In 1896, a brilliant and enterprising young Italian engineer, Guglielmo Marconi, came to live in Britain where he believed that he would be able to secure funding to develop his work on ‘wireless telegraphy’. This was the transmission of telegraph messages without connecting wires or, as we now know it, radio. His pioneering work led directly to the creation of the British Broadcasting Company in 1922 which, on receiving its Royal Charter in 1927, became the British Broadcasting Corporation. This, the BBC, was the subject of a recent talk given to the Bakewell and District Probus Club by member Ainslie Kelly.
As the speaker explained, the BBC’s Charter, which is still valid, defines the BBC’s objectives, powers and obligations, and it complements the work of Ofcom (the government-approved regulatory body for broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries). The main tenet of the BBC is that the organisation will act in the public interest, serving all audiences through the provision of impartial output which, in line with its founding principles, “Informs, Educates and Entertains”. Its independence is paramount – free of government or commercial interference.
Established in 1932 in line with these criteria, came the BBC’s Empire Service (now known as the World Service). From small beginnings, the World Service now reaches a weekly audience of 450 million people in 59 countries and in more than 40 languages. It is acknowledged to be the most trusted source of information in the world.
Throughout its history, the BBC has kept pace with new technology. A television service which began in 1936 became viable and more widely adopted in the 1940s and 1950s. Colour TV started in the 1960s, followed by cable in the 1970s and high definition a couple of decades later with, most recently, digital output. There are now dozens of TV and radio channels available to the public.
Acknowledging that the organisation has had troubles in the past and continues to face challenges, the speaker reminded his audience of some of the high-profile cases where the BBC’s presenters, and others, have exceeded their authority or acted in a criminal manner. He also pointed to the competition coming from other broadcasters and from social media posing a threat but, in spite of all, he remains an admirer of this most British institution.
Details of the Bakewell and District Probus Club, including reports of earlier meetings, can be found on its website at www.bakewellprobus.org
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