A History of the BBC in 100 Blog Posts: 1930.

National multi-channel broadcasting came to the BBC in 1930 with the launch of the BBC National Programme, which replaced the experimental station 5XX and the BBC Regional Programme which replaced numerous earlier BBC location stations including 2LO.  

Although the audiences they were catering for weren't much different, the National offered by speech and classical music (and so akin to Radios 3 and 4) while the Regional concentrated on dance music and what we'd not call easy listen (sort of Radios 1 and 2 if you squint).  

Eventually they'd both be subsumed into the Home Service, two days before the outbreak of the Second World War.


The Man with the Flower in his Mouth


"This is a re-creation of one of the earliest television plays pioneered by Baird. Written by Pirandello (pictured), The Man With the Flower in his Mouth, was broadcast live from 133 Long Acre, London, on the 14 July 1930. The re-creation was made by television staff at the former Inner London Education Authority for use at a stand at the Ideal Home Exhibition in 1967."
[BBC Clips]

"When television broadcasts over the BBC finally launched on 30 September 1929, a problem remained. There was only one transmitter available. For six months, the Baird studios were forced to broadcast video and sound alternately at two-minute intervals."
[Baird Television]

"Review gets the original crew back together to film Pirandello's The Man with a Flower in his Mouth."
[BBC Archive]


Archive


What seems like the opening five minutes and closing five minutes of a BBC Radio drama from 1930 released on 78s.
[Centre for the History and Analysis of Recorded Music 78rpm collection][BBC Programme Index]


Behind The Scenes


"Sometimes all the news doesn't fit because it's too small."
[Snopes]

The BBC Symphony Orchestra had its first concert in 1930.  For the Radio Times Annual 1954, Sir Malcolm Sargent was asked to write about conducting the group and his part in their history.
[Transdiffusion]

"Nicholas Kenyon explores early music at the BBC in the 1930s."
[BBC Sounds][BBC Programme Index]

"The past year has been one of rapid and continuous progress.  Two of the chief features of this development are the National Lectures and other important addresses, and the creation of a great orchestra which has been received with widespread approval."
[hathitrust]

"The year 1931 will see the inauguration of the new alternatives services for the North of England through the twin-wave Regional transmitter at Slaithwaite, new Huddersfield."
[World Radio History]

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