Paul McKee Election Broadcasting Archive

Archive reference: MCK

Paul McKee, who died in 1998, was a pioneer of television news, election coverage in particular. Brought up in Bradford, he became interested in politics while assisting his father, an alderman of the city, in his campaigns. His television career began at ITN in the 1960s, where he developed computer graphics systems for coverage of elections. He later became involved in programme development and management, at Channel 4, as Deputy Executive of ITN and later as Deputy Managing Director of Yorkshire TV.

His papers were donated to the J.B. Priestley Library in 1999. The papers offer a unique insight into the development of media coverage of elections, covering not only the UK but also the US, Ireland and India. The Archive includes material gathered by Mr McKee to help in his work, such as conference papers and press cuttings, and videotapes of broadcast election coverage.

Further information about the Archive is available as a collection-level entry on the Library catalogue. The collection is not catalogued so access is limited: please contact Special Collections staff well in advance of a visit so we can assist you.