ABSTRACT

This is an accessible and concise history of British radio and television. The book considers the nature and evolution of broadcasting, the growth of broadcasting institutions and the relation of broadcasting to a wider political and social context.
Beginning with the genesis of radio at the turn of the century, Crisell discusses key moments in media history from the first wireless broadcast in 1920 to the present. Key topics covered include:
* The establishment of the BBC in 1927
* The general strike, notions of public service broadcasting and the cultural values of the BBC
* Broadcasting in wartime
* The heyday of radio in the 1940s and 1950s and the rise of television
* BBC2, Channel 4 and minority television
* The changing role of radio in a television age
* The convergence of broadcasting and other media
* Future issues for broadcasting

chapter 1|12 pages

The birth of radio

chapter 5|24 pages

Television: the first years of competition

chapter 6|24 pages

Pilkington and after

chapter 7|18 pages

The fall and rise of radio

chapter 8|34 pages

Television and its social effects

chapter 9|26 pages

A growth of sights and sounds

chapter 10|22 pages

Cables, dishes and deregulation

chapter 11|31 pages

And now the nineties