The British Broadcasting Company Ltd. (BBC) was a short-lived British commercial broadcasting company formed on 18 October 1922 by British and American electrical companies doing business in the United Kingdom. Licensed by the British
General Post Office, their original office was located on the second floor of Magnet House, the
GEC buildings in London and consisted of a room and a small antechamber.
On 14 December 1922,
John Reith was hired to become the Managing Director of the company at that address. The company later moved its offices to the premises of the
Marconi Company
The Marconi Company was a British telecommunications and engineering company that did business under that name from 1963 to 1987. Its roots were in the Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company founded by Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi in 189 ...
. The BBC as a commercial broadcasting company did not sell air time but it did carry a number of sponsored programmes paid for by British newspapers. On 31 December 1926, the company was dissolved, and its assets were transferred to the non-commercial and crown-chartered
British Broadcasting Corporation #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
(BBC).
Brief history
Post Office stations
In Britain prior to 1922, the
General Post Office (GPO) retained exclusive rights given to it by the government to manage and control all means of mass communication – with the exception of the printed word. The laws which evolved into the
Wireless Telegraphy Act 1947, upon which all modern British communication laws are built in one way or another, concern four essential activities:
* the establishment of a
station for purposes of broadcasting,
* the use of a station for purposes of broadcasting,
* the installing of a transmitter or receiver, and the use of a transmitter or receiver.
All four of these activities require a government licence which was originally granted by the General Post Office.
"Electrical" post offices
The invention of the electrical
telegraph
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
came under the control of the
Telegraph Act 1869 which was based upon a law that forbade the encoding of electrical cables with messages without a licence. The messages were viewed as electrical forms of a letter. This invention was followed by the
wireless telegraph
Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy is transmission of text messages by radio waves, analogous to electrical telegraphy using cables. Before about 1910, the term ''wireless telegraphy'' was also used for other experimental technologies for ...
which was then placed under the
Wireless Telegraphy Act 1904
Wireless Telegraphy Act is (with its variations) a stock short title used for legislation in the Republic of Ireland, South Africa and the United Kingdom relating to wireless telegraphy.
The Wireless Telegraphy Acts are laws regulating radio commu ...
.
Advent of wireless broadcasting
In the US, the development of the telegraph, wireless telegraph, telephone and wireless telephony proceeded according to the dictates of entrepreneurial commercial interests concerned only with supply and demand for profit. Beginning in August 1920, commercial broadcasting stations programming to the general public had begun broadcasting in the United States, licensed by the
Department of Commerce (these duties were transferred in 1934 to the
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
) and offering several hours of programming, usually at night. Two of the first stations were
WWJ in Detroit (then known as 8MK) and
KDKA in Pittsburgh (which has claimed to be the first station specifically licensed for commercial broadcasting; however commercial licences were actually not awarded until September 1921). These pioneering stations continue in daily 24-hour operation today under the ownership and management of
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
.
In the United Kingdom, all broadcasts were licensed by the GPO, who were reluctant to license any fully commercial stations and only 'experimental' stations were allowed on air.
First test broadcasts
Beginning in 1920, a number of licences were issued to British and American subsidiary companies in Britain for the purpose of conducting experimental transmissions under terms of a licence issued by the General Post Office in accordance with the
Wireless Telegraphy Act 1904
Wireless Telegraphy Act is (with its variations) a stock short title used for legislation in the Republic of Ireland, South Africa and the United Kingdom relating to wireless telegraphy.
The Wireless Telegraphy Acts are laws regulating radio commu ...
. On 15 June 1920, Marconi's
Wireless Telegraph Company, Limited, in
Chelmsford
Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...
, Essex, was licensed to conduct an experimental broadcast from the
New Street Works factory, featuring
Dame Nellie Melba
Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 186123 February 1931) was an Australian operatic dramatic coloratura soprano (three octaves). She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th centur ...
. The signal was received throughout Europe and as far as Newfoundland, Canada. Further transmissions were also made.
