Ongoing History Daily: Early British radio troubles

Almost every new technological advancement is met with pushback, and public radio in Britain was no exception. The very first live public broadcast was made from the Marconi factory in Chelmsford in June 1920. The performance featured the famous Australian singer Dame Nellie Melba, who enthralled audiences—but the government wasn’t as keen on the whole concept.

Official circles claimed the signals interfered with military communications, and by the end of 1920, public broadcasts were banned. However, over the next two years, the government received almost 100 requests for radio licenses, and a petition signed by over 3,000 wireless society members finally convinced the ban to be lifted.

The proposed solution was a single broadcasting license to be given to a company jointly owned by a group of leading wireless manufacturers, which came to be known as the British Broadcasting Company. The BBC established a tradition of independent public broadcasting in the UK, which continues to this day.