'BBC Handbook 1976 Incorporating the Annual Report and Accounts 1974-75 www.americanradiohistory.com www.americanradiohistory.com www.americanradiohistory.com 9L61 310oQPu-BH Dgg www.americanradiohistory.com BBC Handbook 1976 incorporating the Annual Report and Accounts 1974 -75 British Broadcasting Corporation www.americanradiohistory.com Published by the British Broadcasting Corporation 35 Marylebone High Street, London W 1 M 4AA ISBN 563 12891 7 First published 1975 © BBC 1975 Printed in England by The Whitefriars Press Ltd London & Tonbridge Illustrated section printed by Sir Joseph Causton & Sons Ltd, London www.americanradiohistory.com Contents Foreword Sir Michael Swann 7 Tables Part one World radio and television receivers 54 Annual Report and Accounts External broadcasting 65 1974 - 75 Annual Report of the Broadcasting Council for Scotland 105 Introductory 9 Annual Report of the Broadcasting Council for Wales 110 Programmes 21 Appendices 115 Television 21 I Hours of output: television 116 Radio 25 Hours of output: radio 117 Party political broadcasts and broadcasts II Programme analysis television networks by Members of Parliament 32 118 News 34 Programme analysis radio networks 119 III School broadcasting 120 Religious broadcasting 35 IV Hours of broadcasting in the External Educational broadcasting 37 Services 123 Northern Ireland 42 V Rebroadcasts of External Services 124 English regional broadcasting 43 _Network production centres 44 Part two The English television regions 47 Programme review Appeals for charity 48 Audience reaction 48 Television 131 Network radio 155 External broadcasting 53 Local radio 166 Engineering 69 Scotland 168 Wales 172 Personnel 77 Northern Ireland 175 English regional broadcasting 178 Advisory bodies 83 Network production centres 178 Publications and Enterprises 89 English television regions 186 Religious broadcasts 188 Finance: Balance Sheet and Accounts 93 World Service 190 www.americanradiohistory.com Part three General information 295 Reference The BBC and the public 295 Audience research 295 The broadcasting services 195 Getting in touch with the BBC 296 The BBC Television Service 195 Writing to the BBC, record requests, auditions, submission of scripts and scores, tickets for BBC Radio 199 BBC shows, visits to BBC premises, SOS Network radio 199 messages, appeals for charity. Local radio 202 Open Door programmes 299 Regional broadcasting 203 Publicity and press offices 299 Northern Ireland 203 BBC Programmes Complaints Commission 299 Scotland 204 Licences and licence fees 301 Wales 205 Sales and services 303 The English regions 206 BBC Publications 303 The External Services 207 BBC Enterprises 305 CEEFAX 306 News and current affairs 215 BBC Libraries 307 Political and parliamentary broadcasting 216 International relations 311 Music 220 Weather forecasts 312 BBC orchestras, choirs and conductors 222 Greenwich Time Signal 314 Educational broadcasting 223 Staff and administration 314 Religious broadcasting 225 Recruitment 314 Programme contracts 315 Engineering and technical 227 Copyright 316 Organisation charts 317 Engineering Division 227 Names and addresses 321 Frequency allocations 228 List of senior staff 321 How to get good reception 230 BBC addresses 324 Transmitting stations and coverage maps 233 BBC representatives overseas 326 625 -line television 234 BBC news offices overseas 327 405 -line television 247 Membership of the BBC's advisory councils Vhf radio 254 and committees 328 Vhf stereophonic radio 263 Bibliography 335 Long and medium wave radio 264 Some books on British broadcasting 335 Local radio 266 Some BBC dates 338 Constitutional 271 Index 341 The Constitution of the BBC 271 Broadcasting and advisory councils 275 Constitutional documents 276 Royal Charter 278 Licence and agreement 287 www.americanradiohistory.com Foreword Sir Michael Swann Chairman of the BBC The BBC's 1976 Handbook comes out at a time of great national difficulty. Now, more than ever, people look to the BBC for wholly reliable information, for an expression of the innumerable concerns of the nation, and especially perhaps, for laughter and pleasure in every home. Our programmes, we hope, help to sustain the national morale, not by pumping out propaganda, or by concealing the truth about the dark sides of national life, but by broad- casting the best we can of those things that our Royal Charter enjoins us to provide - information, entertainment and education. When the whole future of broadcasting, and hence the BBC, is under review by a committee of inquiry with very wide terms of reference, I believe it is wise to remember the value of what we do at present, and the good work that we have put out, in spite of great difficulties, throughout the last year. I want also to spell out once again our continuing aim and purpose. It is to broad- cast programmes which are as good as we can make them, and which offer the widest var- iety of choice and opportunity to a public, not one member of which is quite like any other. 