100 YEARS OF BROADCASTING

100 Years of the BBC

This month sees the centenary of the BBC, a service which for 100 years has sought to entertainment inform and educate. It’s the best broadcaster in the world, and we celebrate its milestone this month...

100 YEARS OF THE BBC

PETER LEVY’S 20 YEARS ON LOOK NORTH

Two significant anniversaries in broadcasting this month. As the BBC celebrates its centenary, the safest pair of hands in TV, Look North’s Peter Levy, celebrates 20 years at the helm of the evening news programme...

It’s 6.30pm, and as the BBC wraps up its daily national and international news broadcast, all around the country, 15 regional BBC studios prepare for the split-second segue into their own local news output. It’s one of the many things that the BBC does really well, and perhaps the safest pair of hands in the whole Corporation is Peter Levy who will this month celebrate the 100th anniversary of the BBC, his 20th anniversary broadcasting on Look North, and his birthday, too. Peter always appears unflappable on screen, which belies the work and precision that goes into producing and airing a daily broadcast. “I’ve never been more at home anywhere than in a TV studio,” says Peter, whose first appearance on screen was serendipity for someone who considered themselves a radio presenter, rather than someone destined for TV.

“I was born in Farnborough in Kent and moved to Yorkshire in my teens. After a bit of acting work – including a small role on Dixon of Dock Green – I found myself keen to pursue a career as a disc jockey. In 1975 I began working on a newly launched radio station, Pennine Radio (now The Pulse based in West Yorkshire), in Bradford. I was hired by Austin Mitchell, the TV journalist turned politician who had a long association with Grimsby.”

Main: Peter Levy broadcasting from the Hull-based studios. Opposite: The gallery, the control room of the broadcast with Autocue technician, sound engineer, director and the very important continuity desk, which keeps everything to time!

“I moved to Liverpool’s Radio City in the late 1970s and then to Radio Aire in Leeds before joining the BBC in 1987, later presenting a lunchtime show on BBC Radio Leeds. I always wore a tie – even though I was on radio – and because of that, one day the Look North team found themselves short of a presenter so they asked me to step in!”

“My immediate response was ‘I’m a radio person!’ but the producer insisted that I’d be alright and I began presenting breakfast bulletins for the programme. I fell in love with TV almost immediately.”

At the time Look North broadcast to an enormous area; North, East, South and West Yorkshire as well as the whole of Lincolnshire too. In November 2002 though, the programmes were split into their current format and Look North for the East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire region was established. Peter became its permanent presenter and has remained at the helm ever since.

“My day normally starts from home at about 10am. I answer emails from my home close to the studios and then I always have a conversation with the producer to discuss the day’s news agenda and how we’re thinking the programme will look.”

“It’s really important to me that I can read and respond personally to as many emails as possible. There are many, many emails, but the audience is the most important aspect of the programme so having that contact with them is something I’m always keen to maintain.”

“I’m in the office from lunchtime and then for the rest of the day, I’m working on pre-recorded interviews, writing links and so on.”

“One of the best – and most challenging – facets of TV remains the fact that a story can break at a moment’s notice. Some stories don’t date or we have advance notice of them, but there’s always the chance that something happens at three or four o’clock. It’s the nature of news and in fairness it’s what keeps it exciting… but nothing proves the adage of ‘best laid plans’ better than life in broadcasting.”

“Another one of the most enjoyable aspects of presenting Look North is the mix of hard news and lighter content. One minute you can be interviewing a politician to hold them to account, the next there’s a really heart-warming story which reflects the communities we live in. I really don’t have a preference either way – I love both types of stories equally.” “Sometimes I come in for criticism from viewers that my interviewing style for the more accountabilityoriented new stories is a bit rude, or that I talk over an interviewee. “Politicians especially, though, know that time is really short in broadcasting and they’re trained to keep talking. Trying to pin them down and obtain succinct answers is part of the job. If presenters didn’t interrupt they’d just fill the time with longer, more evasive answers.” >>

VALUE FOR MONEY...

