{"id":54636,"date":"2022-11-14T06:40:39","date_gmt":"2022-11-14T10:40:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=54636"},"modified":"2022-11-14T06:40:39","modified_gmt":"2022-11-14T10:40:39","slug":"mystery-of-bbc-radios-first-broadcasts-revealed-100-years-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/mystery-of-bbc-radios-first-broadcasts-revealed-100-years-on\/","title":{"rendered":"“Mystery of BBC radio’s first broadcasts revealed 100 years on”"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Source: BBC News<\/a> via Jon Langley)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Mystery of BBC radio’s first broadcasts revealed 100 years on<\/a><\/h2>\n

The BBC is celebrating the centenary of its first official broadcast – a news bulletin that included a court report from the Old Bailey, details of London fog disruption, and billiards scores.<\/p>\n

It was broadcast by London station 2LO, but new research shows many early BBC moments came from northern England.<\/p>\n

Manchester station 2ZY aired the first children’s show and introduced the first regular weather forecast.<\/p>\n

Birmingham’s 5IT station broadcast the first “official concert”<\/p>\n

The BBC that began broadcasting at 6pm on 14 November 1922 was not the British Broadcasting Corporation of today. It was in fact the British Broadcasting Company and was made up of separate stations around the country operated by different companies.<\/p>\n

London 2LO was run by the Marconi company. Manchester’s station was operated by Metropolitan-Vickers.<\/p>\n

However, in these early days few records were kept of what was broadcast.<\/p>\n

But new research on the BBC’s very early days has been carried out by Steve Arnold, a self-confessed Radio Times obsessive.<\/p>\n

His tricky task was to try to piece together the BBC’s schedules before the Radio Times – so named as it listed the times that the new medium’s shows were being broadcast – was first published in September 1923.<\/p>\n

He explained he found information in “gossip columns [in regional newspapers] mainly, people saying we listened to this last night and this is the only record of some of these things”.<\/p>\n

Now, using sources from archive documents and newspapers, Steve has begun to piece together a picture of what the early BBC was doing. [Continue reading at the BBC…<\/a>]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Source: BBC News via Jon Langley) Mystery of BBC radio’s first broadcasts revealed 100 years on The BBC is celebrating the centenary of its first official broadcast – a news bulletin that included a court report from the Old Bailey, details of London fog disruption, and billiards scores. It was broadcast by London station 2LO, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,305,288],"tags":[104,10009,4091],"class_list":["post-54636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-radio-history","tag-bbc","tag-bbc-100-years","tag-radio-history"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-ede","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20848,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/august-28-bbc-atlantic-relay-station-special-drm-broadcasts\/","url_meta":{"origin":54636,"position":0},"title":"August 28: BBC Atlantic Relay station special DRM broadcasts","author":"Thomas","date":"August 26, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: DRM Consortium) DRM will be part of a big anniversary on a small island in the Atlantic Ocean. On 28th of August at 1155 GMT Babcock International will ensure a special BBC digital transmission on 21715 kHz from the BBC Atlantic Relay station, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Current Events"","block_context":{"text":"Current Events","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/current-events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"RNZI-DRM-2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/RNZI-DRM-2-e1472222611639.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/RNZI-DRM-2-e1472222611639.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/RNZI-DRM-2-e1472222611639.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":62945,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/you-can-help-bbc-seeks-archived-recordings-of-antarctic-midwinter-broadcasts\/","url_meta":{"origin":54636,"position":1},"title":"You Can Help: BBC Seeks Archived Recordings of Antarctic Midwinter Broadcasts","author":"Thomas","date":"May 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Richard Hollingham, Executive Producer of the BBC World Service Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast, who reached out with a special request to the SWLing community: \u201cIt turns out that it\u2019s now 70 years since the BBC partnered with the forerunner of the British Antarctic Survey to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Halleywinter-BAS-Antarctica-Survey-e1561117722151.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Halleywinter-BAS-Antarctica-Survey-e1561117722151.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Halleywinter-BAS-Antarctica-Survey-e1561117722151.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Halleywinter-BAS-Antarctica-Survey-e1561117722151.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24538,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/bbc-cuts-broadcasts-from-thailand-transmission-station\/","url_meta":{"origin":54636,"position":2},"title":"BBC cuts broadcasts from Thailand transmission station","author":"Thomas","date":"March 8, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Malay Mail Online via\u00a0R. Lewis ) BANGKOK, March 8 \u2014 The BBC World Service has stopped broadcasting from one of its major global transmission stations situated in Thailand, AFP has learned, after talks broke down with a junta riled by its uncensored coverage. Sources with knowledge of the negotiations\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/BBC-Asia-Relay-Thailand-Transmitter-Site-Google-Earth.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/BBC-Asia-Relay-Thailand-Transmitter-Site-Google-Earth.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/BBC-Asia-Relay-Thailand-Transmitter-Site-Google-Earth.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/BBC-Asia-Relay-Thailand-Transmitter-Site-Google-Earth.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7974,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/11\/bbc-announces-closure-of-seychelles-relay-station\/","url_meta":{"origin":54636,"position":3},"title":"BBC announces closure of Seychelles relay station","author":"Thomas","date":"November 23, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: BBC Media Centre\u00a0via Rob Wagner) The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) announced today that the Indian Ocean Relay Station (IORS) transmitter site at Grand Anse, Mah\u00e9, will cease all shortwave transmissions on 29 March 2014. 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His death was announced by the current Radio Caroline, which still exists off the Essex coast. The station was founded in 1964 to compete with the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mediumwave"","block_context":{"text":"Mediumwave","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/mediumwave\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Ronan_ORahilly_1967-768x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Ronan_ORahilly_1967-768x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Ronan_ORahilly_1967-768x1024.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18246,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/bbc-predicts-internet-only-radio-in-the-future\/","url_meta":{"origin":54636,"position":5},"title":"BBC Predicts Internet-Only Radio in the Future","author":"Robert Gulley","date":"April 12, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"(The following is part news \/ part editorial) According to a report going to Parliament for the BBC's broadcast charter proposal, the BBC is preparing for an Internet-only world for broadcasting. This has prompted an investigation of other radio broadcasting services by Radio World magazine to get their take on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"BBC-logo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/BBC-logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/BBC-logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/BBC-logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54636"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54637,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54636\/revisions\/54637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}