job – it’s a passion. As you can hear in the Media Network vintage radio archive, Andy was a regular contributor from the very start of the programme in 1981. I particularly remember that show we did about the offshore radio days. Andy has spent his career following the media, especially radio. He worked for BBC Monitoring in Caversham Park, UK as well as becoming Editor of the World Radio TV Handbook in Denmark. He moved the HQ of the WRTH to Amsterdam and Diana Janssen recruited him to work on a web-version of the radio programme.  


Andy isn't on Facebook (and only by accident on Twitter). So if you want to contact him with wishes and memories of his time at the wheel, the address is medianetwork@rnw.nl  

It’s not going to be possible to replace the Media Network news blog. But I will increase the frequency and focus of this Critical Distance blog to include more international media stories. I have been playing around with the Storyful platform, which allows you to mix video and audio clips to add to the traditional text and photos. So if you’re interested to follow what we get up to, visit this blog, subscribe and contribute to the next stage of the journey. We’re also on Facebook and Google+.  I hope we can persuade Andy to drop by from time to time. But for now, Andy we salute you. Big time!




4 comments:

Victor Goonetilleke said...

How can we tribute Andy Enough? He excelled in what ever he touched and it was always great to enjoy his company, his wit, reports and stories in print. It is not always that someone like Andy comes along. We see in Andy's retirement and the end of Media network an end of an era. I am glad I had the good fortune to be associated with Andy years ago. I am sure we shall see more from Andy in a different style, as such treasures are unaffordable to be hidden away. Happy retirement Andy..for a while at least.

mbeta said...

will post more considered comments next week. but first reaction is this: his blog and RSS feed were sort of consolation for the ending of the Thursday Media Network on radio. Now, even the consolation is gone, although it acquired new strengths by being updatable by the hour. . More next week.
Dr Derek Lynch, Ireland

GhoseCoy said...

Andy Sennit was introduced to me by Jens M. Frost, in course of a series of correspondences. However, I did not write to Andy personally as due to purely personal reasons my long connection with WRTH as well as the hobby thinned. I was amazed at the elan with which he edited the WRTH during his tenure. I also salute Andy.
Kind regards,
Sudipta Ghose,
Kolkata, India.

Sueli said...

Andy Sennitt and his excellent blog will be greatly missed. Media Network is an invaluable resource for media news reports and as the first comment says, "it is not always that someone like Andy comes along." My best wishes to Andy for a happy retirement, but I too hope that we will find a way to continue sharing his vast knowledge with his faithful readers!

Kind regards,
Sueli Brodin, Maastricht

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