n A £157.50 licence fee amount equates to £3.02 a week or £13.13 a month, for which the BBC provides nine national TV channels plus regional programming; 10 national radio stations; 40 local radio stations plus a dedicated Nations radio service; one of the UK’s most popular websites; the radio app BBC Sounds; and BBC iPlayer. n In the last financial year, 95 per cent of the BBC’s controllable spend went on content for audiences and delivery, with just 5 per cent spent on running the organisation. It also runs the Proms and national orchestras. n 91 per cent of UK adults use BBC television, radio or online each week. n 426 million people access the BBC around the world each week. n The BBC is responsible for 42 per cent of all investment into original UK TV content. n The BBC is free from shareholder pressure, advertiser influence and the chase for ratings. n The BBC generates £2 in economic value for every £1 of the licence fee it receives. n It has the third most viewed website after Google and Facebook. n The BBC’s news output is considered the most reliable source of information. It’s ‘most trusted’ by 59% of UK adults, the next ‘most trusted’ sources are ITV News (7%);

Sky News (5%). Source: NUJ/Ofcom.

>> “Among the many things the BBC is really good at is maintaining objectivity and its lack of political bias, as well as its commercial independence. It’s a privilege to present the programme but also a responsibility to represent the viewers and to get answers for them.”

in the gallery (the room from which we control the broadcast), there’s a director to change between cameras and cue in recorded material or graphics, then someone to control the autocue (half the content is scripted, half is ad lib), and someone to look after the timing.” “The audience is paying its license fee and they expect “I wear an earpiece in which I’m being given that effectiveness – value for money in terms of news- countdowns from the moment BBC1’s national gathering and reporting – so I never take that for output will hand over to us, to when we cut back from granted.” an outside broadcast or pre-record, to the second that “I think that’s why, like all BBC presenters, I have a national output resumes and we go off-air.” real bond and a mutual respect for the audience. Look North is a really powerful programme, and I’m constantly reminded how lovely and how kind the viewers can be, pulling together when something happens in their community. A story can be tough to report, although it can also galvanise a community “Technology has undoubtedly made it easier to get on air and it has made TV news richer. When Look North first began broadcasting, aerial shots were only possible from a helicopter. Now drones are small, affordable aerial cameras that are easy to deploy.” into really positive action.” “Our own cameras provide better quality pictures “But I think it’s also important to be than ever, but there’s always a viewer with a human and to be a person that you enjoy inviting into your living room each night, as well as the serious man Paul Hudson’s Sunny Outlook smartphone near to a breaking story as well, both to alert us to breaking news and to send us still images or video. in a suit. Viewers really enjoy the In that respect reporting the news has banter with Paul.” Fellow broadcaster Paul Hudson’s banter with Peter is one of the most changed a great deal.” “The lighter parts of the programme entertaining aspects of Look North. Paul presents the weather forecast “What hasn’t changed, though is the act as a counterbalance to the serious for the BBC in Leeds, Sheffield, BBC’s responsibility to report the stories. Recently I’ve interviewed local York, Humberside, Lincolnshire, Cumbria and Newcastle news fairly, accurately and without bias. singer Calum Scott, tried my hand at stations! The BBC is exceptional in that respect axe-throwing and served ice creams from and the diversity and quality of its coverage a van during the recent 40-degree heatwave, is probably the best in the world.” when Coningsby made the headlines.” “Stories like that are an opportunity to celebrate the communities we live in. There’s so much happening “The means by which we capture images, report the news and broadcast it is more sophisticated than ever. in Lincolnshire, it’s such a big and diverse county, But 100 years on from its founding, the heart and soul which makes it a joy to serve.” of the BBC remains the quality and integrity and accuracy of its reporting. Our viewers recognise that “I’m always conscious, too, that whilst I’m the person ethos as being the very essence of everything we do the camera is pointing at there’s a really good team at Look North.” working together to make the programme a success. There’s no TV without that team, and I’m just a cog “I think that’s why we’re respected as trusted as in a much larger machine.” broadcasters and why working with the Look North “We’ve two or three cameras in the studio – a space team remains a huge privilege. It’s something that’s which is much smaller than most people expect – and still very special after 20 years.” n

100 YEARS OF THE BBC

PETER LEVY’S 20 YEARS ON LOOK NORTH

100 YEARS OF THE BBC

SEAN DUNDERDALE: THE SOUND OF LINCOLNSHIRE

BBC Lincolnshire is the sound of the county, and Sean Dunderdale is the sound of the station itself... here we’ll find out what goes on behind the scenes of the county’s most beloved breakfast show...

