PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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STATION 5PY The British Broadcasting Company was founded on October 18th 1922 by a consortium of business that included British Thomson Houston, the General Electric Company, Marconi, Metropolitan Vickers, the Radio Communication Company and Western Electric. The aim of the Company was to provide a national broadcasting service by establishing a network of radio stations across the country. The first BBC station to start transmitting was based on the roof of Selfridge's department store in Oxford Street, London, and had the call-sign 2LO. Other stations in major cities like Birmingham and Manchester quickly followed. It was intended that the one in Plymouth should cover the whole of Devon and Cornwall but when tests were carried out, it was found that the hills got in the way. The installation that was intended for Plymouth was thus transferred to Bournemouth, which opened in October 1923. November 1st 1922 saw the introduction of the radio receiving licence, ten shillings, as a means of financing the BBC. Plymouth's radio station, with the call-sign 5PY, was opened on Friday March 28th 1924. It was really a relay station and operated on 335 metres, medium wave. The official opening ceremony was in the form of a grand concert in the Guildhall in the presence of the Mayor, Alderman Solomon Stephens. It started at 7pm with the "Big Ben" time signal and then the London news. At 7.15pm Mr J W C Reith, managing director of the BBC, introduced the Mayor of Plymouth, who broadcast the first words from Plymouth. He was followed by the Band of the Royal Marines, under the direction of Lieutenant P S G O'Donnell, which struck up "Finlandia" and then "Serenata". After a selection that included "The Grasshopper's Dance" and "The Bees' Wedding", they concluded their part of the concert with Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance", which, of course, included "Land of Hope and Glory" sung on this occasion by Madame Alice Lakin. Other soloists during the evening were Mr Arthur Marten, Mr Ernest White, and Miss Lucy Dart, while Mrs Hubert Grant and Mr Harry Moreton provided a pianoforte duet. Mr Moreton was the borough organist and he also provided much appreciated accompaniment to the soloists. Finally the irrepressible Jan Stewer gave his exposition of "How the Wireless Works", in Devonshire dialect, of course, and followed that up with "Out Come Mother and Me" and "Widdecombe Fair". At 9.30pm "Big Ben" chimed the half-hour and was followed by more news from London. Finally, at 10.45pm the Plymouth Guildhall ringed to the sound of a hearty "God Save the King" and the evening was brought to a successful conclusion. The studio was in Athenaeum Chambers, Athenaeum Lane, near George Street, over a birth control shop. The studio measured some 28 feet by 15 and alongside it were a waiting room, the control room, and a couple of offices. The 180 foot long aerial was strung between the chimneys of the old Sugar Refinery in Mill Street. The station evidently transmitted programmes from London at first as the first truly local programme was broadcast on Wednesday April 2nd 1924 and included the Dons Concert Party. A crystal radio set at that time cost a minimum of 7 shillings and 6 pence plus another 12s 6d for the headphones. 5PY's first director was Mr Clarence Goode, who had previously been running a wireless training school in the Town. Just over a year latter he was succeeded by Mr C C N Wallich but he, too, departed within a year. He was replaced by Mr James Langham who went on to build up the new station very successfully. As more and more European countries took up broadcasting, so the number of wavelengths available in this country were reduced. The BBC's ration of wavelengths were reduced from 21 to just 10. As a result, local broadcasting all over the country was curtailed and programmes from 5PY ceased on January 15th 1934. The Plymouth transmitter remained in use, however, and continued to put out programmes from London. It ceased to be used when the new high-powered one at Start Point, on the south Devon coast was opened in 1939.
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