History of Radio 3 (From 1946 to 1970)
In the beginning…
In the beginning (i.e. 1922) — was BBC radio, a single network broadcasting a homely mixed recipe of programmes: news, talks, music (jolly and serious), features, drama, sport &c. For BBC Director-General Sir John Reith (later Lord Reith) its mission was 'to inform, educate and entertain' the nation. And for what it received, the nation was duly grateful.
The war years brought special broadcasting commitments for the Beeb, but already, up ahead, exciting plans were afoot! Promptly, in July 1945, a new peacetime service was launched with a refurbished 'Home Service', along with a second station designed to be of a 'light character' and called 'the Light Programme'.
And there was more — a third station was in the offing, which was to be 'of artistic and cultural importance', the audience to be 'selective, not casual, and both attentive and critical'.
The Third Programme (as it was named) took to the air at 6pm precisely on Sunday 29th September 1946, opening with comedy — a tensely earnest send-up of highbrow broadcasting, beginning: NARRATOR (in a hushed tone): The programme is about to begin ...
It under-ran by seven minutes.
And, as it started, so the Third Programme went on, attracting those who wanted to listen, repelling those who didn't, succeeding, failing, falling completely silent for no obvious reason, and over-running and under-running with a cavalier unconcern for the schedules. Some things never change...hurrah!
Interspersed with interruptions from Latvia radio, the fledgling Third carried Bach's Goldberg Variations (performed on the harpsichord — a novelty in those days), the Reflections on World Affairs of Field-Marshal the Rt. Hon. J. C. Smuts, CH, FRS, KC, a new commission from Benjamin Britten, productions of Milton's Comus with Peggy Ashcroft and Dylan Thomas and Shaw's Man and Superman, Betjeman talking about Waugh, Kodaly himself on the podium conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra. For those in control at the Third, programmes were all, low listener figures nothing.
All this attracted a devoted, if select (i.e. small) audience, though it was not long before various critical voices were heard.
Interestingly, the Evening Standard, while attacking the Third for its programming in an article entitled 'PRETENTIOUS CULTURE: NO WONDER THE "THIRD" AUDIENCE DWINDLES', described the type of listener the station should be aimed at: "There is .. the massive army of music-lovers who fill the Albert Hall during the Prom season, and the immense reading public which uses the public libraries. The BBC should beam the Third Programme at this audience, instead of confining it to Bloomsbury..." Cor, lumme days, wot a come-down!
The war years brought special broadcasting commitments for the Beeb, but already, up ahead, exciting plans were afoot! Promptly, in July 1945, a new peacetime service was launched with a refurbished 'Home Service', along with a second station designed to be of a 'light character' and called 'the Light Programme'.
And there was more — a third station was in the offing, which was to be 'of artistic and cultural importance', the audience to be 'selective, not casual, and both attentive and critical'.
The Third Programme (as it was named) took to the air at 6pm precisely on Sunday 29th September 1946, opening with comedy — a tensely earnest send-up of highbrow broadcasting, beginning: NARRATOR (in a hushed tone): The programme is about to begin ...
It under-ran by seven minutes.
And, as it started, so the Third Programme went on, attracting those who wanted to listen, repelling those who didn't, succeeding, failing, falling completely silent for no obvious reason, and over-running and under-running with a cavalier unconcern for the schedules. Some things never change...hurrah!
Interspersed with interruptions from Latvia radio, the fledgling Third carried Bach's Goldberg Variations (performed on the harpsichord — a novelty in those days), the Reflections on World Affairs of Field-Marshal the Rt. Hon. J. C. Smuts, CH, FRS, KC, a new commission from Benjamin Britten, productions of Milton's Comus with Peggy Ashcroft and Dylan Thomas and Shaw's Man and Superman, Betjeman talking about Waugh, Kodaly himself on the podium conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra. For those in control at the Third, programmes were all, low listener figures nothing.
All this attracted a devoted, if select (i.e. small) audience, though it was not long before various critical voices were heard.
- On poor reception: "Only recently I spent 30 minutes with my head literally in physical contact with the receiver, straining to pick up the finer points of a most interesting discussion between Lord Russell and Father Copleston, SJ ..." (It was, by the way, a dispute on the ontological proofs of the existence of God).
- On content: "Many people have tried and found it unbearably dull and pretentious."
- And, eventually, of course, that little matter of cost: "[Government forces] maintain it is too expensive a luxury..." So again, no change in any of that.
Interestingly, the Evening Standard, while attacking the Third for its programming in an article entitled 'PRETENTIOUS CULTURE: NO WONDER THE "THIRD" AUDIENCE DWINDLES', described the type of listener the station should be aimed at: "There is .. the massive army of music-lovers who fill the Albert Hall during the Prom season, and the immense reading public which uses the public libraries. The BBC should beam the Third Programme at this audience, instead of confining it to Bloomsbury..." Cor, lumme days, wot a come-down!