IASA 2019 Annual Conference

In the first issue of Phonographic Bulletin in 1971, IASA co-founder and secretary Rolf Schuursma detailed the process of managing historical collections held by the NOS (Netherlands broadcast organization), with a particular focus on recordings of Dutch-language radio during the Second World War. On the occasion of IASA’s 50th conference, this roundtable discussion will revisit this theme of radio collections related to the Second World War. In the European context, heritage institutions have been often faced with limited provenance information, often exacerbated by the turbulent conditions of occupation, war and its aftermath, and the process, in the post-1945 era, by which tape copies were exchanged of materials that had been relocated or dislocated, which were then re-absorbed into national broadcast archives. What kinds of historical materials do radio archives hold today? Are WWII-era recordings still used in radio production or for education purposes, and if so, how? What is the potential for improving knowledge about these materials? And what are the specific challenges to contextualizing such materials today? The roundtable participants will provide insights into the specific recorded sound materials that their respective institutions have acquired and now manage, and the discussion will reflect on the possibilities for further exchange and future cooperation in the European context and beyond.