Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/02/television_is_75_years_old_today/
Broadcast television is 75 years old today
London calling
Posted in Hardware, 2nd November 2011 12:13 GMT
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Television celebrates a monumental anniversary today: it has been exactly 75 years since the first public service broadcast was transmitted.
On 2 November 1936, the BBC began filling the airwaves, broadcasting from its Alexandra Palace facility in North London. The one station started with just two hours of programming a day.
Folk at home tuned in with their Marconi TV sets [1] and saw some the likes of actress Adele Dixon's rendition of Magic Rays of Light, pictured above.
These days, broadcast telly seems to barely get a look in, what with viewers increasingly watch programmes when they, not the broadcaster, want, first with DVRs now with IPTV.
Thanks to catch-up services, traditional broadcasting could soon become a thing of the past. The BBC may even consider introducing licence fees for those who view its content online [2].
In celebration of the telly's 75th anniversary, Alexandra Palace will allow access this weekend to the TV studio where it all began [3]. It will also offer related activities and family fun, such as 1930s make-up, a dance band, and opportunities to read the news and present the weather.
No regional accents and 'innits', thank you very much.
In the meantime, take a moment out to wish your TV set a happy birthday. It never used to be that bad, you know. ®