This week Scott Ross was Invited to the Upminster Rotary Club to give a after dinner talk on the history of local radio, it was held at Upminster Golf Club, where Scott, who was the guest speaker and Myself whom merely run the projection av side along with a powerpoint presentation entertained the 25 strong audience for the evening. Below you can find the Concise history of local radio speech with some of the pictures and sound clips used in the talk. please feel free to post any questions on at the bottom of the page.
AS IS WELL KNOWN THIS YEAR SEES THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE START OF THE FIRST
WORLD WAR. WHY DO I MENTION THAT? WELL REALLY TO HIGHLIGHT JUST HOW MUCH HAS
CHANGED DURING THE PAST CENTURY.
IN 1900 BUSES WERE STILL DRAWN BY HORSES AND YET THE SAME CENTURY
HAS SEEN MEN WALK ON THE MOON.
WITHOUT DOUBT ONE OF THE MOST MOMENTOUS CHANGES HAS BEEN IN THE
FIELD OF COMMUNICATIONS.
IN 1900 THE VERY IDEA THAT PEOPLE THEN LIVING WOULD BE ABLE TO HEAR
SPEECH AND MUSIC FROM ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD IN THEIR OWN LIVING ROOMS
WITH NO TANGIBLE LINK WAS NOT EVEN PRESENT IN THE MINDS OF THE
SCIENTISTS OF THE DAY, LET ALONE THE GENERAL PUBLIC. NOBODY THEN LIVING
HAD ANY REASON TO THINK THAT THEY WERE SOON TO WITNESS THE BIRTH OF A
NEW COMMUNICATION MEDIUM THAT WITHIN JUST A FEW YEARS WOULD COVER
THE GLOBE TO BECOME MORE POWERFUL, EXERTING MORE PRESSURE ON PUBLIC
OPINION THAN PULPIT, PLATFORM, THEATRE AND THE PRINTED WORD COMBINED.
PERHAPS EVEN MORE ASTONISHING IS THE FACT THAT AT THE END OF THE FIRST
WORLD WAR BROADCASTING DID NOT EXIST, BUT BY THE BEGINNING OF THE
SECOND IT HAD SPANNED THE WORLD!
IN FACT RADIO BROADCASTING ACTUALLY STARTED RIGHT HERE IN ESSEX AND WHILST
MOST PEOPLE WOULD CONSIDER THAT SO FAR AS BRITAIN IS CONCERNED
COMMERCIAL RADIO DID NOT ARRIVE UNTIL 1973. THIS IS ONLY PARTLY TRUE.
Marconi Transmitter Chelmsford
- Chelmsford 5xx transmitter
THE VERY FIRST STATIONS WERE NOT BBC OPERATED.
AS EARLY AS JUNE 1920 THE DAILY MAIL HAD SPONSORED A BROADCAST FROM
CHELMSFORD. THAT STATION WAS, HOWEVER FORCED TO CLOSE LATER THAT
YEAR, ON THE GROUNDS THAT BROADCASTING ENTERTAINMENT WAS LIKELY TO INTERFERE
WITH STATIONS DOING “REAL WORK”.
IT’S SUCCESSOR WHICH OPENED AT WRITTLE IN FEBRUARY 1922 WAS AUTHORISED TO
BROADCAST FOR JUST 15 MINUTES A WEEK!
2 MT Writtle
LATER THAT SAME YEAR THE BBC WAS FORMED AS THE BRITISH BROADCASTING COMPANY
LIMITED BY 6 BIG FIRMS: BRITISH THOMSON HOUSTON, GENERAL ELECTRIC, MARCONI,
METROPOLITAN VICKERS, RADIO COMMUNICATION AND WESTERN ELECTRIC, EACH OF WHICH
PUT UP £10,000. ANOTHER £40,000 WAS AVAILABLE IN £1 SHARES FOR OTHER MANUFACTURERS.
EVENTUALLY THE COMPANY HAD 1700 SHAREHOLDERS. THE COMPANY HAD BEEN FORMED BY
THE VARIOUS MANUFACTURERS OF RADIO RECEIVERS AT THE BEHEST OF THE POST OFFICE,
NOT BECAUSE THERE WAS ANY POLITICAL REQUIREMENT FOR A MONOPOLY BUT BECAUSE THE
POST OFFICE DID NOT WANT THE ADMINISTRATION INVOLVED IN DECIDING AMONGST THE
VARIOUS APPLICANTS FOR LICENCES WHO HAD COME FORWARD. THE LONDON STATION – 2LO
WAS RUN BY THE MARCONI COMPANY, THE BIRMINGHAM STATION 5IT BY INTERNATIONAL
WESTERN ELECTRIC AND THE MANCHESTER STATION 2ZY BY METROPOLITAN VICKERS. THE
STATIONS WERE EACH POWERED AT ABOUT 1500 WATTS. BY THE END OF 1926 AT
LEAST 70% OF THE POPULATION WAS WITHIN RANGE OF A LOCAL STATION
WHAT IS PERHAPS LESS WELL KNOWN IS THAT TECHNICALLY SPEAKING AT LEAST, THE BBC
STARTED LIFE AS A “PIRATE”. THE FIRST BROADCASTS WERE MADE IN NOVEMBER FROM THE
LONDON STATION “2LO” AT MARCONI HOUSE, BUT THE LICENCE, ALBEIT BACKDATED,
WAS NOT ISSUED UNTIL JANUARY 18TH 1923.
