BBC YEAR BOOK 1945 www.americanradiohistory.com www.americanradiohistory.com www.americanradiohistory.com His Excellency M. Georges Bidault, French Minister for Foreign Affairs www.americanradiohistory.com BBC YEAR BOOK 1945 THE BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION BROADCASTING HOUSE LONDON, W.' www.americanradiohistory.com BOOK PRODUCTION WAR ECONOMY STANDARD= THIS BOOK IS PRODUCED IN COMPLETE CONFORMITY WITH THE AUTHORIZED ECONOMY STANDARDS II No. 1833 MADE AND PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY JARROLD & SONS LTD., NORWICH & LONDON www.americanradiohistory.com CONTENTS INTRODUCTION page 7 THE VOICE OF LIBERTY 12 By His Excellency M. Georges Bidault, French Minister for Foreign Affairs LISTENING TO WAR REPORTS : WHAT DO YOU FEEL? 15 By Mrs. Arnot Robertson RECENT RADIO PROGRESS 19 By Sir Edward Appleton, K.C.B., F.R.S. 'LONG LIVE REGIONAL BROADCASTING' 23 By L. A. G. Strong DR. GOEBBELS CALLED ME `INTERNATIONAL ASSASSIN' 26 By Wickham Steed REVIEW OF WARTIME BROADCASTING 29 I. CENTRAL AND HOME FRONT SERVICES 'COME INTO A BBC NEWS ROOM' 29 By A. P. Ryan, Controller of News WAR THE AT FIRST HAND 32 By Donald Boyd, Editor 'War Report' BROADCASTING TO FORCES AT HOME AND FAR AWAY 35 By Robert MacDermot, General Overseas Service Organizer LANDMARKS OF WARTIME BROADCASTING IN THE ENGINEERING DIVISION 38 By H. Bishop, Chief Engineer of the BBC RELIGIOUS BROADCASTING IN WARTIME 41 By James W. Welch, Director of Religious Broadcasting THE RISING TIDE OF MUSIC 44 By Victor Hely -Hutchinson, Director of Music VARIETY GOES ON TOUR 47 By John Watt, Director of Variety THE EARS OF BRITAIN 50 By Christopher Saltmarshe, Monitoring Service `NO MOOD TO BOTHER WITH THE RADIO PLAY ?' 53 By Val Gielgud, Director of Features and Drama THE RADIO DOCUMENTARY IN WARTIME 55 By Laurence Gilliam, Assistant Director of Features 5 www.americanradiohistory.com STAR AND UNDERSTUDY TOO' page 58 By Gerald Abraham, Gramophone Director A NOTE ON `MUSIC WHILE YOU WORK' 60 By Wynford Reynolds, Organizer of the Series EVERY ENGLISHMAN EXPECTS TO BE INFORMED 6I By John Green, Talks Department SCHOOL BROADCASTING COMES OF AGE 64 By May Somerville, Director of School Broadcasting CHILDREN'S HOUR, 1939 TO 1944 67 By Derek McCulloch, Children's Hour Director FROM EVERY REGION : NORTH -MIDLAND -WEST- 70 WALES -NORTHERN IRELAND -SCOTLAND II. OVERSEAS SERVICES OUR BROADCASTING LINK WITH THE DOMINIONS 84 By Tahu Hole, Overseas Talks Manager INDIA -A PICTURE FROM THE LISTENING END 88 By D. Stephenson, Director New Delhi Office BROADCASTING TO THE COLONIES 91 By J. Grenfell Williams, Assistant Controller Overseas Service BRITAIN ISN'T WASTING TIME ON FAIRY TALES' 94 By Warren MacAlpine, North American Service Director MANY AUDIENCES IN THE FAR EAST 97 By John Morris, Eastern Service Director ALLIES AND FRIENDS THROUGHOUT THE NEAR EAST I00 By S. Hillelson, Director of Near East Service BROADCASTING TO LATIN AMERICA I03 By N..Zimmern, Director Latin -American Service FIVE YEARS ON 'RECORD' IO6 By Edgar Blatt, Transcription Manager III. BROADCASTS TO EUROPE THE YEAR, OF CLIMAX IC9 By J. B. Clark, Controller, European Services THE UNITED NATIONS 114 GERMANY'S FORMER ALLIES I2I GERMANY AND AUSTRIA 125 CALLING EUROPE IN ENGLISH 128 REFERENCE SECTION 130 6 www.americanradiohistory.com INTRODUCTION The prevailing emotion of 1944 is best described by the words forward-looking. Sometimes our eyes have been fixed with agonizing expectancy on the next few weeks : sometimes simply on the next few hours. Yet through days and weeks alike, there has run persistently a vision of the future in longer terms; a future in which the twice renewed nightmare of war with Germany may be ended once and for all: a future in which we may be inspired to rebuild our homes and our great institutions in the true spirit of our national genius. It was on 28 November, 1944, that Mr. Haley spoke to the Radio Industries Club on Post -war Broadcasting', and opened his speech by saying : The most hopeful thing in the world today is the zest and eager- ness with which the British peoples are arguing about the future. The controversies, even the squabbles, now proceeding are an astonishing tribute to the stamina of this nation in the sixth year of a grim and arduous war. The British peoples might be excused if they felt a trifle tired ; if they had come to the conclusion that victory in itself was enough. But not at all. Victory is now everywhere recognized as only a beginning. It is the great preliminary. It is what we manage to build following the exertions of these six long years that really matters. Of nothing is that more true than of broadcasting.' Meanwhile 1944 has been in itself a year of wonders. I have taken it