January 17th 1923: 2MT Writtle, Britain's first regular broadcasting station, closes down for the last time.
Its chief voice, director of programmes, Lord of Misrule Peter Pendleton Eckersley toasts its listeners with a glass of water, upgraded to champagne via the use of a pop gun - innovating to the last with one of radio's first ever sound effects. Then Eckersley, the first BBC-basher, switched sides and promptly joined the BBC, as its first Chief Engineer.
On episode 47, we've reached the moment where the BBC's peculiar airwaves rival finally shuffles off the ether, having somehow given birth to Auntie Beeb, but outserved its purpose. We tell the full story of how, why, whereupon and whomsoever led to the 2MT closedown, plus we review nearly a year of Writtle broadcasts, including the first radio quiz, first radio play and first radio mockery of a different radio station's chimes.
You'll hear the voices of (and we're indebted to) original radio pioneers Peter Eckersley, Noel Ashbridge and Rolls Wynn, and present-day experts and fans Tim Wander, Jim Salmon, CRH News, and granddaughters of PPE, Caroline and Alison Eckersley - they chatted to CRH News, who've kindly loaned us their audio.
FURTHER READING/LISTENING/VIEWING:
We're nothing to do with the present-day BBC whatsoever - just a solo operation.
NEXT TIME: The only other legal rival to the BBC on the air in 1923: The Daimler in-car radio broadcasts...
Thanks for listening!
paulkerensa.com
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#045 2ZY Manchester and 5IT Birmingham Calling... with Jude Montague
#044 Hanso Idzerda and The Dutch Concerts - with Gordon Bathgate
#043 The First Outside Broadcast: A Night at the Opera!
#042 Drops Mic, Drops Callsign
#041 The BBC’s First Female Employee: Isobel Shields
#040 New Year 1923, Magnet House: ”Pandemonium Reigned!”
#039 SPECIAL: The Twelve Airplays of Christmas (with Ben Baker)
#038 SPECIAL: What Marconi Thought of Broadcasting... + 1920s ads
#037 SPECIAL: The Prehistory of the BBC (extended cut)
#036 Out with the Old: The First BBC New Year’s Eve
#035 Reith Begins!
#034 Newcastle‘s Christmas Launch: Let It 5NO, Let It 5NO, Let It 5NO!
#033 The First Couple of Marconi House: December 1922
#032 The Licence Fee Problem... of 1922
#031 The Hunt for BBC Premises, Burrows vs Marconi + Prof Gabriele Balbi
#030 The First BBC Staff: Reith, Burrows, Lewis, Anderson, White (+ David Hamilton)
#029 The First Listings: from Norman Long to Neville Chamberlain
#028 The First BBC Entertainers... and Lee Mack
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