The Growth and Work of the "B.B.C."

Radio Record, Volume I, Issue 39, 13 April 1928, Page 16

The Growth and Work of the "B.B.C."

We are indebted to "The Dominion" for the following interesting article by Miss Nellie M. Scanian, on the British Broadcasting Corporation and its growth and work.

@ HEN the B.B.C. (British | Broadcasting Corporation) mM asked Bernard Shaw to speak om the wireless, and not say anything coutroPome: vyersial, Bernard Shaw tossed his wintry beard and laughed, Whoever heard of a man saying anything worth while that was not controversial! There 1s a very rigid regulation about the Iinglish radio programme, that noSiete as Pars thing controversial shall be said oyer the air, One may justly qualify that and state that this exclusion really applies to major controversial subjects, such as religion and politics, Une would not fling heedlessly at England’s ten million radio audience a discussion on birth control, prohibition, or the revised Prayer Book. Alinost any man who makes a statement on the air, about anything from the weather forecast to raising chick: | ens, starts an arguiment in some lousehold, Households are like that. They need only the theme; the will to controversy is always there. 2L0’S HEADQUARTERS. FUNGLAN D’S radio headquarters are on Savoy Hill, behind the Savoy Hoceaseless activity, is now too small for the 560 or more people it employs. There are many departments in this army, with a general at the head of each group. I was passed from hand to hand, through a long line of generals, until, speaking of facts and figures, I had reached saturation point. The mechanical side of wireless merely bewilders me. A tall, learned engineer led me through ranks of studios, where, amidst hangings and draperies, he explained the strange antics of *frequencies" if you don’t watch them. He talked in scholarly fashion of real and artificial echoes, aud 1 could see from the pride in his eye that the one he had manufactured in the next room, where the sound was taken by force, had its "frequencies" Stripped and regulated, and an echo -of perfect wniformity attached before being allowed to escape to the outside world, was his pet. IN THE STUDIOS. Wwe looked through glass peepholes into occupied studios. A red light over the door enjoins silence, as it indicates that a performance is in progress A blue light also denotes that the performance is a rehearsal. All proframunes are carefully rehearsed. In one studio a military band was blasting out a stirring tune. In the next the peephole revealed a Jewish Soprano, in the throes of a top note, with a handful of orchestra holding tone in suspense, until she should condescend to vacate it. At last she did, then wriggled her torso as though to invite a return to normal of much displayed orm

f muscle, while the conductor tossed a mane of tangled hair from his eyes, It looked as though it might have been a slab of grand opera, : In corridors we tripped over men saxaphones, and ephoniums, side drums, and double basses, and women-old and young, curled and soured, pert and frowsy, but all hopeful-waiting with a music case or a mandolin. And fragments of chatter reached the air, ariel talk all of it, about microphones and music, and how Masie sang last night. , { EST FOR ASPIRING ARTISTS, QNCE upon a time, anyoue wko had the stirrings of ambition, could have an audition at the B.B.C. "Somz of them were very ghort," said the Radio General with a smile. "We had to protect ourselves against such waste of time. Now all aspiring artists must fill in an application form, giving full particulars of their achieyements, aud experience, and, in the case of singers or musicians, the application must be countersigned by the teacher, or two well-known musicians. , An audition is then granted, one judge sitting in the room, and the other lis tening-in to hear how it comes over the air. If they pass this test, they may secure an engagement for morning programmes, and if they make good here, then promotion to the more popular eyening concerts may follow. The fees paid range so widely that it is impossible to strike an average, and as the B.B.C. include some of the best-known artists, very high prices are sometimes paid, but inuch of it is necessarily on a lower scale. -PROGRAMMES 1N THE MAKING. A EYER much climbing of many stairs ~ we come to an upper chamber, a clearing-house where all the programmes pass through. Here again, among mechanisin that looked rather like a modern telephone exchange, I was attacked with much scientific data. I emerged from it with a definite admiration for the system that, on long distance transmissions can, four or five times, take the sounds which apparently lose in high frequencies, and gain in the lower, and equalise them at every station en route. They arrive out of proportion, as it were, and are instantly remodelled and sent forth on the next Jap of their journey, perfect in tonal contour. It was all very wonderful. England, as elsewhere, is not satisfied with its radio programmes. "How in the world can you expect to satisfy ten million people," said one of the radio generals. "There are 2,390,000 licensed wireless sets in England to-day, and I cannot say how many home-made affairs in the attic, with no license. But that is the job of the Post Office to run them to earth. Taken statistically, that gives nll

