What Did The Bbc Broadcast On The "day Without News" In 1930?
In the next section, we’ll explore how the BBC navigated through the challenges of World War II and emerged as a symbol of resilience and national unity. Stay tuned for more fascinating insights into the history of this iconic broadcasting institution. Listeners eagerly tuned in to enjoy orchestral concerts, literary readings, educational lectures, and even fictional stories brought to life through radio plays.
- That’s right, there were no newspapers printed because of Good Friday which means the staff at the BBC had no news to pick from.
- Government officials objected when the very first bulletin included news that a Palestinian Arab had been executed on the orders of a British military court.
- Seriously, the news announcer just said there was nothing to report on.
- There were no reporters, no investigators, and no interviewers on staff to even go out and report the news.
- The most well-known British news network is the British Broadcasting Corporation — commonly known as the BBC – and has existed for nearly 100 years.
Hundreds of recruits, many of them refugees from Nazism, were given the task of listening in to foreign broadcasters - from a base in the grounds of a country house, at Wood Norton near Evesham in Worcestershire. The monitors were soon covering almost 250 foreign bulletins a day in thirty languages. Adding to the air of mystery, the BBC insisted that the announcers remained anonymous on air - though the Radio Times did sometimes publish the odd photograph. In addition to the output of the tape machines, information began pouring in, too, from the various arms of government. This was largely in the form of official announcements - such as advice to post early for Christmas, and warnings about heavy traffic. Eventually, the bulletins became so cluttered with these "official notices" that a separate slot had to be created for some of them - leaving the news staff to concentrate on the real news.
On April 18, 1930, A BBC Announcer Reported, 'There Is No News'
It was aware that no newspapers would be published over Easter so it contacted the BBC - to ensure the denial was included in the evening radio news. Political partisanship is even making its way into local news broadcasts. The decision to announce that there was "no news" then, had less to do with the events of the day, and more to do with the BBC’s structure, standards, and funding. When the infamous "there is no news" broadcast happened, only 2 editors and 2 sub-editors were on staff. Their entire job was sorting through the news of the day from newspapers and official government announcements to select a few for broadcast… and that’s even if they were working that day.
- Hundreds of recruits, many of them refugees from Nazism, were given the task of listening in to foreign broadcasters - from a base in the grounds of a country house, at Wood Norton near Evesham in Worcestershire.
- 93 years have passed since then, and things have changed, for better or for worse.
- His focus was on the quality of news rather than simply having news for the sake of it.
- News announcers, at that time, had to wear dinner jackets to work, out of respect for the musicians and actors who had to dress up to entertain of an evening.
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The first transmission, including a news bulletin, was to be beamed in succession at different parts of the Empire. Just as in entertainment and drama, appearing on the radio - if only to read the news - was a passport to celebrity. Newsreaders seemed a species apart, who dressed accordingly (since January 1926, announcers had been under orders to wear dinner-jackets in the evening, as a mark of respect to performers also obliged to dress formally). At the very least, reflecting on the news and broadcasting values of the early BBC can help make us more critical consumers of our news.
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His news program relied on giving a bulletin-style report on things his editors read in the paper that day without any extra commentary. Since the radio was still in its infancy, people were just realizing how powerful it could be in affecting society. On the other hand, autonomous brokers are not bound to a single car insurance carrier. They work with multiple companies, giving customers a broader range of alternatives. Autonomous brokers have the flexibility to compare policies from various carriers, allowing them to find the best coverage at competitive prices.
Confined brokers can guide customers through the procedure of selecting the most suitable coverage based on their specific needs. Additionally, they often provide personalized customer service and aid with claims, offering a sense of continuity and familiarity. In such a context, it is not surprising that the BBC should have a high standard for events it considered "newsworthy." It prioritized directness and objectivity in its news bulletins and shunned sensationalism. Reflecting on its accomplishments in 1930, the BBC boastfully claimed that not broadcasting the news was evidence of the merits of its service. The early years of the BBC were a time of innovation and experimentation in the world of broadcasting. Founded in 1922, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) was initially established as a radio service that aimed to inform and entertain listeners across the United Kingdom (inkpothub.com).
At a time when we can access news at any time, nearly anywhere, perhaps, sometimes, no news really is good news. Reith has been rightly criticized for his paternalistic ideas about broadcasting and his too-cozy relationship with Britain’s government. Even by the standards of the 1930s, his understanding of what constituted "quality" was fussy and outdated.
- This innovative approach showcased the BBC’s commitment to delivering quality programming even when faced with unusual circumstances.
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- So, a short-staffed, small, not-news corporation that relied on newspapers to summarize the news in 15 minutes had no real options for their segment.
- Winston Churchill who, at the time, was The Chancellor of the Exchequer, which sounds pretty important, had floated the idea of taking over the BBC for government propaganda.
Few of us would want to limit our media consumption to the middlebrow programming characteristic of Reith’s BBC or have our news presented solely by presenters using posh accents. Essentially all the BBC did was join all the newspapers in saying "there is no news today" yet all people want to remember or make a big deal about is the radio broadcast from a non-news corporation. That’s right, there were no newspapers printed because of Good Friday which means the staff at the BBC had no news to pick from. So, a short-staffed, small, not-news corporation that relied on newspapers to summarize the news in 15 minutes had no real options for their segment. Insurance policies usually come with limits on the amount that can be paid out for any given incident or loss.
There Was Actually News That Day In Britain
Pivotal to this transformation was the formidable John Reith, the first Director-General of the BBC. Reith was committed to the idea of broadcasting as a public service and wanted to transform the BBC into a respected national institution.