7 www.americanradiohistory.com Part one Annual Report & Accounts of the British Broadcasting Corporation for the year 1974 -75 as submitted to the Secretary of State for the Home Department in accordance with Article 18 of the BBC's Royal Charter The Board of Governors Membership as at 31 March 1975 Appointed Sir Michael Swann, FRS Chairman 1.1.73 Lady Avonside, o a e National Governor for Scotland 1.5.71 Dr Glyn Tegai Hughes National Governor for Wales 1.1 1.71 Bill O'Hara, Esq. National Governor for Northern Ireland 25.10.73 The Lord Allan of Kilmahew, DSO, OBE, RD 1.7.71 Roy Fuller, Esq., c BE 1.1.72 Tony Morgan, Esq. 1.1.72 George Howard, Esq., D L 15.2.72 The Lord Feather of the City of Bradford, c a E 25.5.73 The Lord Greenhill of Harrow, GCMG, OBE 8.11.73 Mrs Stella Clarke 1.2.74 8 www.americanradiohistory.com Introductory The financial position for at least two years', he said, `and if there were to be any earlier review ... it would be It is inevitable that this report should open, for the BBC to make a case in relation both like its predecessor, with a discussion of to its own economy and to the external financial matters. Inflationary pressures on circumstances with which it was con- a scale never before encountered during 53 fronted.' years of broadcasting turned a modest surplus What the Home Secretary called a limited of £792,000 on 31 March 1974 into a deficit reduction in the level of services became in approaching £19 million by 31 March 1975. fact, and of necessity, a surgical operation as Indeed, for the first time in the history of the far as the BBC was concerned. It represented BBC, major cuts have had to be made in a historic reversal for the BBC after years of broadcasting services for financial reasons. steady expansion. At the turn of the year, the Exactly a year ago it was stated in the BBC had already initiated a number of Annual Report for 1973 -74 that the time had measures of retrenchment, whose effect was come when the BBC could no longer finance quickly felt by the radio and television audi- its operations from its existing income in a ences. Hours of broadcasting were cut, period of rampant inflation. An increase in the programmes withdrawn and choices curtailed. licence fee, it was said, would be needed in During the period of waiting for the Home 1975. In the event, after a protracted period of Secretary's announcement, the BBC had negotiation, the Home Secretary announced considered what else might have to go if the on 29 January 1975 that the monochrome and licence fee were not increased sufficiently. colour television licences would be increased When the increase was announced, it proved from £7 to £8 and from £12 to £18 respec- possible to leave the general shape of the tively, starting on 1 April. The Home Secre- BBC's services unchanged, but in order to tary said on that occasion that a failure on the have any hope of meeting the policy require- Government's part to make reasonable ments indicated by the Home Secretary the provision for rising costs would entail cuts of BBC had to embark upon a reduction in total such severity as to damage the whole balance expenditure of about 6 per cent, with all that of services which the Corporation had that might mean in terms of employment of achieved, and he described these services as a staff and artists, and of delays in important national asset as well as an important part of capital projects, already affected by restric- individual amenity. The BBC, he went on, tions on capital expenditure in the public must recognise the need for some economies sector. and the public for some limited reduction in The BBC's broad strategic aim, on certain the level of services that the licence fee assumptions about the control of inflation, is sustained in 1974. The Home Secretary had to arrive at 31 March 1976 with its deficit said it was hoped that the settlement would reduced from the present level to about £10 last for three years, though it was difficult to million. It aims to hold the deficit at that make predictions. `The settlement must last level, which coincides with the maximum 9 www.americanradiohistory.com 10 Annual Report permissible temporary borrowing under the increase will be rather smaller. Now that the Charter, for a further year thereafter. But the difference between monochrome and colour `external circumstances' mentioned by the licence fees is £10 the BBC loses £1 million Home Secretary are the current unpredictable for every 100,000 by which the increase in rates of increase in costs and future variations colour licences falls short of the estimate. The in the rate of increase in colour television combined effects of the general recession and licences.