It was an offer so good, Sean Dunderdale couldn’t refuse it. Nearly three years ago, having worked in local newspapers and commercial radio, Sean joined the BBC, lured in part by the tempting prospect of presenting his own breakfast show. “If you chart the popularity of radio throughout the day, it tends to be most popular in the morning, when people are getting ready and driving to work. Then in the evening, people tend to turn on the TV. Conversely, TV is less popular in the morning, but more popular in the evening.” Sean fell in love with radio in his youth, appearing one summer on a quiz during a station’s roadshow event. He reckons he did horribly on the quiz, but he certainly came away with something more important than a t-shirt or a Walkman – or whatever the prize was: a firm idea of his future career.

“I volunteered for hospital radio. Having put out feelers a year or two earlier, I was told that I had to have experience if I was to pursue a career in radio. So, at 15 I was on Scunthorpe Hospital Radio, and remained there until joining the Scunthorpe Star, a weekly freesheet published by Lincolnshire Standard Group.” “I was trained in shorthand, legal… all the skills that a journalist needs, and I eventually worked my way up to being the paper’s editor when I was still just 19. When a press release came in that a new radio station was due to launch in 1992, I sent a demo tape off and joined the station a year later. Initially I was interested in presenting, but with a background in journalism, I was encouraged by the station to pursue news coverage and eventually became the station’s Head of News and presented my own weekend show.”

“I loved my time at Lincs FM working with some great people but when new owners took it over it, understandably, made me question whether it was time to move on and, around the same time, BBC Radio Lincolnshire came calling. I was already tempted because of their ethos and passion for local radio and when they offered me the breakfast show it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. I’ve no regrets joining the team here, they've been warm and welcoming - just as they sound on the radio, really!” “Moving to a BBC station from a commercial one, you notice the lack of adverts and greater amount of speech. That provides a greater opportunity to bond with the listener, especially if you’re part of a team which also has a rapport with each other and can draw people in to being part of that group.” “Radio is a really old medium, and has seen the emergence of TV, multi-channel and subscription TV, the internet, social media… but despite there being more ‘media’ than ever before, radio has never lost its popularity or its unique appeal. I joined the station just before Covid, and local radio has proven its power to be a part of the community – a means of staying together, even when we’re apart – over and over again during that time.”

“When we were all at home, radio ensured that we can still be a part of a community, and for many people it was – and still is – their main source of company. I think what makes radio special is that when you read a newspaper or watch TV, you have to give it your full attention.” “A radio station can be on in the background as you get

ready for work, when you’re in the car, when you’re at work… it’s companionship.”

“Alongside Jess, Hannah, Karl, we’re all like a dysfunctional family, but one with a great rapport and lots of affection for each other. If we’re good at what we do, the listener feels a part of that, and so radio imparts more than just information, it imparts a sense of belonging. That’s the magic of radio and it’s something that no other media has managed to match.” Sean’s day begins with an unruly 4am start when the alarm goes off. He’s unusually in work for 5am and meets that morning’s producer, finalising the content of the morning’s show. The team includes Sean, two producers - one in the morning, one in the afternoon - plus an assistant who you’ll often hear alongside Sean on the show. There's reporter Grace, out and about across the county each day. The breakfast show team also works alongside the news team which includes that day’s news editor and works across all of the station’s programmes, contributing to local broadcast and online output. Alongside actually talking, Sean is driving the desk and playing out the music, jingles and interviews that the show’s producer prepares, so in fact, presenting on the radio takes a good deal of coordination. From 10am when Sean hands over to Carla, until early afternoon, Sean and the team then spend their time planning the following day’s show, booking in guests and setting up interviews.

