ABSTRACT
British broadcasting has long been subjected to rules that enforce impartiality laws including during election times. This regulatory approach also means there has been a long-standing ban on paid radio and television advertising of the kind seen in other democracies. This chapter explores the origins and development of a 90-year-old tradition and considers some of the continuities as well as changes to digital outputs. In his pioneering analysis of the British “political market,” Andrew Gamble identified three components: “the existence of a mass electorate; competition between two or more parties for the votes of this electorate; and a set of rules governing this competition”. The earliest political advertising in Britain took the form of individuals promoting their candidatures by buying space in an increasingly popular print media. The development of radio during the 1920s, in the guise of the British Broadcasting Company set up in 1922 provided an obvious opportunity to enhance and enrich the mass democratic process.
