PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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Rediffusion was an off-shoot of the British Electric Traction Company Ltd, which ran numerous tramway systems throughout the country, including the Devonport & District Tramways Company. They already had wires strewn along streets to provide the power for the trams, so when broadcasting came along in the 1920s it was easy for them to add wires that could be used to carry the radio signals. In March 1928 they formed a subsidiary called Broadcast Relay Service Ltd but this name was soon changed to Rediffusion. The name was based on "re-diffusing", i.e. broadcasting again. The enterprise was immediately successful and the company quickly added the manufacture, sale and hire of radios to their activities. Rediffusion (South West) Ltd was formed around 1932 and covered the cities of Bristol, Southampton, Exeter and Plymouth. Their customers included hospitals, schools, factories, canteens and meeting-places as well as private residences. In 1935 Plymouth Rediffusion Services Ltd had its head office at 34 Mutley Plain. In addition it had two relay stations, at 62 Union Street, Plymouth, and at Swilly Road; an amplifying station at 28 Market Street, Devonport; and wireless engineers at the rear of 17 Beatrice Avenue, Mount Gould, which it shared with Mr George Archibald Lear, an undertaker. The relay station at Swilly Road was situated at the Beacon Park end of Greatlands Crescent and consisted of two huts. There was evidently an office as well, as Mr Sydney Moseley, who lived at the time in Beacon Park Road, recalls going there to pay for the service. During the 1950s Rediffusion were investigating the possibility of transmitting television pictures over their network and the addition of a third programme based on the BBC's Third Programme of news and current affairs. Television sets were already being offered to Rediffusion subscribers at a low eekly rental charge.
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