On This Day In Broadcasting

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April

DATE YEAR COUNTRY EVENT
1 1971 UK The radio-only licence was abolished, with the cost of a combined licence rising to £6 10s.
1979 UK "Feedback" began on BBC Radio 4.
1986 UK All BBC commercial activities were brought together in a single organisation, BBC Enterprises Ltd.
2 1938 UK The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race was televised for the first time.
3 1949 Asia The BBC Urdu radio service began.
1959 UK "Pick Of The Week" began on the BBC Home Service.
1970 UK The ITA 405-line transmitter at Brecon opened, carrying HTV on channel 8.
1978 UK Regular radio broadcasts from Parliament began.
4 1924 UK BBC Radio programmes for schools began.
1970 UK The BBC radio services were reorganised to introduce more generic broadcasting. The BBC2 transmitter at Limavady and the BBC1 625-line transmitter at Wenvoe entered service.
5 1965 UK The BBC 405-line transmitter at Larne entered service on channel 3.
1966 UK "The Money Programme" was broadcast for the first time on BBC2.
6 1970 UK Two new programmes, "The World Tonight" and "PM" began on BBC Radio 4.
8 1963 UK The BBC 405-line transmitter at Kinlochleven opened on channel 1.
11 1940 Holland The BBC Dutch radio service began.
1966 UK The BBC 405-line transmitter at Penifiler entered service on channel 1.
1971 UK The Blue Peter Royal Safari, with HRH Princess Anne, began on BBC1.
14 1961 UK BBC television transmitted its first live broadcast from Russia.
15 1964 UK The BBC 405-line transmitter at Bressay opened on channel 3.
1991 Worldwide The BBC World Television Service began.
16 1941 UK All premises on the eastern half of Broadcasting House island were destroyed by bombs.
18 1939 Middle East BBC English by Radio began on the Arabic service.
20 1938 UK The FA Cup final was televised for the first time.
1964 UK The BBC 405-line transmitter at Winter Hill (the ITA site) opened on channel 12, and two new television test cards were introduced. On the renamed BBC1, test card D made its first appearance, and on BBC2, due to launch that evening, test card E made its first appearance. The two cards were very similar in design. Unfortunately, a power failure at Battersea Power Station plunged Television Centre into darkness, just as BBC2 was opening.
21 1958 UK The BBC 405-line transmitter at Swingate entered service on channel 2.
1964 UK The BBC launched a 625-line version of test card C, to replace test card E which had attracted objections from receiver salesmen. At 1100, "Play School" was the first programme actually broadcast on BBC2, which was officially launched at 1920 with the blowing-out of a candle.
22 1968 UK The ITA transmitter at Huntshaw Cross opened, carrying Westward Television on channel 11.
23 1924 UK King George V made his first broadcast.
1950 UK "Children's Newsreel" began on BBC television.
1964 UK BBC1 broadcast the test film "The Home Made Car" for the first time.
1969 UK The ITA 405-line transmitter at Abergavenny entered service, carrying Harlech Television on channel 11.
24 1964 UK "Westminster At Work" began on BBC2.
26 1964 UK BBC2's "News Review For The Deaf", later retitled "News Review", was broadcast for the first time.
1965 UK The BBC 405-line transmitter at Melvaig entered service on channel 4.
29 1929 UK BBC Broadcasting House, Manchester, opened.
1961 UK ITV began in the South-West of England, as Westward Television went on the air from the Stockland Hill (channel 9) and Caradon Hill (channel 12) transmitters.
1971 UK BBC Radio Derby, serving much of Derbyshire and the eastern part of Staffordshire, began broadcasting.
30 1965 UK The ITA transmitter at Membury opened, carrying ATV and ABC on channel 12.