On 28 September 1923, a new magazine hit news-stands.
 
The Radio Times was a BBC publication, born out of a listings ban seven months earlier, when the press tried to charge the Beeb advertising rates to print what was on. The BBC’s General Manager John Reith saw an opportunity: they’d just print their own.
 
We previously (on episodes 75 and 76) brought you the history of the Radio Times for its centenary, but as our moment-by-moment timeline of British broadcasting finally reaches September 1923, we just had to zoom in a little further on issue number one.
 
So join us for a look at the first listings, the first letter (a listener from Spain!), ads including headphones and - oddly - height-lengthening, the first cartoon (about listening to the wireless en masse in a village hall), plus listeners complaints mourning the “murder” of composer Tannhauser at the hands of the London Wireless Orchestra. Everyone’s a critic…
 
Our guests include Radio Times editor Shem Law, Radio Times collector Dr Steve Arnold, Radio 4’s Justin Webb and Dr Martin Cooper author of Radio’s Legacy in Popular Culture. 
 


SHOWNOTES:
<ul>
<li>Original music is by Will Farmer. </li>
<li>Books referred to include Those Radio Times by Susan Briggs and The Radio Times Cover Story by Tony Currie. Martin Cooper’s book is Radio’s Legacy in Popular Culture <a href='https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/radios-legacy-in-popular-culture-9781501360442/'>https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/radios-legacy-in-popular-culture-9781501360442/</a></li>
<li>Steve Arnold’s website is <a href='http://www.radiotimesarchive.co.uk/'>radiotimesarchive.co.uk/</a>. Martin Cooper’s website is prefadelisten.com</li>
<li>Paul's latest Substack is here: <a href='https://substack.com/home/post/p-171149075'>https://substack.com/home/post/p-171149075</a></li>
<li>Paul's live show on the BBC origin story - at time of writing, soon in Ealing, Petersfield, Norfolk, Hertfordshire: <a href='http://www.paulkerensa.com/oldradio'>www.paulkerensa.com/tour</a>.</li>
<li>This podcast is nothing to do with the BBC. </li>
<li>Please like/share/rate/review this podcast - it all helps.</li>
<li>Support us on <a href='http://www.patreon.com/paulkerensa'>Patreon</a> (£5/mth), for bonus videos and things - and thanks if you do!</li>
<li>Or a one-off tip to <a href='http://ko-fi.com/paulkerensa'>Ko-fi.com/paulkerensa</a>? Thanks! All keeps the podcast afloat</li>
</ul>
Next time: Episode 105: The launch of Aberdeen 2BD. Advance reading: see Gordon Bathgate’s book Aberdeen Calling: https://amzn.to/4pi9FBW
More on this broadcasting history project at <a href='http://www.paulkerensa.com/oldradio'>paulkerensa.com/oldradio</a>

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

#104 The Radio Times is Launched! A Browse Through Issue 1

The British Broadcasting Century with Paul Kerensa

AI Chapters

AI Insights

Reviews