Words by Verity Butler
ROARING 20s
RADIO, LIVE TRANSMISSION Broadcasting House, London: home of the BBC
In 1922, the BBC opened its first radio station, with news supplied by an agency, as well as music, drama and ‘talks’ filling the airwaves for only a few hours a day. Two years later, six electronic time signal ‘pips,’ which indicate the precise time, were heard for the first time on BBC radio. This was an invention by Astronomer Royal Sir Frank Dyson and BBC director-general John Reith. After this, in 1925, the Daventry transmitter delivered the first long-distance broadcast (AM). Football commentary also kicked off in 1927, with a paper plan of the pitch divided into eight numbered squares published in the Radio Times to help listeners follow the game.
This year the British Broadcasting Corporation marked 100 years since its first transmission. We look back at the groundbreaking role the BBC has played in broadcast
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etween its inception and now, the British Broadcasting Corporation can easily make the claim that it has witnessed the entire evolution
of broadcast and radio technology. In celebration of its 100th birthday, the BBC posted an extraordinary timeline, remembering that story (bbc.co.uk/historyofthebbc/bbc-100/timeline). Here are the tech highlights, which emphasise its global impact over 100 years of broadcast.
5 FEBRUARY 1924: GREENWICH TIME SIGNAL ‘PIPS’ ARE BROADCAST FOR THE FIRST TIME
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