Professor Jean Seaton, Professor of Media History at the University of Westminster, was interviewed by The Times about the BBC’s auction of 285,000 duplicate items from their archives, including vinyl from David Bowie, Beethoven and Pink Floyd.
In the article, published on 3 January, Media Correspondent Alex Farber explains how the duplicate items were found during an audit of the BBC. Among the vast number of vinyl, they found a rare copy of the 1963 album titled Music of Old Russia by US violinist Nathan Milstein, a pressing of Pink Floyd’s first two studio albums and David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold the World.
Along with the various vinyl, they will also be auctioning off a brass ashtray from Broadcasting House, an on-air lightbox from the 1970s and the microphone used by King George VI in September 1939 after the declaration of war.
As the official BBC historian, Professor Seaton was interviewed about the auction, which she says could cause a “feeding frenzy” among collectors.
She added: “The BBC has collected performances from every genre, from pop to classical, because its buyers were approaching the task from a public service rather than commercial point of view.
“The principles behind it were more comprehensive and therefore more useful because when you buy something you know what is popular but you don’t know what is great.”
Find out more about Media and Communication courses at the University of Westminster.
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