Abstract
In the early 1970s government policy instigated legalised, local commercial radio in the UK. It would be unlike previous illegal incarnations however and became known as independent radio rather than commercial radio. Some other competitive elements persisted, including Radio Luxembourg and an eventual re-emergence of pirate stations in a different form. Television too would remain a continued threat to radio. Also two BBC channels and ITV, a fourth channel, Channel 4, could only dent radio even further, but it was the arrival of breakfast television on both BBC1 and ITV which was felt most acutely, impacting on radio breakfast shows. The BBC also introduced a local radio service which would compete directly with commercial radio. Devlin describes how a new radio industry was created and how it impacted on both the BBC and its new radio competitors.
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Notes
- 1.
Broadcasting in the Seventies: The BBC Plan for Network Radio and Non-Metropolitan Broadcasting. BBC Publications, 1969.
- 2.
Broadcasting Policy; White Paper, 2 August 1966. C.(66) 125.
- 3.
ibid.
- 4.
Broadcasting Policy; White Paper, July 1962. Cmd 1770.
- 5.
Broadcasting Policy; White Paper, 13 November 1962. C.(62) 181.
- 6.
Broadcasting Policy; White Paper, 20 December 1966. Cmd 3169.
- 7.
White Paper Christmas, The Spectator, 23 December 1966.
- 8.
BBC Director of Radio 1964–1969.
- 9.
Radio in the USA: A Visitor’s View, Frank Gillard, 6 July 1954. BBC WAC: E15/75.
- 10.
Broadcasting Policy; White Paper, 20 December 1966. Cmd 3169.
- 11.
An Extension of Regional Broadcasting, 28 February 1955. BBC WAC: R34/731/5.
- 12.
Report of the Committee on Broadcasting: Memoranda Submitted to the Committee, Vol 1: The Future of Sound Broadcasting: Local Broadcasting. Cmnd 1819 (1962).
- 13.
BBC Marriot Committee Report on Area and Local Broadcasting, 1 September 1959. BBC WAC: R34/1585/1, Local Radio.
- 14.
A Plan for Local Broadcasting in Britain . Pye Telecommunications Ltd, October 1960.
- 15.
Interview with Frank Gillard. Yorkshire Post, 11 December 1963.
- 16.
Local Radio in the Public Interest: The BBC’s Plan, February 1966, BBC Publications.
- 17.
Stonehouse to Hill , 13 August 1969. BBC WAC: R78/610/1.
- 18.
White Paper: An Alternative Service of Radio Broadcasting, 1971 (Cmd 4636).
- 19.
Broadcasting in the Seventies: The BBC Plan for Network Radio and Non-Metropolitan Broadcasting, BBC Publications, 1969.
- 20.
BBC Director of Radio 1999–2006, Director of Audio and Music 2006–2008.
- 21.
ibid., p.2.
- 22.
ibid., p.4.
- 23.
ibid., p.4.
- 24.
ibid., p.13.
- 25.
ibid., p.6.
- 26.
ibid., p.6.
- 27.
Perhaps a better term for ‘generic’ broadcasting or ‘format’ broadcasting (Chignell 2011) by virtue of the fact that the word ‘broadcasting’ itself is omitted.
- 28.
1970 Conservative Party General Election Manifesto.
- 29.
In office 1970–1974.
- 30.
White Paper: An Alternative Service of Radio Broadcasting, 29 March 1971 (Cmnd 4636).
- 31.
The Economist, 10 October 1970.
- 32.
The London Broadcasting Company (LBC) began broadcasting on 8 October 1973.
- 33.
Capital Radio began broadcasting on 16 October 1973.
- 34.
The first five franchises were for London News (LBC 8 October 1973), London General (Capital Radio 16 October 1973), Glasgow (Radio Clyde 31 December 1973), Birmingham (BMRB 19 February 1974) and Manchester (Piccadilly Radio 2 April 1974).
- 35.
Rescue plan for LBC to be put to staff. Financial Times, 23 January 1974
- 36.
Stoller (2010, 56) cites the tensions over the wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips on 14 November 1973 which required intervention by the IBA.
- 37.
LBC , Capital Radio (both London), Radio Clyde (Glasgow), BRMB (Birmingham), Piccadilly Radio (Manchester), Metro Radio (Newcastle), Swansea Sound (Swansea), Radio Hallam (Sheffield), Radio City (Liverpool) and Radio Forth (Edinburgh).
- 38.
Ad Week, 12 July 1974.
- 39.
Evening Standard, 7 July 1977.
- 40.
Evening Standard, 29 June 1978.
- 41.
It is important to remember that at this time Capital was also offering drama and classical music content which was competing successfully with Radio 3 and Radio 4 (Seaton 2015, 97).
- 42.
