Timeline of the BBC

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a timeline of the history of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Contents

[edit] 1920s

[edit] 1930s

[edit] 1940s

[edit] 1950s

[edit] 1960s

BBC logo between 1960 and 1971

[edit] 1970s

BBC logo between 1971 and 1986
  • 1971
  • 1972
    • 23 October - The BBC announces that development work has begun on the Ceefax teletext service.
    • BBC adds stereo capability to Radio 2.
  • 1973
    • March - Experimental Ceefax teletext transmissions begin.
    • BBC adds stereo capability to Radio 4.
  • 1974
    • 5 July - A quadrasonic (4-channel) radio programme goes out at midnight, using Radio 4 to carry the two front channels and Radio 3 to carry the two rear channels.
    • 23 September - Regular Ceefax teletext service begins.
  • 1978
    • 3 April - Regular radio broadcasts from Parliament begin.
    • 23 November - The BBC's radio stations switch medium wave frequencies: Radio 1 moves from 247m (1214 kHz) to 275 and 285m (1089 and 1053 kHz), Radio 2 moves from 1500m (200 kHz long wave) to 330 and 433m (909 and 693 kHz), Radio 3 moves from 464m (647 kHz) to Radio 1's old frequency, and Radio 4 moves to Radio 2's old frequency. [1]
  • 1979
    • 27 January - Radio 2 is the first BBC radio station to broadcast 24 hours a day. Its final nighttime closedown is at 2.00 on this date; from the next day onwards, "You, the night and the music" fills the "small hours" between 2.00 and 5.00. [2]
    • 2 September - Subtitling of television programmes on Ceefax begins.

[edit] 1980s

  • 1983
  • 1985
    • 23 January - Television coverage of proceedings in the House of Lords begins.
    • 18 February - BBC One is given a major relaunch, along with the introduction of a new ident, the COW (Computer Originated World).
    • July 13 - Live Aid is broadcast to the world on BBC One and BBC Radio 1, the first broadcast of its kind.
  • 1986
    • 1 April - All commercial activities of the BBC are now handled by BBC Enterprises Ltd.
    • 27 October - BBC One starts a full daytime television service. Before today, excluding special events coverage, BBC One showed pages from Ceefax or closed down at times during weekday mornings and afternoons.
  • 1988
    • 1 September - BBC External Services is renamed the World Service, and Radio 1 starts regular broadcasts on VHF in Scotland, northern England, the Midlands, and south Wales, Avon and Somerset, between 97-99 MHz. [3] (Crystal Palace has been broadcasting R1 on 104.8 MHz since October 1987, and would later switch to 98.8 MHz at 11.00 on 19 December 1989. [4])
    • 20 September - The Radio Data System (RDS) launches, allowing car radios to automatically retune, display station identifiers and switch to local travel news.
  • 1989

[edit] 1990s

  • 1990
  • 1991
    • 16 January - Radio 4 News FM starts war broadcasts on BBC Radio 4 FM frequencies.
    • 16 February - BBC One and BBC Two receive new idents generated from laserdisc, BBC One with a '1' encased in a swirling globe, and BBC Two with eleven idents based around the numeral '2'.
    • 2 March - Radio 4 News FM closes and BBC Radio 4 returns to FM.
    • 15 April - The World Service Television News service is launched. Unlike World Service radio which is funded by direct grant from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, WSTV is commercially funded and carries advertising, which means that it cannot be broadcast in the UK.
    • 31 July - The BBC's Lime Grove Studios close.
    • 31 August - BBC television starts officially broadcasting in stereo using the NICAM system. (Some transmtters had been broadcasting in stereo since 1988, but these were classified as tests.)
    • 14 October - World Service TV launches its Asian service.
  • 1992
  • 1994
    • First BBC website created for the BBC Two series The Net.
    • 27 March - Radio 5 ends transmission.
    • 28 March - BBC Radio Five Live a dedicated news and sport network starts round-the-clock broadcasts.
    • 1 July - Radio 1 ceases broadcasting on medium wave (AM) at 9.00.
    • July - Arabic television service launched with funding from the Saudi Arabian Mawarid Group.
  • 1995
    • January - World Service Television is renamed BBC World.
  • 1996
    • 21 April - Arabic television closes down when the Saudi backer pulls out following a row over coverage of the execution of a princess accused of adultery.
    • 7 June - The BBC is restructured by the Director-General, John Birt. In the new structure BBC Broadcast will commission programmes, and BBC Production will make them.
    • 29 December - What is billed as the last ever episode of Only Fools and Horses is watched by 24.35 million viewers, the largest ever TV audience of a sitcom.
  • 1997
    • The BBC broadcasts the much praised "Perfect Day" corporate advertisement, featuring 27 artists singing lines of Lou Reed's original. The song later becomes a fund-raising single for Children in Need.
    • 28 February - The BBC sells its transmitters and transmission services to Castle Transmission Services for £244 million, to help fund its plans for the digital age.
    • 4 October - Current corporate identity adopted. At a reported cost of £5m the new logo was introduced due to the increase in digital services, as it is designed to be more visible at small size it is better suited for use in websites and on screen "DOGs."
    • 8 November - The last ever closedown on BBC One. From the following day, BBC One broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with BBC News 24 filling the early hours.
    • 9 November - BBC News 24, the Corporation's UK television news service, is launched at 17.30.
    • BBC News Online, a web-based news service, begins to expand and become more popular.
  • 1998
    • August - The BBC's domestic TV channels become available on Sky Digital's satellite service. An unintended consequence of this is that people in the rest of Europe can now watch BBC One and Two, using viewing cards from the UK, as the signal is encrypted for rights reasons. This applies even within the UK: people in England can now watch BBC channels from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and vice versa.
    • 23 September - The BBC launches BBC Choice, its first new TV channel since 1964, available only on digital TV services. The BBC Parliament TV channel also starts broadcasting on digital services.
    • 15 November - Public launch of digital terrestrial TV in the UK.
  • 1999
    • 10 May - BBC network news relaunched with new music, titles and a red and ivory set. This design was used for the October 25 relaunch of News 24 - enhancing cross-channel promotion of the service.
    • 20 May - The BBC's digital teletext service starts.
    • 1 June - BBC Knowledge starts broadcasting on digital services.

[edit] 2000s

[edit] See also

BBC Portal
v • d • e
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Services
Nations and regions
Subsidiaries
History
Departments
Key properties
Finance
Management
Category · Portal