London Broadcasting Company/ Independent Radio News Audio Archive

We are delighted to announce Jisc MediaHub now includes the most important digitised commercial radio archive in the UK; the LBC/IRN Archive. Bournemouth University’s Media School was funded by Jisc to carry out the digitisation work. You can browse this new external collection, which is accessed from BUFVC, via our ‘Explore by Collection‘ page.

First commercial radio station opens London Broadcasting Opens: ITV News, 1973

First commercial radio station opens
London Broadcasting Opens: ITV News, 1973

Commercial radio began in Britain when the London Broadcasting Company (LBC) and Independent Radio News (IRN) received their licences in 1973. This digital archive features 4000 hours of news bulletins, vox-pops, phone-ins, documentaries and current affairs programmes dating from 1973 to the mid -1990s.

In addition the archive makes an important contribution to charting the history of radio broadcasting, offering an alternative view to the BBC’s archive collection and featuring a variety of content that delineates the listening tastes and social mores of the time period.

Commercial radio begins broadcasting in London in 1973 Commercial Radio: ITV News: 08-02-1973

Commercial radio begins broadcasting in London in 1973
Commercial Radio: ITV News: 08-02-1973

This will be of interest to anyone studying, teaching or researching media related subject areas, giving access to eyewitness reports of moments in history as well as broader analysis of news events in discussion programmes and public information broadcasts.

Highlights from this collection include coverage of the whole Thatcher era of government -from 1979 t0 1990- and reports, documentaries, phone-ins and vox-pops relating to the National Miners’ Strike of 1984 t0 1985.

Click on either of the images above to watch original ITV news reports on the start of commercial radio broadcasting in London.

 

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