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Simon Potter

Professor of Modern History, University of Bristol
My research focuses on British imperial history and on media history, including the history of newspapers and the periodical press, radio broadcasting, and television. I seek to bring research in these different fields together, to reveal the connections between empire and the mass media during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

I am currently leading a Leverhulme Trust International Research Network 'Connecting the Wireless World: Writing Global Radio History' (running 2016-2019) bringing together a group of scholars from around the world to think about global perspectives on the history of international broadcasting. In parallel with this, I am working on early British initiatives in global radio broadcasting in the 1920s and 1930s. I'm interested in exploring transnational perspectives on British broadcasting, the impact of radio on global news flows, the history of listening and audience responses, and in piecing together the incomplete record of past programmes broadcast for international listeners.

I am also currently developing a project on the history of press freedom and regulation in Britain and the British empire.

My earlier research examined the role played by newspapers and news agencies in linking up the component parts of the ‘British world’ (Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. More recently, I have written on the role of the BBC in building and strengthening imperial connections since 1922, and the BBC's response to the decline of the British world after the Second World War.

I have also published on the wider historiography of the British empire and the British world.

Why the BBC has a licence fee and what might happen if it were scrapped

Apr 08, 2024 06:13 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

The TV licence is as much part of British life as the BBC, which it helps to fund. But in an era of increased media choice much of it available online, through voluntary subscriptions or even for free BBC director...

Rupert Murdoch and the rise and fall of the press barons: how much power do newspapers still have?

Sep 23, 2023 00:49 am UTC| Insights & Views

Global media tycoon Rupert Murdoch has announced his retirement as chairman of Fox and News Corp, making way for his son Lachlan. He has been demonised as a puppet master who would pull the strings of politicians behind...

The BBC has a long history of failed attempts to rid it of political influence

Feb 06, 2023 09:08 am UTC| Politics

Most people probably dont know who the BBCs chairman is, or even that the BBC has a chairman. Yet this normally obscure figure has recently hit the headlines. Richard Sharp, BBC chairman since February 2021, is a former...

Economy

U.S. Imposes 26% Tariff on Indian Imports, Spares Pharma Sector

The U.S. has imposed a 26% tariff on imports from India, dealing a blow to New Delhis hopes for leniency under President Donald Trumps global trade policies. A baseline 10% tariff begins Saturday, with the full rate...

South Korea Scrambles to Mitigate Impact of Harsh U.S. Tariffs on Exports

South Koreas acting President Han Duck-soo has ordered emergency support measures for industries affected by sweeping new U.S. tariffs, including a 25% tariff on Korean automobile exports. The move follows President Donald...

Australia Criticizes Trump’s 10% Tariff, Rules Out Retaliation

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned U.S. President Donald Trumps decision to impose a 10% tariff on Australian imports, calling it not the act of a friend. The move impacts Australian beef exports,...

Australia’s Trade Surplus Drops to Four-Year Low on Weak Exports, Strong Imports

Australias trade surplus plummeted to its lowest level in over four years in February, as a sharp drop in exports and a rise in imports dealt a double blow to the countrys trade performance. The trade balance came in at...

Japan's Nikkei Tumbles as Trump Slaps 24% Tariff on Japanese Goods

Japans Nikkei 225 plunged to an eight-month low on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping reciprocal tariffs, including a 24% duty on Japanese imports. The index dropped as much as 4.6% in early...

Politics

Senate Passes Bill to Block Trump’s Canada Tariffs Despite GOP Resistance

In a sharp rebuke to President Donald Trump, the U.S. Senate passed a bill on Wednesday to halt newly proposed tariffs on Canada, just hours after Trump announced sweeping duties on global imports. The bill, approved...

Disability Rights Groups Sue Trump, Musk Over Social Security Cuts

Disability rights organizations and Social Security recipients have filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration and billionaire Elon Musk, accusing them of illegally slashing the Social Security...

Canada Vows Strong Response to Trump’s Tariffs

Canada will take decisive action against U.S. President Donald Trumps recently imposed tariffs, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters before a high-level cabinet meeting, Carney...

Trump Imposes 10% Reciprocal Tariffs, Targets China and EU

President Donald Trump announced sweeping new tariffs aimed at addressing what he calls unfair trade practices by foreign nations. Starting April 5, a baseline 10% reciprocal tariff will be imposed on all imported goods...

French Judge Faces Threats After Barring Marine Le Pen from 2027 Presidential Race

French judge Benedicte de Perthuis is under police protection after barring far-right leader Marine Le Pen from running in Frances 2027 presidential election. De Perthuis, who led the three-judge panel that found Le Pen...

Science

AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi Gets US Approval for Bladder Cancer Treatment

AstraZenecas drug Imfinzi (NASDAQ: AZN) has received U.S. approval to treat adult patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a significant advancement in cancer therapy. The approval allows Imfinzi to be used in...

Sanofi’s New Hemophilia Drug Qfitlia Gains FDA Approval with Breakthrough Bimonthly Dosing

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Qfitlia, a groundbreaking hemophilia treatment by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY). Designed for patients aged 12 and older with hemophilia A or B,...

FDA Vaccine Chief Peter Marks Resigns Amid Controversy Over Transparency

Peter Marks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) top vaccine official, has resigned after reportedly being forced out by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to The Wall Street Journal....

What are the chances an asteroid will impact Earth in 2032?

For a few days in mid-February, headlines around the world buzzed about the potential for an asteroid to hit the Earth in 2032 specifically, asteroid 2024 YR4. The chance of this impact rose to a high of 3.1 per cent on...

A new study reveals the structure of violent winds 1,300 light years away

The planet WASP-121b is extreme. Its a gas giant almost twice as big as Jupiter orbiting extremely close to its star50 times closer than the Earth does around the Sun. WASP-121b is so close to its star that tidal forces...

Technology

Nintendo Switch 2 Launches June 5 at $449.99 with Major Upgrades

Nintendo (NYSE:SWCH) has officially announced the launch of its next-generation gaming console, the Switch 2, set for release on June 5. Priced at $449.99 in the U.S., the highly anticipated device features significant...

ReliaQuest Secures $500M to Boost AI Cybersecurity, Hits $3.4B Valuation

ReliaQuest, a leading AI-powered cybersecurity company, has raised over $500 million in a new funding round led by EQT, KKR, and FTV Capital, pushing its valuation to $3.4 billion. Other backers in this round include Ten...

GlobalFoundries and UMC Explore Merger Amid U.S. Chip Strategy Shift

United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC), a major Taiwanese semiconductor foundry, and U.S.-based GlobalFoundries (NASDAQ: GFS) are reportedly in early talks about a potential merger, according to sources cited by Reuters. If...

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan Outlines Bold Turnaround Strategy at IntelVision 2025

At the IntelVision 2025 conference, new Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) CEO Lip-Bu Tan unveiled a transformative vision to revitalize the tech giant. Since taking the helm on March 12, Tan has prioritized customer engagement and...

OpenAI Secures $40B from SoftBank, Reaches $300B Valuation Amid AI Boom

OpenAI announced Monday it has raised $40 billion in a funding round led by Japans SoftBank Group Corp. (TYO:9984), pushing the AI firms valuation to a staggering $300 billion. This marks a major leap from its $157 billion...