Military intervention
On 23 November 1920, the General Post Office halted all further transmissions due to complaints of alleged interference with
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
communications. As the number of wireless receiving sets increased during the early 1920s, the General Post Office came under extreme pressure from hobby listeners to allow the experimental wireless broadcasts to resume.
Test transmissions resume
On 14 February 1922, which was two years after ceasing their original transmissions, the Marconi Company was issued a licence for experimental transmissions under the call sign
2MT.
Peter Eckersley was given charge of providing both the broadcast entertainment and the engineering. The station operated out of a hut in a field at
Writtle
The village and civil parish of Writtle lies west of Chelmsford, Essex, England. It has a traditional village green complete with duck pond and a Norman church, and was once described as "one of the loveliest villages in England, with a ravis ...
near Chelmsford.
On 11 May 1922, the Marconi Company was issued another licence for experimental broadcasts from a station identified as
2LO which was located at
Marconi House
Marconi House is a Grade II listed building at 335 Strand (at its junction with Aldwych) in London.
It was originally built as a hotel and restaurant in 1904, designed by Norman Shaw, to serve the Gaiety Theatre next door. It then became the he ...
in
the Strand, London. The programme consisted of a boxing commentary of the fight between
Kid Lewis and
Georges Carpentier
Georges Carpentier (; 12 January 1894 – 28 October 1975) was a French boxer, actor and World War I pilot. He fought mainly as a light heavyweight and heavyweight in a career lasting from 1908 to 1926. Nicknamed the "Orchid Man", he stood and ...
. Further tests were also advertised as demonstrations of "''Wireless Telegraphy and Telephony''" which were "''subject to permission from the
Postmaster General
A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a government official responsib ...
''". These demonstrations were performed by the "Demonstration Department (of) Marconi's London Wireless Station 2LO".
On 16 May 1922, the Metropolitan Vickers Company Ltd. ("Metrovick") commenced test broadcasting from its own station in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, identified as
2ZY.
A committee is appointed
On 23 May a committee of representatives was appointed from the "Big Six" companies –
Marconi,
Metropolitan-Vickers
Metropolitan-Vickers, Metrovick, or Metrovicks, was a British heavy electrical engineering company of the early-to-mid 20th century formerly known as British Westinghouse. Highly diversified, it was particularly well known for its industrial el ...
, Radio Communication Company,
British Thomson-Houston,
General Electric Company
The General Electric Company (GEC) was a major British industrial conglomerate involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications, and engineering. The company was founded in 1886, was Britain's largest private employer with over 250 ...
and
Western Electric
The Western Electric Company was an American electrical engineering and manufacturing company officially founded in 1869. A wholly owned subsidiary of American Telephone & Telegraph for most of its lifespan, it served as the primary equipment ma ...
. The Post Office also pressed for the inclusion of a representative from the smaller firms manufacturing radio equipment in the UK – Frank Phillips of Burndept. George Campbell was one of the members on the committee.
Incorporation and shares
On 18 October 1922 the British Broadcasting Company Ltd. was incorporated under the Companies Acts 1908 to 1917 with a share capital of £60,006, with cumulative ordinary shares valued at £1 each. No further capital could be issued without the Postmaster-General's consent:
The shares were equally held by six companies:
*
Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Company
The Marconi Company was a British telecommunications and engineering company that did business under that name from 1963 to 1987. Its roots were in the Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company founded by Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi in 1897 ...
*
Metropolitan Vickers Electrical Company
* Radio Communication Company
*
The British Thomson-Houston Company
*
The General Electric Company
The General Electric Company (GEC) was a major British industrial conglomerate involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications, and engineering. The company was founded in 1886, was Britain's largest private employer with over 250 ...
*
Western Electric Company
The Western Electric Company was an American electrical engineering and manufacturing company officially founded in 1869. A wholly owned subsidiary of American Telephone & Telegraph for most of its lifespan, it served as the primary equipment ma ...
The shareholders gave the BBC the benefit of their respective patents, and only radio sets supplied by BBC companies were permitted to be licensed to receive programmes. The ability of the shareholders to profit from the BBC was limited as part of the agreement with the Postmaster General:
Directors
The initial remit of the British Broadcasting Company was to establish a nationwide network of radio transmitters many of which had originally been owned by member companies, from which the BBC was to provide a national broadcasting service.
