Debates and broadcasts

With the historic first televised 'leaders' debate broadcast, The University of Nottingham has announced a collaboration with the BFI National Archive's Screenonline resource ( www.screenonline.org.uk ), to present a timely new investigation on the history and impact of the party election broadcast (PEB), which makes available and explains a selection of digitised broadcasts dating back to 1951. Although now a staple of British television during a general election the PEB has changed radically in character and importance since the BBC transmitted the first one in 1951 - Professor Philip Cowley from the School of Politics and International Relations is one of the lead investigators: "Politicians always seek the best means of communicating with the voters. For much of the 19th century this was the public meeting, where, such was the small size of the electorate, it was possible to address every voter. "These gatherings were often robust affairs in which heckling, humour and violence were common: they were often a source of entertainment as much as political edification. "However, as the electorate expanded to include first middle-class men (1832), then skilled men (1867), all men and older women (1918) and finally all adults (1928), so the parties needed to exploit other means of mass communication if they were to reach the many millions who could now vote. First the press, then radio and cinema were all used to get the parties' messages across." The desire to reach voters hasn't diminished, but the ways in which the parties are getting their messages across has changed.