Commercial Radio: the 19 stations that showed why the cynics were wrong. Campaign magazine, 2 July 1976.
- 43.
Financial Weekly, 13 August 1982.
- 44.
Annan Report on the Future of Broadcasting, 24 February 1977 (Cmnd 6753).
- 45.
White Paper on the Future of Broadcasting, July 1978 (PREM 16/1525).
- 46.
Controller BBC Local Radio 1976–1988.
- 47.
Notes on Independent Local Radio. IBA, 12 July 1972.
- 48.
ibid.
- 49.
Board of Governors meeting minutes, 7 September 1978. BBC WAC: Commercial Radio General R92/301/1.
- 50.
These four key points are a summarised version of the six resolutions passed at Heathrow; see Appendix.
- 51.
The Network Chart Show was a Top 30 countdown show launched across the ILR network on 30 September 1984, competing directly with the Radio 1 Top 40 countdown.
- 52.
The Listener, 11 February 1971.
- 53.
Incorporating the Annual Report and Accounts for 1973–74.
- 54.
Incorporating the Annual Report and Accounts for 1974–75.
- 55.
BBC Press Release, 24 Sept 1974.
- 56.
Audience Research, Commercial Radio. BBC WAC: R78/3, 861/1.
- 57.
Memo from David Lloyd James to Network Controllers, 28 May 1974. BBC WAC: Commercial Radio General, R92/301/1.
- 58.
The Pallisers was a 1974 BBC television adaptation of Anthony Trollope’s Palliser novels.
- 59.
Memo from Chief Publicity Officer, Radio (Michael Colley) to DPR, Recent Press Coverage, 15 July 1974. BBC WAC: Commercial Radio General, R92/301/1.
- 60.
A future Director General but as this point Director of Programmes, Television.
- 61.
Memo from Alasdair Milne (DPT) to Howard Newby (DPR). Radio Forth, 15 May 1975. BBC WAC: Commercial Radio General, R92/301/1.
- 62.
Marshall Stewart, Editor LBC. Campaign Magazine, 22 February 1974.
- 63.
Interview with Metro Radio Managing Director Bruce Lewis. Newcastle Journal, 11 July 1974.
- 64.
IBA News Release, 9 April 1976.
- 65.
BBC Director of Radio, 1978–1982.
- 66.
Correspondence between Aubrey Singer (Managing Director, BBC Radio) and Sir Brian Young (Director General, IBA), June/July 1978. BBC WAC: Commercial Radio General, R92/301/1.
- 67.
Memo from Controller Radio 2, Charles McLelland, to Managing Director Radio, 5 December 1978. BBC WAC: Commercial Radio General, R92/301/1.
- 68.
Memo from Aubrey Singer (Managing Director, BBC Radio) to Noble Wilson (Controller International Relations) Training Independent Radio Staff, 22 June 1979. BBC WAC: Commercial Radio General, R92/301/1.
- 69.
Correspondence between Aubrey Singer (Managing Director, BBC Radio) and John Whitney (Managing Director, Capital Radio) February/March 1980. BBC WAC: Commercial Radio General, R92/301/1.
- 70.
ibid.
- 71.
Those present included BBC Managing Director Radio, BBC Deputy Managing Director Radio, BBC Chief Personnel Officer Radio, Managing Director Capital Radio, Managing Director Piccadilly Radio, Managing Director Radio City and Director Association of Independent Radio Contractors.
- 72.
Note on lunch between BBC and AIRC and ILR managers, 16 April 1980. BBC WAC: Commercial Radio General, R92/301/1.
- 73.
The Annan Report on the Future of Broadcasting, 24 February 1977.
- 74.
Named after report author Maurice Ennals (Station Manager at Radio Solent).
- 75.
Ennals Report on Local Radio Expansion 1975. BBC WAC: R102/22.
- 76.
ibid.
- 77.
Report of the Local Radio Group of Governors, 20 July 1978. BBC WAC: Local Radio Development Governors Sub-Group, R92/67/1.
- 78.
Ditchley Conference Paper: Radio 1985–1995, March 1980. BBC WAC: Radio Services Policy, R92/2/1.
- 79.
For example, BBC Ceefax and ITV Oracle which had been running since 1974.
- 80.
Ditchley Conference Paper: Radio 1985–1995, March 1980. BBC WAC: Radio Services Policy, R92/2/1.
- 81.
ibid.
- 82.
Radio Programme Strategy, September 1982. BBC WAC: Radio Services Policy R92/2/1.
- 83.
ibid.
- 84.
Note by Aubrey Singer (Managing Director, BBC Radio), 3 December 1980. BBC WAC Commercial Radio General R92/301/1.
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Devlin, J. (2018). A Level Playing Field: The BBC and Independent Radio. In: From Analogue to Digital Radio. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93070-1_5
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