“Technology makes it a bit easier to get on air. The pandemic made everyone a little more au fait with using What’s App or Zoom audio. Mobile phones, too, are powerful tools for someone working in radio. You can use an app to feed audio live to the studio, and record on them in really good quality. But what hasn’t changed is the need for accuracy and accountability for your content, and the BBC has always been really good at providing that.” “The need for radio to be engaging and interesting hasn’t changed at all either. BBC Lincolnshire in particular can provide that because we’re a really diverse county, with listeners who have a wide range of knowledge and interests.” “Along with the banter and the music, it’s a lively station. I think 30 years ago or so, local BBC stations were regarded as having an older audience, but times have definitely changed. My nan was 60 years old, baking jam tarts and wearing a pinny, but a 60-year old now is a lot younger. They’re having more fun and enjoying life.” “I don’t think the age of the listener has necessarily changed, but definitely the habits and character of somebody of that age is different today. They don’t want to feel old and in fact we’re more likely to receive feedback to the effect that more modern music is preferable to older music. We’ve a young team as well – Jess, Hannah, Karl –so that all helps us to appeal to a wide audience and to sound upbeat.” “We usually finish at about half three in the afternoon, and though it’s important to get to bed early, the job does afford you the chance to spend the afternoon having a life.” “My husband of seven years, Dan, has his own business as a nail technician, so we get a decent amount of time together, and we usually walk our Cavapoo Mitzi in the afternoon or go out for tea.” “It’s an amazing privilege to be on radio and to have the audience that we have. Radio has a uniqueness and a friendliness that you just don’t get with, say, social media which can sometimes be quite negative or critical.” “By contrast, radio is the friend that’s always there, with people you know and with whom you grow familiar. Radio is still rewarding to listen to, 100 years on from when we first tuned in, which I think says a great deal about its appeal as a medium.” n Listen to Sean and the team each morning from 6am-10pm, on BBC Lincolnshire.

100 YEARS OF THE BBC

A CENTURY OF BROADCASTING

THE 1920s: BIRTH OF THE BBC

ON 18TH OCTOBER 1922, The British Broadcasting Company or BBC was officially formed, consolidating the experimental broadcasting efforts of a number of wireless manufacturers including Marconi. The company’s namesake began experimenting with ‘wireless telegraphy’ in the early 1890s and made a breakthrough in 1895 when he realised that raising the antennae enabled him to broadcast his so-called ‘Hertzian waves’ over greater distances. After the closure of amateur radio stations which had been largely experimental, the BBC launched its first daily radio service on 14th November 1922, and within the month broadcasts were made in the cities of Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle too. The BBC appointed a General Manager, John Reith in December 1922. In September 1923 The Radio Times was published for the first time. In February 1924 ‘the pips’ first marked the Greenwich Time Signal. n SADLY THE BBC’S ability to serve as a national broadcaster soon became all too necessary. In 1930 Reith was designated Director General declaring a remit to ‘inform, educate and entertain,’and John Logie Baird was experimenting with broadcasts of a television signal near Covent Garden and in 1932, having outgrown its original ‘studios’ at Savoy Hill, the BBC opened its new Broadcasting House premises.

In 1932 King George V became the first British monarch to broadcast an address, in 1934 the BBC worked with Marconi to create the ‘Type A’ microphone and in 1936 the BBC Television Service opened. Existing radio output is consolidated into the BBC National Programme and the BBC Regional Programme. In 1939 the BBC also launched its Monitoring service, monitoring international affairs. n

THE 1930s: EARLY TELEVISION

THE 1940s: GREAT BRITAIN AT WAR

IN SEPTEMBER 1939, THE BBC consolidated its national and regional programmes to form The Home Service. 1939 saw the most sensational broadcast from RAF Hendon, the first worldwide broadcast. 1943 would see The BBC General Forces service begin broadcasting to troops, and in 1948, its news services are consolidated into the first dedicated programme, Newsreel. n

Main: BBC coverage kept everyone up to date during the war. Above: The weather service launched in 1949. Roy Plomley’s Desert Island Discs was first broadcast on 29th January 1942, Margaret Thatcher appeared on the programme sometime later in 1979. Woman’s Hour launched in 1946, as did For The Children starring Muffin the Mule! The BBC also covered the 1948 GB Olympics.

