12 - TO BE TITLED
This is place-holder text.
1954
August 4 - The British Crown launched a second public UK broadcasting organization, but it was restricted to television transmissions. The new entity was called the Independent Television Authority, and went by the initials ITA, except that there was nothing 'independent' about it.
ITA controlled every aspect of the stations under its authority. This included their locations, construction and operation of transmitters. ITA farmed off non-competitive zoned franchise areas to program contractors who sold time in their locations to advertisers. They were not allowed to mirror the system of program sponsorship employed by totally independent television stations in the USA.
The dawning of ITA was the result of a political pressure group spearheaded by Charles Orr Stanley, Chairman of the Pye Group of companies based in Cambridge, England. ITA was not what Stanley had campaigned for. What Stanley wanted were independent stations who could buy their own transmitters made by his companies. What Stanley was confronted with were two Crown television systems: BBC and ITA.
Meanwhile, radio broadcasting had been left in the hands of the BBC and nighttime incursive coverage was left primarily to 'Radio Luxembourg'. It had been Stanley's overall plan to end the BBC monopoly of the airwaves and introduce truly independent competitors for viewers and listeners with television and radio stations. ITA was a poor substitute for competitive broadcasting because it was not an independent television company, but an extension of governmental control through Crown licensing.
September 15 - Herbert W. Armstrong in Belfast, Northern Ireland warning about the coming revival of the Roman Empire:
"Within the next 30 years the Roman Empire would rise again in the form of 10 united European dictatorships and conquer the United Kingdom and the United States. This prophecy was made in Wellington Hall, Belfast by Mr Herbert W. Armstrong head of a U.S. independent evangelical organization .... which broadcasts regularly over American commercial networks and Radio Luxembourg. .... he will give addresses in Glasgow, Manchester and London, as well as paying a brief visit to Rome. .... he arrived in Ireland for the first time yesterday."
1955
1956
The shock waves created by the arrival of American rock 'n' roll on the British airwaves were fostered by the man who created the explosion on U.S. radio. His name is Alan Freed, and by 1956 his show began airing from New York via transcription and transmissions by 'Radio Luxembourg' on Saturday nights.
1957
In December 1957, the fledgling BBC television service tried to capture young viewers by offering a television show which began at five minutes past six on Saturday evenings called 'Six Five Special', and concluded by seven o'clock.
The show was produced by Jack Good and he began the momentum in Britain to both stimulate and harness British pop music with his own style of presentation. He was so successful that one of the ITA program contractors called ABC then hired him to produce their own expanded version of a pop music show called 'Oh Boy!' which ran from September 13, 1958 to May 30, 1959.
Some episodes were shown in the USA. It was replaced on the UK ABC franchise by another Jack Good show called 'Boy Meets Girls' which ran from September 12, 1959 to February 26, 1960.
All of sudden British single acts and bands had a showcase presentation of their own featuring singers such as Cliff Richard. When the Beatles emerged on the scene they were eclipsing a lot of existing British pop stars. Then new British singers and bands suddenly appeared and began a period known as the 'British Invasion' of the USA pop music charts.
Jack Good was so successful that the American ABC television network hired him to come to the USA and produce a similar sort of show for them! Their series called 'Shindig!' lasted from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966.
This was the setting as the 'Fabulous Fifties' began to draw to a close. Ronan O'Rahilly had not even left the Republic of Ireland, and when Ronan O'Rahilly did arrive in London during 1961, he was on a mission to raise money for his father's business.
The idea that an American music invasion triggered the start of 'Radio Caroline' runs contrary to published events. British music was booming out, everywhere!
1958
1954
August 4 - The British Crown launched a second public UK broadcasting organization, but it was restricted to television transmissions. The new entity was called the Independent Television Authority, and went by the initials ITA, except that there was nothing 'independent' about it.
ITA controlled every aspect of the stations under its authority. This included their locations, construction and operation of transmitters. ITA farmed off non-competitive zoned franchise areas to program contractors who sold time in their locations to advertisers. They were not allowed to mirror the system of program sponsorship employed by totally independent television stations in the USA.
The dawning of ITA was the result of a political pressure group spearheaded by Charles Orr Stanley, Chairman of the Pye Group of companies based in Cambridge, England. ITA was not what Stanley had campaigned for. What Stanley wanted were independent stations who could buy their own transmitters made by his companies. What Stanley was confronted with were two Crown television systems: BBC and ITA.
Meanwhile, radio broadcasting had been left in the hands of the BBC and nighttime incursive coverage was left primarily to 'Radio Luxembourg'. It had been Stanley's overall plan to end the BBC monopoly of the airwaves and introduce truly independent competitors for viewers and listeners with television and radio stations. ITA was a poor substitute for competitive broadcasting because it was not an independent television company, but an extension of governmental control through Crown licensing.
September 15 - Herbert W. Armstrong in Belfast, Northern Ireland warning about the coming revival of the Roman Empire:
"Within the next 30 years the Roman Empire would rise again in the form of 10 united European dictatorships and conquer the United Kingdom and the United States. This prophecy was made in Wellington Hall, Belfast by Mr Herbert W. Armstrong head of a U.S. independent evangelical organization .... which broadcasts regularly over American commercial networks and Radio Luxembourg. .... he will give addresses in Glasgow, Manchester and London, as well as paying a brief visit to Rome. .... he arrived in Ireland for the first time yesterday."
1955
1956
The shock waves created by the arrival of American rock 'n' roll on the British airwaves were fostered by the man who created the explosion on U.S. radio. His name is Alan Freed, and by 1956 his show began airing from New York via transcription and transmissions by 'Radio Luxembourg' on Saturday nights.
1957
In December 1957, the fledgling BBC television service tried to capture young viewers by offering a television show which began at five minutes past six on Saturday evenings called 'Six Five Special', and concluded by seven o'clock.
The show was produced by Jack Good and he began the momentum in Britain to both stimulate and harness British pop music with his own style of presentation. He was so successful that one of the ITA program contractors called ABC then hired him to produce their own expanded version of a pop music show called 'Oh Boy!' which ran from September 13, 1958 to May 30, 1959.
Some episodes were shown in the USA. It was replaced on the UK ABC franchise by another Jack Good show called 'Boy Meets Girls' which ran from September 12, 1959 to February 26, 1960.
All of sudden British single acts and bands had a showcase presentation of their own featuring singers such as Cliff Richard. When the Beatles emerged on the scene they were eclipsing a lot of existing British pop stars. Then new British singers and bands suddenly appeared and began a period known as the 'British Invasion' of the USA pop music charts.
Jack Good was so successful that the American ABC television network hired him to come to the USA and produce a similar sort of show for them! Their series called 'Shindig!' lasted from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966.
This was the setting as the 'Fabulous Fifties' began to draw to a close. Ronan O'Rahilly had not even left the Republic of Ireland, and when Ronan O'Rahilly did arrive in London during 1961, he was on a mission to raise money for his father's business.
The idea that an American music invasion triggered the start of 'Radio Caroline' runs contrary to published events. British music was booming out, everywhere!
1958
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