The Presses are Running – it’s the Yearbook!

The idea of the Yearbook is to give parents, industry professionals, researchers and policy makers a range of perspectives on all things connected with children’s media. This is the second Yearbook that the CMF has published, and it really does cover a lot of ground.The Yearbook is edited independently by Dr Lynn Whitaker, a media academic specializing in children’s. She’s pulled together some leading names to give a snapshot of current discourses, be it on production, policy, education or consumption of kids’ content, while also maintaining the Yearbook’s aim of carrying key articles documenting the historical shifts in the kids’ media landscape.

The industry news section contains articles on BBC Children’s, Disney in the UK, the gender skew question and some honest insights on licensing. Contributors here include Joe Godwin,Kay Benbow, Louise Bucknole, Danny Stack and Julia Posen.

The section on research and policy reveals the work of the British Board of Film Classification, and explores in-app purchasing which has been a hot topic over the last year, the perennially current question of children’s online safety, and the importance of making up your own mind when it comes to research. The contributors include a mix of academics, researchers and regulatory authorities including Alison Preston, Sonia Livingstone and Colin Ward.

Contributors have also been given the go-ahead to really say what they think. This produces a fabulous mixture of views, and is at times very candid about the writers’ own experiences both within the industry and as parents. Mark Sorrell, Stuart Dredge, Beth Cox and others write about ‘monetising’ kids, the decisions parents make when choosing media for their children, and the impact of self-publishing within the children’s media sphere.The Yearbook is rounded off with some farewell notes. As in the last edition there are obituaries, but this year they are accompanied by analyses of how BBC Television Centre, which closed in 2013, and Play School which saw its 50^th anniversary in May, impacted on children’s television over the years.

All in all, whatever sector you work in or whichever media your kids prefer, there is something here for you. CMF supporters can download a copy free of charge, and patrons will receive a rather beautiful printed copy.  Both, plus a Kindle version, are available to buy from the CMF website.

And if you’re at the CMC or in Sheffield at teatime on Thursday 3^rd July – drop in for a quick drink to celebrate another successful Yearbook, where we’ll also be celebrating the launch of the new Good Apps Guide.