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Broadcasting Begun

by | 16th November 2022

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A leaflet with the words: Instructions for installing and operating Marconiphone Model T21A. 5 valve superhey table receiver with three pre-selected stations for A.C. Mains. G Marconi. The Greatest Name in Radio'. There are also some scribbled notes in pencil that are difficult to make out.

Broadcasting Begun

An old radio set in a wooden box open to show the inner working with lightbulbs and wires.

2 valve Marconi radio set 1920s

BROADCASTING BEGUN was the headline in the Gazette when the news and the weather forecast were ‘sent out’ from the BBC station in Marconi House, London on the 14th November 1922, and from Birmingham and Manchester as well the following day. The Gazette reports ‘In addition to this news there will be concerts, instrumental and vocal, and it may be that later we shall arrange for speeches written by popular people to be broadcast’.

An old radio - a large, tall wooden box with with dials and a display showing frequencies

‘Windsor’ radio is dated 1930s in our catalogue but may be later

The BBC’s own website gives more information including this snippet on the daily news bulletins ‘They were read by Arthur Burrows, Director of programmes. Burrows read the bulletin twice, once fast and then slowly, so that listeners could take notes if they wished’.

An old radio, a brown wooden rectangular box with a mesh below above some dials and a display showing numbers and frequencies.

3 waveband Bush radio 1950s

The Museum has a good collection of radios and radio related items representing the first five decades of broadcasting. The four radio sets date from the 1920s, 30s, 50s and 60s. The instruction leaflet is for the Marconiphone T21A which was first produced in 1946. Some of these radios are on display on the ground floor of the Museum.

A an old radio - a cream radio, most likely made of Bakelite, with chrome detail and a cream leather effect handle. There is a circular dial on the right and the word BUSH on the left in chrome letters.

Bush Portable radio 1960s

Follow this link for more information from the BBC about the anniversary https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/anniversaries/november/2lo/