. us a potential audience of ten millions, Aud the man who can design a programme to satisfy all these has not yet been born on this, the carth. We get about 80,000 Ictters annually, and what one applauds, another condemus. But we haye our own professional crities, who regularly listen-in and report." EARLY DEVELOPMENT. PVT years ago the B.B.C. was a priyate company, the radio firms bem the large shareholders. It ventured timidly out into an unknown worlda world of wireless wenders. There was no precedent to guide 1t; it had to feel its way cautiously, Experimental stations and cquigment, tentative methods, and prograimme, provisional restrictions, and regulations were neccssarily part of its policy. Just a year ago the B.L.C. became a corporation with the Royal charter, The Post Office still issues the licenses, tracks down the unlicensed, and does other odd jobs, for which it reccives equivalent to about 25 per cent. or more of the license fees. As there are no shareholders, there are no dividends, the original shareholders in the company having been paid back, and the corporation runs on its earrings. From license fees they receive something less than a million annually. But this is not their only source of income. ‘The B.B.C. has devcloned a publishing branch. In the ‘Radio Times’ is published the full alternative programmes for the week, with much detailed information about the artiste and the productions. There is also 2 lot of rcading mattcr reiative to wireless from the mechanical side. "We hope to make this a national weekly, from an editor‘al point of viewd," said the Radio General, ‘and not confine it enticeiy to wireless news.’? CHOICE OF FOREIGN PROGRAMMES. y TOKLL FADO" is another publication, dealing with wireless at Home and abroad, and giving the day and hour of cvery foreigi programme If you follow the: ‘Radio World," and have a set strong enough, you may listen to the bedtime stories of an Unele in TWithuania, "*The Passing of Moya" in Dublin, a talk on "The WVolea-German"’ from Austria, a ayvmphony cencert from Czeclio-Slovakia, the prelude to Parsifal from Paris, weather from Switzerland, Divine service from VPittshurgh, while Schenectady will give von ‘The Stetson Parade," whatever that may be. A wide range of choice. These two publications are proving very profitable, and their profits enable the B.B.C. to put into programmes a greater proportion of the license fees. But they are not content with this ee

alone, When copyright permits (and copyright is one of their big items), pampiilets containing the words of plays or operas are published and sold, tor these greatly enhance the enjoyment of a radio pe1formance. To sit by the fire, book in hand, and follow every word is a great assistance, AIDS TO INSTRUCTION. PEGULARLY Trench is taught over ‘ the wireless, and many people tase this course. To supplement the instruction on the air, booklets containing cach lesson are sold, so that -eye ad ear are trained simultaneously, and that great difficulty, pronunciation, is overcome, Large numbers of the English schools now have radio installations, Series of lectures are given for scliool children, covering history, travel, geography, music, literature, and many other subjects. Booklets containing a synopsis of the lecture, prepared by the lecturer, and published by the L.B.C., are supplied to the schools free. ‘This enables the scholars to check and correct statements not clearly understood or heard, and stimulates a further interest in the subject. The B.B.C. nourishes the hope that one day the Government will recognise this educational service, and assist in Hind publication of the school pamphets. I think it was America who coined the phrase, ‘Make a little talk," for they have a perfect passion for lectures in the United States. England does not relish being Jectured to such an extent, and the hours devoted to talking on the witeless have been the subject of a heated controversy.

ann WHAT DO THE PUBLIC WANT? RECENTLY the ‘Daily Mail’? took a straw vote as to the public’s opinjon on the present wireless programunes. ‘Khe 1csult was in favour of more music and less talk. ‘Tt would be difficult to say what is the most popular form of wireless entertainment," said the Radio General, ‘‘but light music-popular sings, small orchestras with the type of selections favoured in restaurants, and military bands -are probably the most in demand, Yet, of course, that can be overdone, as there is also a great demand for other phases. The talks, about which there is so much fuss at the moment, include comments on sporting events. That is’ aman describing a foothall match, boxing contest, or the boat race as it is in progress. There is also what we call the ‘eye-witness account,’ that is. the story of an event related afterwards by an eye-witness. The weather forecast, stock reports, dav’s news hudect, tonical events--all these come under the heading of talks, which, at most, occupy onlv 14 per cent. of the total proeramme.’?

Then we come back to the original question of whether these talks might not be widened to include more controversial subjects. On the Board of Control there is one woman, and a very able woman, Mrs. Phillip Snowden. A. few weeks ago there as a suggestion that she might not be on the board for very long, despite the fact that it carries, I think, £600 a year salary. Mrs. Snowden has bee: actively engaged in fighting for more-freedom of speech on the air, a wider interpretation of the. nion-controversial regulation. "When Bernard Shaw spoke over the radio, of course he broke every rule and regulation in the matter,’? said the Radio General. "But we do not permit dehates now on topical or abstract subjects, such as Ts sport a menace?’ or "Is chivalrv dead?’ But always, we extract a pron ise thst nothing controversial will he introdneed.’’ THE CONTROVERSIAL ASPECT. CONTROVERSIAL, in the radio sense, is therctore hard to define. But Mrs. Snewden would favour using the air by the respective political party leaders and authoritative speake s, on. questions of vital national importance, ° in order to ensure the real facts on all sides reaching the remotest people. At the moment, this subject is under serious consideration. It contains wide possibilities for good or il, and both must be weighed, but tne Radio General would give me no hint of the possible decision.

The London stacion is 2.0, t at there are a number of stations and relay stations throughcat Enyland. Daventry 5XX is really the same as 2L0, and what you hear from one you hear from’ the other. ‘The perpetwai argument about what the people want has led to the development of an alternative programme. So new they have built another station at Daventry, EGB. It is hoped in time to duplicate every station, and so provide the whole of England with the alternative programmes. If you don’t want to listen to bedtime stories on 21,0 you van have year iilitary hand on 5GB, and if you are weary of the opera on 5GB you can switch on to the Loxing report on 27,0, When I asked if they welcomed every new deyelop.nent and improvement in wireless, th. Radio General looked aghast, TI feit they were praying for a period of stabilisation, in order to ensure a reasonable life to their present equipment. "You can’t scrap thousands of pounds worth of gear for every five per cent. improvement," he sai lL. Over the fell-covercd desk, where the talke. nightly talks, was a notice. "Tf you sueeze or cough vou will shatter the nerves cf thousands of people." "A mild exazer. tign?"’ I asked. The Radio Getieral nodded, "feb be eo ce Pe