International influences
The British Broadcasting Company was formed using a blueprint that the
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
and the
General Electric Company
The General Electric Company (GEC) was a major British industrial conglomerate involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications, and engineering. The company was founded in 1886, was Britain's largest private employer with over 250 ...
had attempted to institute in the USA. Early in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, all of the ship-to-shore and transatlantic radio stations controlled by a US subsidiary company of Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Company, Limited in Chelmsford, England, were seized and handed to the US Navy for the duration of the War. After the War, the
US Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washingto ...
forced the US Navy to divest itself of the stations and they turned to the General Electric Company which in 1919 formed a subsidiary called the
Radio Corporation of America
The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
. With the US Navy on its board,
RCA
The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
then absorbed the former Marconi stations. In 1926 RCA created the
National Broadcasting Company
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
, the first network in the United States. Peaking in the 1930s, there were attempts to bring all radio communications in America back under single monopoly control by using the patent laws. This move failed.
The
Western Electric
The Western Electric Company was an American electrical engineering and manufacturing company officially founded in 1869. A wholly owned subsidiary of American Telephone & Telegraph for most of its lifespan, it served as the primary equipment ma ...
Company Ltd. in the UK was originally formed as a subsidiary of
American Telephone and Telegraph Company
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...
(AT&T) in the USA where it served as its manufacturing subsidiary to equip the AT&T
Bell Telephone
The Bell System was a system of telecommunication companies, led by the Bell Telephone Company and later by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T), that dominated the telephone services industry in North America for over one hundre ...
system.
The
British Thomson-Houston Company Ltd. was a controlled UK subsidiary of the General Electric Company in the USA. The
Hotpoint
Hotpoint is a British brand of domestic appliances. Ownership of the brand is split between American company Whirlpool, which has the rights in Europe, and Chinese company Haier, which has the rights in the Americas through its purchase of GE A ...
Electric Appliance Company Ltd. was formed by British Thomson-Houston (BTH) in 1921.
The only other company later added to the original shareholders of the British Broadcasting Company Ltd. was Burndept Limited. It represented the interests of over twenty small electrical manufacturers in the UK.
Income
The British Broadcasting Company did not sell air time for commercials but its licence did allow for it to carry sponsored programming, and eight such sponsored broadcasts were aired in 1925. However, the main source of its income was from the sale of radio receiving sets and transmitters manufactured by its shareholding member companies as well as from a portion of the government (GPO) licence fee that had to be purchased by BBC listeners.
Timeline
1922
* 18 October: The British Broadcasting Company Ltd. is formed but not registered.
* 1 November: The first
broadcast receiving licences are issued.
** 14 November:
2LO begins broadcasting on
medium wave
Medium wave (MW) is the part of the medium frequency (MF) radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. The spectrum provides about 120 channels with more limited sound quality than FM stations on the FM broadcast band. During the daytime ...
from Marconi House to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. The first news bulletin is read by
Arthur Burrows, the company's founding Director of Programmes.
** 15 November:
5IT in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
and
2ZY in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
begin broadcasting. All three BBC stations broadcast the General Election results.
* 14 December: John C. W. Reith is hired as the company's managing director.
** 15 December: The British Broadcasting Company Ltd. is registered as an incorporated company.
** 24 December: 5NO begins broadcasting to
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
.
** 30 December: John Reith begins work as Managing Director.
** 31 December: 35,774 receiving licences have been issued by the General Post Office. The BBC has four employees.
1923
* 18 January:
Postmaster General
A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a government official responsib ...
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician of the Conservative Party who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. He is best known for his foreign policy of appeasemen ...
issues the British Broadcasting Company Ltd. with a broadcasting licence from the General Post Office.
* 13 February: 5WA begins broadcasting to
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
.
* 6 March: 5SC begins broadcasting to
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
.
* 16 March: The first return of shareholders is filed. Substantiated claim.
