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26 November-2 December 1923, and the BBC and the USA had a little conversation. Well, a big conversation, across an ocean, across a week, heard by listeners east and west of the Atlantic.
Our moment-by-moment timeline of British broadcasting has reached this momentous moment (aren't all moments momentous?) when British ears heard America, and American ears heard Britain, via radio.
It was all Radio Broadcast magazine's fault/idea. Its co-owner, Frank Doubleday of Doubleday, Page and Co, thought it would be nice for the two countries to hear each via some organised tests - and while US radio had reached the UK, the time difference made it trickier for the signals to be heard the other way around. It meant BBC staff setting their alarms for a few days of 3am broadcasts, and Biggin Hill Aerodrome proved the ideal place for the engineers to pick up what America was sending.
So this episode comes live (well, recorded) from Biggin Hill Aerodrome. You can even hear the odd plane.
It was here that BBC Deputy Chief Engineer Captain West and team listened for US radio - and ate Mrs West's fried sausages. Oh yes, we bring you all the details, including Reith and Eckersley singing God Save the King...
...and we bring you a guest: BBC producer and presenter Josephine McDermott has made an Archive on 4 documentary on international shortwave radio - The Sound of Soft Power. Link below, have a listen, and hear her tell us of the joy of finding such archive.
A second part of the 1923 experiments came after Christmas that year, so a second part of this story will be on the podcast in a few episodes time - around ep 132, when Prof Simon J Potter will enlighten us on the BBC's global reach, linked to the Pittsburgh and Paris broadcasts heard on the BBC in late 1923.
SHOWNOTES:
- Hear Josephine McDermott's Radio 4 documentaries for Archive on 4: The Sound of Soft Power - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002wskb - and https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0026tw0
- Research this episode is thanks to a variety of places, inc. Andrew Barker our Newspaper Detective (see his daily posts on our Facebook group), Thomas H white's website https://earlyradiohistory.us/, Myles Eckersley's book Prospero's Wireless, and Edward Pawley's book BBC Engineering 1922-1972.
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Next time, Episode 127: Early radio drama from Gertrude Jennings.
More on this broadcasting history project at paulkerensa.com/oldradio
