Radio began in the late 19th century with Marconi's creation of the first radio in 1895. The BBC was established in 1922 as the official public broadcaster in the UK. Commercial radio began in the 1960s and 1970s to provide an alternative to the BBC, with the first legal commercial stations launching in 1973. Today radio remains very popular in the UK, with 48 million adults tuning in each week, and the BBC and commercial stations like Capital continuing to operate nationwide and locally.

1. History of the Radio

2. When It All Began
• Marconi created the first ever Radio in 1895. These developed overtime, with him and a few
others coming together to broadcast on their radios. This is how the BBC was created, which was
eventually handed over in 1922 to the government.
• The BBC was set up by the government as an official broadcaster for the UK in 1922. It was, and
still is known as a Public Service Broadcaster, or PSB for short. This means that it is founded by
the government, and has no adverts as it has to remain impartial.
• For example, the BBC may advertise about a brand new Ford Focus, but then may read out in
their news bulletins that the Ford Focus is the worst car ever, therefore creating bias.
• Radio broadcasts were sometimes played in different countries, which was causing a problem.
• 1926 – The British Broadcasting Corporation was formed. 16 Countries in Europe sat down and
decided where they were allowed to broadcast.

3. Commercial Radio
• One of the first broadcasters of commercial radio in the UK was radio Luxembourg. It was known as Pirate
Radio, which was commonly where people went out to sea to broadcast, as the BBC was the only legal
broadcaster in the UK.
• Captain Plugge was a retired Air Force Pilot, who went to Luxembourg to broadcast the station. He would
play dance music that would appeal to the younger generation.
• The main, legal commercial stations began in 1973, called the LBC. It challenged the BBC’s 50 year Radio
monopoly, as their intended listeners were those who listened to BBC Radio 4 and BBC London. It was a 24
hour station which encouraged many more to form.
• By 1988, there were 69 commercial stations, in which the government ordered them to offer different
services on their stations. The gold format was one differentiation, which was playing the latest music. Many
stations adopted this.
• Today, there are around 50 commercial Radio Stations in the UK.

4. Pirate Radio
• Pirate Radio began in the 1960’s. It was an alternative for people who didn’t want to listen to the BBC. As the
law stated the BBC could only broadcast in Britain, people would go out to sea in boats and broadcast the
radio from there. This bypassed the laws and therefore created a more diverse music market, as well as it
being legal.
• By 1967, ten pirate radio stations were broadcasting to an estimated 10 to 15 million listeners.
• The Marine Broadcasting Offences Act of 1967 closed the loophole, and prevented people broadcasting
from offshore, although Radio Caroline, the dominant station, continued broadcasting up until 1990.
• Although this was illegal due to the fact the broadcasters didn’t pay any fees, it gained many listeners. An
example of a pirate radio station was Radio Caroline, which was named after the ship that it was broadcast
on.
• There are still Pirate Radio Stations that operate today, except they are on land and not boats.

5. Radio Today
• Today, the BBC still dominate the market. It is now a Corporation, meaning that it is a
government organisation that doesn't profit off the services that they provide.
• The BBC is still Nationwide, and has many different stations to entertain different people. For
example, BBC Radio 2 is the most listened to station, attracting 15.1m listeners every week.
• Other Radios such as Capital FM operate in the same market. This operates nationwide, but has
different stations for different areas, for example Capital FM South Coast, and Capital FM
Nottingham. This allows for the news to be more local, so can engage with the listeners more.
Also, Capital South Coast may operate for a different market than Capital Nottingham does, so it
allows them to gain the most listeners possible.
• 48 million adults, or 90% of the population, tune into the radio each week to listen to their
favourite presenter, catch up on the latest news or hear the latest song.