2LO at Marconi House
BY 1926 THE IDEA OF MONOPOLY BROADCASTING HAD, HOWEVER, BECOME ENTRENCHED, AND
THE ORIGINAL PRIVATE COMPANY BECAME THE CORPORATION, IT REMAINS TODAY.
THE BBC STATIONS WERE SUCCESSFUL, IN PART BECAUSE THEY WERE “LOCAL”.
THE TECHNOLOGY TO NETWORK NATIONALLY HAD YET TO BE INVENTED. ONCE RADIO BECAME
NATIONAL, AUDIENCES STARTED TO STRAY ESPECIALLY TOWARDS THE MORE LIVELY
ENTERTAINMENT EMANATING FROM COMMERCIAL COMPETITORS ON THE CONTINENT.
IN SPITE OF ENORMOUS OPPOSITION FROM THE BBC THEMSELVES, THE GOVERNMENT AND THE
POST OFFICE THIS COMPETITION GREW, ESPECIALLY DURING THE 1930’S.
THE MAN BEHIND THIS WAS A CERTAIN CAPTAIN LEONARD PLUGGE (pictured above) WHO MIGHT HAVE GIVEN HIS
NAME TO COMMERCIALS, WHICH ARE OFTEN REFERRED TO AS “PLUGS” HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR
THE FACT THAT HIS NAME WAS ACTUALLY PRONOUNCED AS PLUUGE.
HE HAD ORIGINALLY PERSUADED SELFRIDGES TO SPONSOR A FASHION SHOW FROM PARIS IN
1925, ALTHOUGH ONLY 4 PEOPLE ARE RECORDED AS HAVING HEARD THE BROADCAST!
EARLY IN THE 1930’S HE FOUNDED THE INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING COMPANY WHO
OPERATED FROM MANY STATIONS ON THE CONTINENT, THE MOST FAMOUS OF WHICH WERE
UNDOUBTEDLY RADIO NORMANDY AND, FOR A SHORT TIME, RADIO LUXEMBOURG BEFORE
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT STATION PASSED TO WIRELESS PUBLICITY LTD, WHO WERE LINKED
WITH CABLE & WIRELESS.
IBC
JUST HOW EFFECTIVE COMMERCIAL RADIO WAS THEN, IS EVIDENCED BY THE FACT
THAT EVEN TODAY MOST PEOPLE HAVE HEARD OF THE OVALTINEYS EVEN THOUGH THE
PROGRAMME HAS NOT BEEN ON AIR SINCE 1939 – THAT’S 75 YEARS!
Radio Luxemburg
ONLY THE OUTBREAK OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR STIFLED THIS COMPETITION.
THE 1960’S THOUGH SAW THE ARRIVAL OFF OUR SHORES OF PERHAPS THE TRUE
FORERUNNERS OF THE KIND OF RADIO WE ARE USED TO TODAY.
Mi Amigo
Caroline 1966
Laissez Faire
Radio Caroline North
Radio London
Radio Caroline 1984
FOR THE FIRST TIME IT BECAME ECONOMIC FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES TO BUY AIRTIME.
UNFORTUNATELY THAT ERA WAS TO BE SHORT LIVED. IT DID, HOWEVER, SERVE TO
RE-IGNITE THE ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST THE INTRODUCTION OF LOCAL RADIO IN THE UK.
APART FROM THE SOLE PRIVATE STATION ON THE ISLE OF MAN – MANX RADIO, IT WAS AGAIN TO
THE BBC THAT GOVERNMENT LOOKED. BUT TIMES HAD CHANGED AND THE NEW BBC LOCAL
STATIONS DID NOT ENJOY THE SUCCESS OF THEIR FORERUNNERS IN THE 1920’S.
PARTLY THIS WAS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY WERE FM ONLY AND MOST PEOPLE STILL RELIED
ON GOOD OLD AM BUT THE LOCAL OUTPUT WAS RESTRICTED TO ONLY ABOUT 6 HOURS A DAY
AND MUCH OF THIS WAS AIMED AT MINORITY INTERESTS!
Manx Radio
a picture of the PMG, Edward Short and other dignitaries at the opening of the first BBC local radio station – BBC RADIO LEICESTER in November 1967
AND SO A NEW KIND OF LOCAL RADIO WAS INTRODUCED. THE ORIGINAL ILR STATIONS HAD
NO NETWORK FROM WHICH TO DRAW PROGRAMMES AND SO THEIR OUTPUTS WERE 100%
LOCAL.
