British Electric Traction Company, PLC, was a leading manufacturer and operator of electric railway tram systems in England during the late 19th century and early 20th century. This article refers to public transport vehicles running on rails. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999...

The company was founded as in 1895 as British Electric Traction Co. Ltd, with Sir Charles Rivers Wilson as chairman, and Emile Garcke as managing director. As the company's name suggested, it was involved in the electrification of tramways in British towns and cities. From operating trams, BET moved on to manufacturing them with the purchase of Brush Electrical Engineering in 1901. In 1905 a subsidiary was formed to operate motor buses, which became increasingly important to the group as many municipalities were compulsorily acquiring company-owned tram networks in their areas. The last BET tram ran on August 4, 1951, when the Gateshead and District Tramways Company replaced their trams with motor omnibuses.^[1] Year 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... For other uses, see 1905 (disambiguation). ... is the 216th day of the year (217th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the 1920s, they began using their network of urban and suburban power cables to deliver cable radio service to customers frustrated with the difficulties of tuning in weak radio broadcasts. Initially, their service consisted primarily of rebroadcasts of the BBC Radio service; this was reflected in the name they chose for their new business unit: "Broadcast Relay Service". The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. ...

Brandwise the operation was known as "Rediffusion"; and much as the original British Electric Traction Company had branched out, Rediffusion quickly branched out into making, renting, and selling radios. With the arrival of the first experimental television broadcasts in the 1930s, Rediffusion quickly began manufacturing TV sets and supplying "Pipe TV" service to their customers, until the cessation of television broadcasts during World War II. Associated-Rediffusion was the British Independent Television (commercial television) contractor for London, on weekdays between 1954 (transmissions started on September 22, 1955) and 1968. ... The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known as the World Depression. ... Coaxial cable is often used to transmit cable television into the house. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

After narrowly avoiding nationalization at the hands of the post-war Labour Party government, BET and Rediffusion were eager get back into the television business (especially because tram systems around the United Kingdom were being decommissioned by local governments with astonishing rapidity). With the passage of the Television Act 1954, BET and Rediffusion joined forces with Associated Newspapers, a subsidiary of Daily Mail and General Trust, to form Associated-Rediffusion, and won the coveted London weekday ITV broadcast franchise. They began broadcasting on September 22, 1955. Nationalization, also spelled nationalisation, is the act by which a nation takes possession of assets without requiring the owners consent, with or without payment of compensation. ... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... The Television Act 1954 was a British law which permitted the creation of the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom, ITV. Royal Assent was given to the Act on 30 July 1954. ... Associated Newspapers is a subsidiary of Daily Mail and General Trust and publishes five major UK newspaper titles; Daily Mail Mail on Sunday Evening Standard Ireland on Sunday Metro External links ANP Home ... Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT) is one of the UKs largest media companies and has interests in national and regional newspapers, television and radio. ... Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British Independent Television (commercial television) contractor for London, on weekdays between 1954 (transmissions started on September 22, 1955) and July 29, 1968. ... Independent Television (generally known as ITV, but also as ITV Network) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK. Since 1990 and the Broadcasting... is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ...

At the beginning, Associated-Rediffusion was losing money amazingly fast; so fast, in fact, that by the end of 1956, Associated Newspapers sold 80 percent of its stake back to BET and Rediffusion at a severe loss. Around that same time, Associated-Rediffusion struck a very favorable deal with Granada Television, the franchise holder for weekday broadcasts in the North of England. Granada was also losing money hand over fist, and lacked the financial resources of BET; the deal guaranteed Granada a certain level of financial security, at the cost of Associated-Rediffusion receiving the vast majority of future profits from their arrangement. A car from 1956 Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

By 1964, when Associated-Rediffusion changed its name to Rediffusion London, their efforts had left them sitting on a veritable mountain of cash; and it is arguable that the attitude which that success spawned may have lead to the decision by the Independent Television Authority in 1967 to effectively unmake them. Rediffusion London was ordered to merge with Associated British Corporation, the holder of the weekend Midlands and North of England franchises, to form Thames Television, with ABC given the controlling interest (despite their generally weaker financial position). Thames Television was given the new weekday London franchise, with ABC's existing franchises awarded to other companies. Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... Associated-Rediffusion was the British Independent Television (commercial television) contractor for London, on weekdays between 1954 (transmissions started on September 22, 1955) and 1968. ... The Independent Television Authority (ITA) was a body created by the Television Act 1954 to supervise the creation of Independent Television (ITV), the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Associated British Corporation (otherwise known as ABC Television or ABC Weekend TV) was one of a number of commercial television companies set up in the 1950s by cinema chains in an attempt to safeguard their business by getting involved in television which was taking away their cinema audiences. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

BET continued to own several bus operations until their bus interests were sold to the government to become part of the National Bus Company in 1968. BET also continued to own and operate a 600 bus operation in Kingston, Jamaica (Jamaica Omnibus Services) until it, too, was nationalised by the Jamaican Government in 1974. Their other businesses continued. The National Bus Company was a bus company in the United Kingdom. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

BET owned 51% of Wembley Stadium Ltd.

In 1996 British Electric Traction Company PLC, which had no dominant shareholder, was acquired by Rentokil, with the merged company including the name of one of BET's subsiduries, Initial. Rentokil Initial is a major business services group which was, until September 2006, a long term member of the FTSE 100 list of the 100 largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange by market capitalisation. ...

References

1. ^ Stewart J Brown, NBC Antecedents and Formation, Shepperton, 1983