The New King as Broadcaster

On 24 January 1936, 'Radio Times' published a tribute to the late King George V. The special edition also included an article commending the broadcasting abilities and charisma of Edward VIII, the new King, and highlighting the issues on which he has made transmissions so far. One of over 50 broadcasts mentioned is taken from his 'SOS' talks on unemployment, titled 'Voluntary Service and the Unemployed' , which was transmitted in 1934. Another noted broadcast, about his father's Jubilee Trust Fund , was given in 1935. Evidently, the new King considers radio an effective medium with which to get closer to his subjects.

In 1924, at the British Empire Exhibition, Wembley, King George V broadcast for the first time. An estimated 10 million people heard the transmission and many events around the country were suspended so that the public could listen. Edward, as Prince of Wales, took this new form of communication with the public to a new level. As noted in this article, he made some 50 broadcasts as prince. A radio transmission was also to be the way he declared his abdication on 11 December 1936.