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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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BBC
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(British Broadcasting Corporation)
The nation's broadcasting service, publicly funded but independent of government control. It descends directly from the British Broadcasting Company, established in 1922 by a group of firms manufacturing wireless equipment. One of them, *Marconi, had opened a radio station in London earlier that year with the call sign '2LO', and it was from the 2LO studio in Savoy Hill (off the Strand) that the BBC began broadcasting. The company went on air on November 14 at 6 p.m., with the news read by Arthur Burrows.
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The first general manager (later called director general) was John *Reith, whose concept of public service broadcasting was given a seal of approval when the company received a royal charter in 1927 as the British Broadcasting Corporation. Its expenses have been met since then by licence fees, paid by anyone owning a radio or subsequently a television; the level of the fee is fixed annually by the government (it was ten shillings in 1927).
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With headquarters at *Broadcasting House and *Bush House, the BBC acquired a high reputation for independence and integrity – giving it wide influence through its *World Service in occupied countries during World War II, and similarly since then in many places where truth remains hard to come by. Its motto, 'Nation shall speak peace unto nation', was adapted by Montague Rendall (1862–1950) from an Old Testament line, 'Nation shall not lift up a sword against nation' (Micah 4,3).
Within Britain the BBC had a monopoly of legitimate *radio until the first commercial station went on air in 1973.
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Meanwhile the BBC had launched in 1936 the first public *television service, but here its monopoly was shorter; the first commercial TV channels began transmitting in 1955.
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