* 1 May: New studios are opened at
Savoy Hill
Savoy Place is a large red brick building on the north bank of the River Thames in London. It is on a street called Savoy Place; Savoy Hill and Savoy Street run along the sides of the building up to the Strand. In front is the Victoria Embankmen ...
.
* 6 June:
Edgar Wallace
Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer.
Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during th ...
becomes the first British radio
sports reporter
Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...
when he makes a report on
The Derby.
* 29 August: The first network news bulletin is delivered by all BBC stations.
* 28 September: First published edition of ''
The Radio Times
''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...
''.
* 1 October: Publication of Sykes Committee Report on Broadcasting.
** 10 October: 2BD begins broadcasting to
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
.
** 17 October: 6BM begins broadcasting to
Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
.
* 16 November: 6FL begins broadcasting to
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
as the first relay station.
** 26 November: First experimental broadcast to North America.
* 30 December: First landline relay from
Radiola Paris, France.
** 31 December: First broadcast of the
Big Ben
Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England, and the name is frequently extended to refer also to the clock and the clock tower. The officia ...
chimes. BBC staff numbers 177.
1924
* 5 February: First daily broadcast of the
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
time signal.
** 17 February: First daily broadcast of the ''Big Ben'' time signal.
* 28 March 5PY begins broadcasting to
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
as a relay station.
* 1 May: 2EH begins broadcasting to
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
as a relay station.
* 11 June: 6LV begins broadcasting to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
as a relay station.
* 8 July: 2LS begins broadcasting to
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
and
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
as a relay station.
** 9 July: 5XX begins experimental broadcasts on
long wave
In radio, longwave, long wave or long-wave, and commonly abbreviated LW, refers to parts of the radio spectrum with wavelengths longer than what was originally called the medium-wave broadcasting band. The term is historic, dating from the e ...
from Chelmsford.
* 15 August: 6KH began broadcasting to
Hull as a relay station.
* 15 September:
2BE begins broadcasting to
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
.
** 16 September: 5NG begins broadcasting to
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
as a relay station.
* 21 October: 6ST begins broadcasting to
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...
as a relay station.
* 12 November: 2DE begins broadcasting to
Dundee
Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
as a relay station.
** 26 November: First transatlantic relay broadcast from
KDKA,
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, Pennsylvania, USA.
* 12 December: 5SX begins broadcasting to
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
as a relay station.
** 31 December: Over 1 million receiving licences have been issued by the General Post Office. The BBC has 20 radio transmitting stations in operation and 465 employees.
1925
* Various dates: Eight sponsored concerts are broadcast by the BBC.
* 3 April: BBC Deputy Managing Director Rear-Admiral
Charles Carpendale becomes President of the First General Assembly of the
International Broadcasting Union at
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
, Switzerland.
** 6 April: 2LO's transmitter power is increased with the move from Marconi House to the roof of
Selfridges
Selfridges, also known as Selfridges & Co., is a chain of high-end department stores in the United Kingdom that is operated by Selfridges Retail Limited, part of the Selfridges Group of department stores. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge ...
department store in
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and as ...
.
* 17 July: First published edition of ''The Radio Supplement''.
** 27 July: The 5XX experimental longwave station is moved from Chelmsford to
Daventry
Daventry ( , historically ) is a market town and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority in Northamptonshire, England, close to the border with Warwickshire. At the 2021 Census Daventry had a population of 28,123, making ...
where it commences regular broadcasting on 1600 metres.
* 31 December: BBC staff numbers reach 658.
1926
* 4 January: John Reith begins to impose his dress code on the BBC's radio announcers, who must wear dinner jackets in the evening, as a mark of respect towards performers obliged to dress formally.
* 16 January: Catholic priest and broadcaster Fr
Ronald Knox
Ronald Arbuthnott Knox (17 February 1888 – 24 August 1957) was an Catholic Church in England and Wales, English Catholic priest, Catholic theology, theologian, author, and radio broadcaster. Educated at Eton College, Eton and Balliol Colleg ...
broadcasts ''Broadcasting from the Barricades'', a satirical news report of a fictional riot. A significant part of the public believes the programme to be genuine, and Knox's satire provokes a minor panic similar to that caused by
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
's ''
The War of the Worlds
''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by ''Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appear ...
