1920s
The 1920s see the creation of the BBC as an insititution and as a broadcaster.
John Reith, the BBC's founding father, moulds its ethos – to inform, educate and entertain – which still endures to this very day, setting the model for many other public service broadcasters.
Radio quickly takes off with the British public in this decade, as listeners cluster around their crystal sets. Broadcast 'first' follows broadcast 'first' – from first news bulletin to first outside broadcast, from first royal address to the very first sound of Big Ben on the BBC. The BBC also faces its first major government confrontation over editorial independence, during the General Strike of 1926.
1922 BBC Ltd is formed with John Reith as first General Manager
John Reith, a 33 year-old Scot, defines the guiding mission of the BBC, with its mantra 'to inform, educate and entertain'. He thus creates the model for public service broadcasting around the world - although Reith claims he said in his original BBC interview that he hadn't the remotest idea what broadcasting was!
1922 First daily transmission from 2LO
In response to the increasing popularity of broadcasting, the 2LO transmitter is installed on the roof of Selfridges building in London's Oxford St. It gives a much broader reach than the previous transmitter and is in use until Oct 1929.
1922 First regular News bulletin
This is read on 14 November 1922 by the Director Programmes, Arthur Burrows. He reads each bulletin twice – once quickly and once slowly, and asks listeners to say what they prefer (an early example of market research!). The first bulletin contains an eclectic mix of content: a speech by the Conservative leader Bonar Law, details of Old Bailey sessions, a train robbery, sale of a Shakespeare folio, fog in London and 'the latest billiards scores'.
1923 First outside broadcast
This is the British National Opera Company's production of The Magic Flute from Covent Garden, to be followed the year after by the first live running commentary from an Outside Broadcast (The Lord Mayor's Show). Running commentaries from major sporting events, such Twickenham rugby, Grand National, Oxford-Cambridge boat race, FA Cup final follow in 1927, transforming the collective power of broadcasting.
1923 First weather forecast
On November 14, 1922, the BBC broadcasts the first radio weather bulletin to the public when an announcer reads a script prepared by the Met Office, and on March 26, 1923, daily radio forecasts begin and will be part of UK daily life ever afterwards.
1923 First Radio Times published
The newspapers see radio as competition and refuse to print programme schedules, so the BBC launches the Radio Times in September 1923, and begins to include TV listings in December 1936. It is now one of the UK's best selling magazines.
1924 First use of Greenwich/Big Ben daily time signal
Greenwich time signal or 'the pips' is first transmitted at 9.30pm on 5 February 1924, introduced by Sir Frank Dyson, the Astronomer Royal. Equipment at The Observatory generates six short pips, starting at five seconds to the hour and ending on the hour. Provision of accurate time checks for the first time in history makes an important contribution to everyday life in Britain.
1924 First royal address
The monarch speaks to his people as never before. King George V is first heard on radio during a broadcast from the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley in 1924. The speech is relayed on loudspeakers outside major department stores and the crowds are so large that they stop the traffic in the road.
1924 First relay from America
Nov 26 1924 is the first programme relay from the USA - a late night transmission from KDKA Pittsburgh. The first relay to the USA is March 13 1925 - an outside broadcast of the Savoy Bands and the Wireless Trio, broadcast between 1 and 2 a.m.
1927 BBC is established by Royal Charter
The Royal Charter transforms the BBC into a public service corporation, deriving its authority from a Royal Charter not from a parliamentary statute. This is an important distinction in terms of future voice and autonomy, creating an invaluable future broadcast model.
1927 First BBC Prom from Queen's Hall
Inaugurated in 1895, the Proms are running at a financial loss when the BBC takes them over in 1927. Their reinvention via broadcasting gives new access to classical music for many, and in the words of their founder Sir Henry Wood 'truly democratised the message of music'.
