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I spent the morning at a Radio Ulster away-day focused on the commissioning process -- that's journey a programme idea takes from concept to selection by the radio commissioners.

There are only so many slots in the schedule for programmes and the commissioners are clearly keen to offer listeners a wide range of listening opportunities, from sport and music entertainment programmes to factual documentaries, comedy, interview strands and much more. Devising the output of a whole station for the year to come is as much an art as it is a science.

Susan Lovell, the Head of Radio Ulster, chaired the day, and briefed the gathering on themes and formats the station is particularly interested in developing in the next round. Then Frank Ash, the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s creativity training manager, walked us through various exercises and brainstorms which not only through light on the commissioning process but also generated hundreds of new programme ideas.