'' broadcast twelve years later.
* 5 March: The Crawford parliamentary committee publishes its broadcasting report, which calls for the takeover of the British Broadcasting Company Ltd. by a government-owned non-commercial British Broadcasting Commission.
* 18 June: The BBC's ''Radio Supplement'' publication is replaced by its new periodical, ''World Radio''.
* 22 July: Final return of shareholders filed. Substantiated claim.
* 14 November: The International Broadcasting Union publishes its ''Geneva Plan'', which reduces the number of BBC wavelengths. This forces the company to move towards a restructuring of its services which will see most of its local radio stations replaced by regional stations.
* 16 December: Over 100 staff and directors of the British Broadcasting Company Ltd. attend a dinner party given for Prime Minister
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, (3 August 186714 December 1947) was a British Conservative Party politician who dominated the government of the United Kingdom between the world wars, serving as prime minister on three occasions, ...
.
* 20 December: Publication of the
royal charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...
and licence agreements creating the British Broadcasting Corporation.
* 31 December: The General Post Offices has issued 2¼ million receiving licences. The contracts of 773 British Broadcasting Company staff are terminated and, with the dissolution of the company, shareholders are paid at par value. All assets, plant and copyrights held by the British Broadcasting Company are transferred to the Postmaster General.
1927
* 1 January: The
British Broadcasting Corporation #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
is established, and all assets received by the Postmaster General from the British Broadcasting Company Ltd. are transferred. John Reith takes office as the first director general, and all staff previously employed by the company are engaged under new contracts to the corporation.
See also
*
Radio Drama Company
The Radio Drama Company is a company of actors formed by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 1939, at the beginning of the Second World War. It is sometimes referred to as RDC, or the Rep, a survival from its original name, the Drama Re ...
, a BBC company of actors established in 1939
Sources
References
Bibliography
*
*: This book contains historical background relating to the British Broadcasting Company Ltd., its founding companies; their transatlantic connections; General Post Office licensing system; commercial competitors from Europe prior to World War II and offshore during the 1960s.
*
*: The first two lengthy chapters of this book cover in detail the BBC's history prior to the creation of the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1927.
*
*: Contains a full page readable reproduction of the first edition of the ''
Radio Times
''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...
'', 28 September 1923. The lead article is by Arthur R. Burrows, Director of Programmes for the British Broadcasting Company Ltd. His headline asks: "''What's in the air?''"
*:*
*: Its stations are listed as serving "London, Cardiff, Birmingham, Newcastle, Manchester, Glasgow." An article by Peter Eckersley promises to inform readers about "''Simultaneous Broadcasting.''"
*:*
*
*
*
*: Peter Eckersley was hired as Chief Engineer by the British Broadcasting Company Ltd.
*
*
*: Sponsorship of programmes by the British Broadcasting Company: See page 189 for details of eight sponsored concerts during 1925 by the ''Evening Standard'', ''News of the World'', ''Daily Herald'', ''Weekly Dispatch'', ''Answers'' and ''Titbits''. The sponsorship consisted of these publications advertising in print the fact that their concerts were being broadcast by the BBC which at that time could not afford to produce its own concert programmes that would match the standard of those produced by the newspaper sponsors.
*
External links
History of Writtle where Captain Peter Eckersley conducted the first licensed British broadcasts.This site contains pictures of Peter Eckersley and the now famous shed from which he conducted his first broadcasts on behalf of Marconi's Wireless Telegraphy Company, Limited.
Information and images of the early London radio studios of the British Broadcasting Company. (The first BBC office was in the GEC building.)
Radio Licence funding historyThe BBC was, and is, funded by a mandatory licence fee. information and images of radio licences.
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BBC
BBC history
BBC Radio
British companies established in 1922
Mass media companies established in 1922
Mass media companies disestablished in 1926
1926 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
1920s in the United Kingdom
Interwar period
Defunct mass media companies of the United Kingdom
Radio broadcasting companies of the United Kingdom