100 years of #commercial #radio

in the UK.  It was 1922, Chelmsford, Essex, England when 2MT took to the air, albeit only once a week.  That was in February by May 2LO in London began.  2MT engineers were encouraged to make reference to their gramophone supplier Cliftophone an early 'live read.'  And 2LO had sponsored messages paid for by newspapers like The Daily Mail.

The government was worried radio was becoming far too successful and popular to be in the hands of private companies so they, in effect, nationalised the BBC (British Broadcasting Company) turned it into a corporation.

Commercial radio survived but not in the UK,  Radio Luxembourg and Normandy beamed british programmes toward our shores.  During the war these stations were used by the Nazi's to broadcast propaganda.  Following the war Radio Luxembourg returned with presenters like Pete Murray, Kid Jensen et al.

The sixties brought us the 'pirate' stations anchored offshore again beaming commercial radio to the mainland.  Eventually the government woke from their 50 year slumber and made the pirate stations illegal and passed a broadcasting act that would allow 'Independent Radio' and tomorrow 40 years ago the first of the stations began broadcasting.  Happy Birthday LBC