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The BBC General Forces Programme was a BBC radio station from 27 February 1944 until 31 December 1946. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the largest publicly-funded radio and television broadcasting corporation of the United Kingdom (see British television). ...
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February 27 is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ...
December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...
Foundation
Upon the outbreak of World War II, the BBC closed the existing BBC National Programme and BBC Regional Programme, combining the two to form a single channel known as the BBC Home Service. Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II...
The BBC Home Service was the original name for Radio 4 and was on the air from 1939 until 30 September 1967. ...
The former transmitters of the National Programme continued to broadcast the Home Service until 1940, when the lack of choice and lighter programming for people serving in the Armed Forces was noted. At that point, the frequencies were given to a new entertainment network, the BBC Forces Programme. 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ...
The BBC Forces Programme was a BBC radio station from 7 January 1940 until 26 February 1944 // Foundation Upon the outbreak of World War II, the BBC closed the existing BBC National Programme and BBC Regional Programme, combining the two to form a single channel known as the BBC Home...
The BBC Forces Programme was replaced when the influx of American soldiers, used to a different style of entertainment programming, had to be catered for in the run up to D-Day. The replacement service was named the BBC General Forces Programme and was also broadcast on shortwave on the frequencies of the BBC Empire Service (itself reborn after the war as the BBC General Overseas Service and now known as the BBC World Service). Land on Normandy In military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. ...
radio programming, transmitting in 43 languages to around 150 million people throughout the world. ...
World Service logo The BBC World Service is one of the most widely recognised international broadcasters of radio programming, transmitting in 33 languages to around 150 million people throughout the world. ...
Programming The BBC Forces Programme was launched to appeal directly to those members of the armed services during the Phony War who were mainly sat in barracks with little to do. British Ministry of Home Security Poster The Phony War, or in Winston Churchills words the Twilight War, was a phase in early World War II marked by few military operations in Continental Europe, in the months following the German invasion of Poland. ...
Its mixture of drama, comedy, popular music, features, quiz shows and variety was richer and more varied than the former National Programme, although it continued to supply lengthy news bulletins and informational programmes and talk.
However, when the American servicemen arrived en masse in 1943 and 1944 in preparation for Operation Overlord, they found even the richer Forces Programme shows to be staid and slow compared with the existing output of the American networks. The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between the German forces occupying Western Europe and the invading Allies. ...
In response to appeals from General Eisenhower, the BBC abolished the Forces Programme and established the General Forces Programme, designed to provide a mixture of programming suitable for American and British audiences and also to appeal to the "Home Front", who, research had shown, wished to listen to the same output as the forces once fighting had broken out. Home front is the informal term commonly used to describe the civilian populace of the nation at war as an active support system of its military. ...
As well as a large number of American network and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation programmes, the General Forces Programme also offered British programming: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), a Canadian crown corporation, is the countrys national radio and television broadcaster. ...
- Shipmates Ashore - for the Merchant Navy
- Navy Mixture
- Forces' Favourites - a record request show
- War Office Calling the Army - information and news for service people
- Strike A Home Note - for Scottish service people overseas
- Welsh Half Hour
- SEAC - a newsletter for the South East Asian theatre
- Hello GIs - a newsletter for Americans in Britain
- Mediterranean Merry Go Round - made up of Stand Easy for the Army, Much Binding in the Marsh for the RAF and HMS Waterlogged for the Navy.
In most seafaring countries, the merchant marine (or merchant navy) is a fleet of ships used for commerce that sometimes complements the navy. ...
Closure After VE-Day, the British longwave frequencies of the General Forces Programme became the BBC Light Programme on 29 July 1945. The service continued broadcasting by shortwave to areas that were still seeing fighting, and after VJ-Day to occupying forces in each former occupied and enemy country. Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day or VE Day) was May 8, 1945, the date when the Allies during the Second World War formally celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitlers Third Reich. ...
The Light Programme was a BBC radio station broadcasting mainstream light entertainment and music. ...
July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 days remaining. ...
1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ...
August 15, 1945, marked Victory over Japan Day or V-J Day, taking a name similar to Victory in Europe Day, which was generally known as V-E Day. ...
As Britain began to disengage from each fighting area and civilian rule was restored and the soldiers demobbed, the reason for the existence of the General Forces Programme faded. In each area it was slowly replaced by the BBC General Overseas Service until complete closure on 31 December 1946.
Inheritance The pre-war National Programme, whilst using the same frequencies and transmitters as the post-war Light Programme, was not the general entertainment network its successor the Light Programme became. The Light Programme was more of a child of the Forces and General Forces Programme, with a style of presentation and programming that had not existed in the United Kingdom before the war.
References - Various authors BBC Year Book 1947 London: British Broadcasting Corporation 1947
- Graham, Russ J A new lease of life Radiomusications from Transdiffusion, undated; accessed 5 February 2006
- Hancock, Dafydd Forces of Light Radiomusications from Transdiffusion, undated; accessed 5 February 2006
- Took, Barry Laughter in the Air London: Robson Books 1976 ISBN 0903895781 and British Broadcasting Corporation 1976 ISBN 0563171579
Further reading - Briggs, Asa History of Broadcasting in the United Kingdom Oxford:Oxford University Press 1995 ISBN 0192129309
External links - Radiomusications from Transdiffusion
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