RADIO & TV BACK THEN.

Television

way back in the 1950's television was restarted following world war 2.  Transmissions were on the vhf waveband with the screen made up of 405 lines.  Until the start of ITV on channel 8,  there was just 1 station, the BBC on channel 4 in our area.  Programmes were in black and white.

Radio.

Radio and tv meant one thing in the 50's.  Valves, a large wooden cabinet and a dial which lit up in the dark  with names like Hilversum, Paris, Rekjavic and other romantic sounding places.  These sets had wire arials usually strung up the garden and also an earth wire. Most sets were equipped with long wave, medium wave & short wave as vhf fm was not used then in public broadcasting but by the police, fire and ambulance services.
Radio was the BBC in the UK with 3 stations, the home service, the light programme and the third programme.  The light programme was the one we listened to most of all in the 50's as it was the station that had the "Goons" a fore runner of Monty Python and the Navy lark.  One strange show at the time was Educating Archie, a radio show starring a ventriloquists dummy.  Talk about money for old rope eh?  Still a lot of stars cut their teeth on this show.  Another show, which is still going was "The Archers".  Does anyone remember the fire which killed Grace Archer, intended as a spoiller for the opening night of ITV?  Incidentally the archers are now the worlds longest running serial.