My oldest son was an infant when the BBC were still broadcasting a little kiddy programme called "Listen With Mother" every mid morning.
Smart People made much fun of this programme, with its slow delivery and constant repetitions.  As far as I was concerned, it was one of the high points of the day.  It was different from television in this way:  while the silly little songs were being sung and the two-minute stories being read, my child and I could interact while we were listening.  We could make faces at each other and wave our hands around and we never had to drop our eye contact.

In contrast, TV demands one's complete attention.  

You may have your mother sitting next to you, baby, but you sure ain't looking at her.

As was memorably said by another woman, in another context: When a parent entertains a child with the television, there are three in that relationship--and the parent is definitely the one who gets cut out first.

When BBC gave up on analogue children's radio years ago, several pressure groups tried to convince them to change their policy.  One of these heroes is Susan Stranks, who finally ended up starting her own children's radio station.  It is a digital station called Abracadabra .  At the moment, Susan is trying to get an analogue licence.

In my speech at the Conservative Party Conference, I spoke of my concerns about children's broadcasting generally, including radio and TV.  I did make a special point about radio though,  because I believe that radio for children is not only another branch of entertainment.  it is a method of educating children in a way that can be done by no other medium.  Although Smart People maintain that children prefer television, they do not take into account the vast amounts of radio that kids absorb when they are on their way to and from school, or while they are working on the computer or even after they have turned out the lights in their bedrooms at night.  

The crowd of 4,000 delegates roared their agreement.  It was the biggest surprise of the conference and proved to me that people are worried about what their children are watching and yet feel powerless to change the situation.  As many told me afterwards, I had said what they were thinking.

My speech attracted quite a bit of press attention.  Some of the items inferred that I was getting at the BBC particularly.  I was not.  

I was, though, pointing out that the BBC, as a publicly funded body, has a unique opportunity to make programmes of a quality which other stations would have a much harder time justifying to their commercial backers.

To read the speech, click the link on the left.