BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION (BBC)

publicly financed broadcasting system in Great Britain, operating under royal charter. It held a monopoly on television in Great Britain from its introduction until 1954 and on radio until 1972. Headquarters are in Portland Place (north of Cavendish Square), in the Greater London borough of Westminster. The first initiatives in British radio after World War I were taken by commercial firms that regarded broadcasting primarily as point-to-point communications. The British Broadcasting Company, Ltd., was established in 1922 as a private corporation, in which only British manufacturers were permitted to hold shares. In 1925, upon recommendation of a parliamentary committee, the company was liquidated and replaced in 1927 by a public corporation, the British Broadcasting Corporation. Although ultimately answerable to Parliament, the BBC has virtually complete independence in the conduct of its activities. The British monarch appoints a board of governors, who in turn select a director general and other executives to oversee day-to-day operations. The original charter gave the BBC a monopoly covering all phases of broadcasting in Britain. A key figure in the early history of the corporation was John Reith (later Lord Reith), general manager from 1922 and director general from 1927 to 1938. He developed radio broadcasting throughout the British Isles, inaugurated the empire shortwave broadcasting service, and directed the development of the world's first regular television service in 1936. His concept of public service broadcasting prevailed in Great Britain and influenced broadcasting in many other countries. British television service was interrupted during World War II but resumed in 1946. The BBC established its second channel in 1964, and it introduced the first regular colour television service in Europe in 1967. It retained its monopoly of television service in Britain until the passage of the Television Act of 1954 and the subsequent creation of a commercial channel operated by the Independent Television Authority (later the Independent Broadcasting Authority) in 1955. A second IBA-run commercial channel commenced broadcasting in 1982. The BBC's radio monopoly ended with the government's decision to permit local commercial broadcasts starting in the early 1970s. BBC World Service radio broadcasts began in 1932 as the Empire Service. By the late 20th century the service broadcast in 38 languages to an estimated audience of 120 million people worldwide. World Service Television began broadcasting in 1991. The BBC also has been successful with the overseas syndication of its television programming. In the United States such series as All Creatures Great and Small, Mr. Bean, and Upstairs, Downstairs have been featured on the Public Broadcasting Service. The BBC is financed by annual license fees paid by owners of television and radio sets. It offers five radio networks in Britain, ranging from popular music to news and information services, as well as national television channels. Under its charter the BBC may not advertise or broadcast sponsored programs. It is required to refrain from broadcasting any opinion of its own on current affairs and matters of public policy and to be impartial in its treatment of controversy. In the mid- and late 1990s the BBC sought to protect its share of the viewing audience from increased competition by multichannel television providers (mainly via digital satellite broadcasting). It unveiled a 24-hour news channel in 1997.