THE 1950s: ENTERTAINING A POST-WAR NATION

POST WAR BRITAIN was fraught and nerves were shredded. Fortunately, Auntie (the nickname emerged in the 1950s) was on hand to entertain. The Archers first broadcast in May 1950, and live reports from Parliament began from 1949, increasing throughout the 1950s. Sales of TV sets really soared though, when the BBC broadcast the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953. n

Main: BBC coverage of the Coronation in June 1953. Above: The Archers is the world’s longest-running drama, still broadcast today having made its debut in May 1950. Above/Right: The BBC Radiophonic Workshop was established in 1958. In October 1958, Blue Peter began broadcasting. Seen here is Christopher Trace and Leila Williams.

THE 1960s: ROBOTS & DISC JOCKEYS

THE 1960S BEGAN with a bigger new home for the BBC. Television Centre was the first purpose built television production centre in the world to be conceived. Top of the Pops and Match of the Day make their debut in 1964. BBC 2 launches in 1964 and is the first TV station to regularly broadcast in colour. Sadly, the 1960s also saw the debut of tin-pot terrors in our living rooms, as Dr Who was first seen in November 1963, as a generation terrified by Daleks and Cybermen hid safely behind the nearest sofa cushion. Less scary was Tony Blackburn. In response to offshore pirate radio stations, BBC Radio 1 was launched on 30th September 1967, with The Light Programme, The Third Programme and The Home Service renamed radio two, three and four respectively. n

100 YEARS OF THE BBC

A CENTURY OF BROADCASTING

THE 1970s: THE ELECTRONIC AGE

WANT TO STAY INFORMED? The BBC had you covered in the 1970s, as John Craven,

Trimphone and a succession of questionably lurid background graphics brought news to a young audience.

Launching in 1974 was Ceefax, the precursor to the internet, and a couple of years before, the BBC also launched its Open University programming. Meanwhile, across the UK, a number of local BBC radio stations launched, providing unprecedented coverage of local news... BBC Lincolnshire wouldn’t until 11th November 1980. n

100 YEARS OF THE BBC

A CENTURY OF BROADCASTING

THE 1980s: CHARITY BROADCASTING

BY THE ENDOF 1980, Lincolnshire had its own local BBC station. November 1980 also saw the introduction of Children In Need, which raised £1.2m in its first year... it raised over £39m in 2021. Pudsey was created and named in 1985 by BBC graphic designer Joanna Lane, who worked in the BBC’s design department. Comic Relief would launch in March 1985 and Band Aid was formed a year before that in 1984. The BBC is also doing good with the launch of a new programme, Watchdog, in September 1980 which aimed to keep consumers safe from shoddy goods and alert us all to any scams or household dangers. The BBC also launched its Micro computer and under Grantham’s Margaret Thatcher, aimed to ensure all children would become computer literate. Elsewhere, BBC Breakfast Time launched in 1983, and the wedding of Charles and Diana attracted a worldwide audience of 750m viewers and listeners. n SATELLITE TV LTD was established in 1980, with Rupert Murdoch taking over the company in 1983. Having failed to become part of the BSB consortium, Murdoch instead launched his Sky TV service at 6pm on 5th February 1989. British Sky Broadcasting launched in

November 1990 and now offers broadband and mobile phones too. The company is fashionable and represents a blow to the BBC’s broadcasting dominance. DAB radio is broadcast in 1995, and the BBC launches its 24 hours news service/channel in November 1997, and on 15th December 1997, its website was launched. The corporation experienced a record audience of 3bn viewers and listeners in

September 1997 but sadly for all the wrong reasons, as people from 200 countries watched the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. n

THE 1990s: TV ARRIVES FROM SPACE

2000-2021: 21ST CENTURY BROADCASTING...

THE 21ST CENTURY has seen the launch of BBC 4 in 2004 and BBC 3 in 2003, and it began broadcasting in HD in 2006. 2007 saw the launch of iPlayer, the BBC’s ‘on demand’ service. The media landscape is set for the rest of the 21st century and will see internet based content delivery, fewer schedules and more ‘on demand’ services as well as better resolution broadcasts and increasing interactivity. n