upon myself,' writes Dryden in a letter prefacing his poem on another famous Annus Mirabilis, to describe the motives, the beginning, the progresses, and successes of a most just and necessary war.' This through five years has been the daily task of the BBC. This and far more than this. For while acting as daily historian of the war to the British nation, and of the British nation to the world, the BBC has throughout the war con- tinued to bring to listeners programmes of every kind -of music, of culture, and of entertainment. During the war's most crucial hours and through the country's most profound upheavals, broad- casting has been interwoven with every thread of national life. It has been shaped by the problems of people's lives; and it has in turn given something creative to their ideals, their amusements, and their thoughts. It has been the aim, therefore, in this, the sixth BBC Tear Book of the war, to record not merely the broadcasting history of this one year, but to take a backward glance and see how the work of five years has led up to the character and organization of the BBC in 1944: to say something of the principles that have guided those in 7 www.americanradiohistory.com charge of programmes since the beginning of the war, and what are the problems they have aimed to solve. To this end some forty separate short articles have been contri- buted by members of the staff of the BBC -controllers, heads of departments, and editors with especial knowledge. Space has been all too short and there is no doubt that every one of these contri- butors has felt hampered by the limits of the two or three pages at his disposal. They provide nevertheless a unique discussion of the nature and function of wartime broadcasting from Great Britain. These articles from members of the BBC are preceded by five more general articles written by distinguished authors who speak of broadcasting more personally; from the point of view of their feelings as listeners, or from their expert knowledge. We are honoured to have received the first article in the book from Monsieur Bidault, Foreign Minister of France, an jldomitable leader of the resistance movement during the German occupation. During 1944 the year's history has been reflected in months full of change and of development in broadcasting. In the earlier months there were several events of outstanding interest in broadcasting. On 31 March the resignation of Mr. Robert Foot as Director-General was announced on his appoint- ment as Chairman of the Mining Association of Great Britain. Mr. Foot came to the Corporation in October, 1941, as General Adviser on its wartime organization. In January, 1942, he was appointed joint Director -General and in September, 1943, on the resignation of Sir Cecil Graves, he became sole Director - General. Mr. Foot took with him in his new sphere the best wishes of all asssociated with him in the BBC. In his place the Governors appointed Mr. W. J. Haley to be Director-General. Mr. Haley came to the Corporation in November, 1943, as Editor -in- Chief, and in this capacity was jointly responsible with the Director - General for the character and quality of the whole of the BBC's programme output. Before his appointment to the BBC, Mr. Haley was joint Managing Director of the Manchester Guardian and Evening News, Ltd., and a Director of Reuters and of the Press Association. On sg April the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Attlee, informed the House of Commons that the King had been pleased to approve of the reppointment as Chairman and Governor of the BBC of Sir Allan Powell. Mr. Attlee stated that Sir Allan, whose five -year term of office had expired, had agreed to serve for a further period in order to ensure continuity of policy. At an investi- ture in the previous February Sir Allan had been created a G.B.E. 8 www.americanradiohistory.com Other changes during the year began with the resignation on t4 January of Arthur Bliss who had been Director of Music since 1942, and the appointment of Victor Hely- Hutchinson. The formation of a government committee to study the development of television after the war was made known on t 8 January. Early in February Mr. D. Stephenson arrived in New Delhi to take charge of the BBC office there. The expansion of this office, together with the strengthening of broadcasts in Indian and Eastern languages, has been a sign of the increasing importance of the war on the eastern front. On 26 February came one of the most important developments of the whole war. The General Overseas Service which has been built up in the course of several previous years as a service for our forces all over the world, replaced the old Forces Programme' heard in the British Isles.