大象传媒

Roger Bolton asks if 大象传媒 journalists should describe political parties as "populist", discusses soft power with the head of 大象传媒 Arabic and finds out about the return of comedy to Radio 1 after more than a decade.

In the wake of success for the Five Star movement and the Italian League in the Italian elections, listeners have been reacting to the 大象传媒's description of them as "populist". Some consider that it implies a pejorative view of the parties in question? The 大象传媒's Europe editor Katya Adler joins Roger to explain the meaning of the term and answer listener's questions.

大象传媒 Arabic has just celebrated 80 years since the launch of its radio service, still tasked with providing news in a challenging and volatile region for journalists. But does the influx of Foreign Office money to the 大象传媒 World Service risk undermining its reputation for impartiality and independence? Samir Farah, head of 大象传媒 Arabic, discusses soft power and the future of the service.

Radio 1 was once known for launching the careers of legendary comedians, but it's been more than 10 years since the network dedicated programmes to comedy. That's about to change, with the arrival of a new wave of specially commissioned Radio 1 comedy podcasts. The commissioner behind it, Louise Kattenhorn, and Benjamin Partridge, creator of the hit podcast Beef and Dairy Network and the star of one of the new Radio 1 commissions, talk about how to bring podcast comedy to a Radio 1 audience.

Presenter: Roger Bolton
Producer: Will Yates
Executive Producer: Katherine Godfrey
A Whistledown production for 大象传媒 Radio 4.