Local Radio in 1992
WITH NO CONTROL FROM THE CENTRE THEY COULD TAILOR THEIR PROGRAMMING TO SUIT THE
LOCALITY SERVED. EACH STATION THEREFORE HAD ITS OWN DISTINCTIVE FEEL AND MORE
IMPORTANTLY, SOUND.
THEY RE-INTRODUCED THE “FUN” ELEMENT WHICH HAD CHARACTERISED THE OFFSHORE
STATIONS BUT MORE THAN THAT, THEY LINKED WITH THE COMMUNITIES
THEY WERE TRYING TO SERVE.
FROM THE LAUNCH OF THE INITIAL 19 ILR STATIONS BETWEEN 1973 AND 1976, THE NUMBER OF
STATIONS HAS DRAMATICALLY RISEN TO THE CURRENT FIGURE OF OVER 275, IN THEORY,
GIVING BOTH THE LISTENER AND ADVERTISER THE WIDEST CHOICE THEY HAVE EVER KNOWN.
A clip from the first ever capital radio broadcast
REGRETTABLY, BUT PERHAPS PREDICTABLY WHAT WERE ORIGINALLY INDEPENDENT
STATIONS OWNED AND OPERATED BY PEOPLE LIVING IN THE AREA BEING SERVED, BECAME
SWALLOWED UP AS RADIO GROUPS BEGAN TO FORM. SUDDENLY THEY HAD THE ABILITY TO
NETWORK A COMMON PROGRAMME, INTRODUCE A COMMOM PLAYLIST AND EVEN HAVE A
COMMON LOGO WITHOUT EVEN THE PRETENCE OF INDIVIDUAL IDENTITY.
THE LESSON THAT PEOPLE ARE LOYAL TO THEIR LOCAL STATION, BECAUSE IT IS LOCAL SEEMS
TO HAVE BEEN LOST ON SOME OF THOSE RUNNING STATIONS TODAY.
A VIEW WAS TAKEN BY ONE GROUP, THAT IF THEY COULD NETWORK THEIR AM GOLD
SERVICE, THEY COULD AFFORD TO EMPLOY BIG NAME PRESENTERS AND THAT
THIS WOULD INCREASE AUDIENCES. IN FACT AUDIENCES FELL AND CONTINUED TO FALL.
NOW AUDIENCES ARE FALLING ON SOME FM SERVICES, SO WHAT DID THEY DECIDE TO DO? YOU
GUESSED IT, NETWORK AND EMPLOY BIG NAMES!
WITH DIGITAL RADIO NOW CATERING FOR EVERY CONCEIVABLE TASTE, THE FACT THAT
LISTENERS WILL ALWAYS BE LOYAL TO A STATION THEY CONSIDER TO BE THEIR OWN, SEEMS TO
HAVE BEEN LOST ON MANY IN THE INDUSTRY, WHO NOW SEEM DRIVEN BY THEIR ACCOUNTANTS,
RATHER THAN THE PASSION FOR THE MEDIUM WHICH WAS PRESUMABLY WHY THEY CAME INTO
IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!
WHAT A TRAGEDY!
MERCIFULLY WE NOW HAVE A NEW TIER – OF COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS LIKE
PHOENIX FM – WHICH ONCE AGAIN STRIVE TO RESTORE FULL SCALE LOCALLY PRODUCED
PROGRAMMING WHILST SERVING A COHERENT LOCAL COMMUNITY.
STATIONS LIKE PHOENIX FM AIM TO PRODUCE PROGRAMMES RELEVANT TO
THE AUDIENCES THEY SEEK TO SERVE.
ONCE AGAIN COMMERCIAL AIRTIME IS WITHIN THE REACH OF EVEN THE SMALLEST LOCAL
BUSINESS. SECONDLY PHOENIX FM AIMS TO BE NOT JUST LOCAL, BUT ALSO BOTH FUN AND
UNPREDICTABLE
THESE DAYS VIRTUALLY EVERY STATION SOUNDS THE SAME. NOT SO PHOENIX FM!
PLAYLISTS REFLECT THE TASTES OF OUR AUDIENCES AND ARE NOT DREAMT UP IN
SOME REMOTE PART OF THE COUNTRY, OR LONDON, BY INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE NO CONCEPT
OF WHAT PEOPLE IN OUR AREA WANT.
IN CONCLUSION LET ME JUST MAKE MENTION OF THE FACT THAT EVEN THE ORIGINAL ILR
SERVICES WERE OFTEN FORCED TO TRY TO COVER TOO WIDE AN AREA.
WHAT DO THE INHABITANTS OF TWITTY FEE HAVE IN COMMON WITH THOSE
LIVING IN DAGENHAM OR ILFORD? VERY LITTLE, I WOULD BEG TO SUGGEST AND SO BY
COVERING A TIGHT GEOGRAPHICAL AREA WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE A TRULY UNIQUE SOUNDING
STATION TAILOR MADE TO THE COVERAGE AREA AND THOSE LIVING WITHIN IT, SUCH THAT
LISTENERS CAN AND DO REGARD IT AS THEIR VERY OWN.
Suited n Booted and not a beer in sight…
