The
BBC Regional Programme was a
BBC radio network from the
1920s until the outbreak of
World War
II.
Foundation
When the BBC first began transmissions on
14
November 1922, the technology for both
national coverage and joint programming between
transmitters did not exist. Whilst it was
possible to combine large numbers of
trunk
telephone lines to link transmitters for individual programmes, the
process was expensive and not encouraged by the
General Post Office as
it tied up large parts of the telephone network.
Therefore, the
stations that followed the establishment of 2LO
in London
were
autonomously programmed using local talent and
facilities.
By May 1923,
simultaneous broadcasting was
technically possible, at least between main transmitters and relay
stations, but the quality was not felt to be high enough to provide
a national service or regular simultaneous broadcasts.
In 1924, it was felt that technical standards had improved enough
for London to start to provide the majority of the output, cutting
the local stations back to providing items of local interest.
Original local stations
Each of these stations broadcast at approximately 1 kW.
Relay stations
Each of these stations broadcast at approximately 120 W
The Regional Scheme
On
21 August 1927, the
BBC opened a high power mediumwave
transmitter at Daventry, 5GB, to replace the existing local
stations in the English
Midlands
. That allowed the experimental
longwave transmitter 5XX to provide a service
programmed from London for the majority of the population. This
came to be called the
BBC
National Programme.
By combining the resources of the local stations into one regional
station in each area, with a basic sustaining service from London,
the BBC hoped to increase programme quality whilst also
centralising the management of the radio
service. This was known as
The Regional Scheme.
Each local transmitter was slowly either converted to a regional
service relay or closed entirely and replaced by high power
regional broadcasts. Some local studios were retained to provide
for programming from specific areas within each region. Most
transmitters also carried the BBC National Programme on a local
frequency to supplement the longwave broadcasts from 5XX, Scotland
receiving a modified service known as the "Scottish National
Programme".
Regional transmitters
| Airdate |
Transmitter |
Region |
Frequency (1939) |
| 21 August 1927 |
Daventry (later Droitwich ) |
Midland |
1013 kHz |
| 21 October 1929 |
Brookmans Park |
Basic Regional Programme (London) |
877 kHz |
| 17 May 1931 |
Moorside Edge |
North |
668 kHz |
| 12 June 1932 |
Westerglen |
Scottish |
767 kHz |
| 28 May 1933 |
Washford |
Wales and the West of England |
(West Regional until 1935 Welsh Regional thereafter) |
| 1936 |
Lisnagarvey |
Northern Ireland (opt-out from North Region) |
977 kHz |
| 1937 |
Stagshaw |
North East England (opt-out from North region) |
1122 kHz |
| 1937 |
Burghead |
Scottish (for northern Scotland) |
767 kHz |
| 1937 |
Penmon |
Welsh (end of joint Wales/West service) |
804 kHz |
| 1937 |
Washford |
West (end of joint Wales/West service) |
1013 kHz |
Note: The London region was not generally known by that name. As
the sustaining service, it was referred to as "the basic Regional
Programme".
Brookmans Park supplied programmes for
London, South East England and
much of East
Anglia
.
Closure
Upon the outbreak of World War II, the BBC closed the Regional
Programme and combined it with the National Programme to form a
single channel known as the
BBC Home
Service. The former transmitters of the Regional Programme
continued to be used to broadcast this service, but their
frequencies were changed and synchronized in order to allow them
all to transmit on just two wavelengths (668 and 767 kHz) which, in
the event of
air raid, could be
turned off in sequence to prevent their signals being used as
navigational beacons by enemy
aircraft.
On
29 July 1945, within
12 weeks of
Victory in Europe
Day, the BBC reintroduced a regional service, but kept the name
"BBC Home Service". The transmitters and frequencies which had been
used prewar by the National Programme (the most powerful of which
was 200 kHz longwave) were transferred on the same date to a new
BBC Light Programme.
Inheritance
Both the Regional Programme and the National Programme provided a
mixed mainstream radio service. Whilst the two services provided
different programming, allowing listeners a choice, they were not
streamed to appeal to different audiences. Therefore, the pre-war
Regional Programme, whilst using the same regions, frequencies and
transmitters as the post-war Home Service, was not the middlebrow
news and drama station its successor became. Similarly. the pre-war
National Programme was not the general entertainment network its
successor the Light Programme became.
References
- Various authors The B.B.C. Year-book 1933
London: British Broadcasting Corporation 1932
- Various authors BBC Year Book 1947 London: British
Broadcasting Corporation 1947
- Graham, Russ J A local service Radiomusications from Transdiffusion,
undated; accessed 5 February 2006
- Graham, Russ J A new lease of life Radiomusications from
Transdiffusion, undated; accessed 5 February 2006
- Groves, Paul History of radio transmission part 1: 1922 -
1967 Frequency Finder, undated; accessed 5 February 2006
- Paulu, Burton Radio and
Television Broadcasting on the European Continent Minneapolis:
University of Minnesota Press 1967
Further reading
- Briggs, Asa History of Broadcasting in the United
Kingdom Oxford:Oxford University Press 1995 ISBN
0-19-212930-9
External links
and Bradford
Wikis
Map
Search
