EAQ MADRID. Working under the subtitle of “Radio Aranjuez,” this shortwave station carried half an hour of English language programming per night produced by the International Broadcasting Company (IBC) from 1932 until July 1936, when the Spanish Civil War made UK transmissions untenable. Although it was never fully developed by the company, this policy—known as “keeping a station warm”—was one adopted by the IBC elsewhere in Europe.
The idea here, as far as Leonard Plugge and his company were concerned, seems to have been to undermine the BBC’s newly formed Empire Service (December 1932). The IBC added the name “IBC Empire Service” to its EAQ transmissions, continuing to do so in spite of BBC insistence that it should not use the title. Although it ended in 1936, the IBC retained intentions of reopening EAQ as a transmission site, although in the event this did not occur.
ECKERSLEY, PETER PENDLETON (1892–1963). This dynamic, controversial, and charismatic visionary was truly a pioneer of radio: an engineer who also understood the entertainment potential of the medium from the start. Eckersley directed and took part in experimental transmissions from the Marconi Company’s site in the village of Writtle in Essex. These began on 14 February 1922, and he subsequently was appointed by John Reith as the first chief engineer for the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) in 1923. He was dismissed in 1929 after being cited in divorce proceedings, and subsequently became involved in the development of commercial radio, and in particular the radio relay system. Eckersley’s controversial career was complicated by his association with Sir Oswald Mosley, founder of the British Union of Fascists, and by the involvement of his wife and stepson in a 1945 trial, charged with “conspiring to assist the enemy” through the medium of propaganda. In his 1942 book, The Power behind the Microphone, Eckersley set out his thinking relating to the future of radio broadcasting, predicting both the coming of digital sound and cable transmission.
EDMONDS, NOEL (1948– ). Edmonds worked in radio first for Radio Luxembourg in 1968 before joining Radio 1 in 1969, taking over the Saturday morning show from Kenny Everett, in the process becoming the network’s youngest presenter. From 1970 to 1974, he switched to Sunday mornings, introducing the formula of prank telephone calls, which was to characterize much of his subsequent career both in radio and latterly after his move into television. In 1974, he inherited the breakfast slot from Tony Blackburn, and remained its host until 1978, by which time his career in TV was burgeoning. In 1989, he became a founding director (with Tim Blackmore and Simon Cole) of the independent production company, Unique. Edmonds cashed in his stake in the company in August 2005, for £1.35m.
EDUCATING ARCHIE. The idea of a ventriloquist act on radio—although apparently anomalous—has a number of precedents, not least the Edgar Bergen Show on the U.S. network NBC, which began in the 1930s, and the UK ventriloquist Saveen. In Britain, without doubt the partnership of Peter Brough and his dummy, Archie Andrews (a name invented by Ted Kavanagh, one of the brains behind the show), was one of the most famous in radio. First broadcast in June 1950 and running for 10 series on the Light Programme throughout the decade, the show was significant in its fostering of new talent, including Julie Andrews, Max Bygraves, Tony Hancock, Hattie Jacques, and Beryl Reid. The storylines revolved around the adventures of a naughty schoolboy, Archie, and his girlfriend, Monica (Beryl Reid). The first seven series were written by Eric Sykes, whose inventive scripts contributed much to the success of the program.
EDWARDS, JIMMY (1920–1988). Edwards came into broadcasting shortly after the war. In 1948, he joined Dick Bentley and Joy Nichols in the successful comedy series, Take It from Here. He was also a regular member of the spoof panel game, Does the Team Think. Famous for his large handlebar mustache, he carried the nickname “Professor.” He also had a successful career in television, and was a musician, frequently using his playing of the trombone as a part of his comedy act.
EKCO. This famous receiver manufacturer was founded in 1922 by Eric Kirkham Cole (1901–1966) and during the 1930s and 1940s created a series of sets that became highly collectable due largely to their unique circular design, made possible partly by the use of Bakelite in their manufacture.
ELECTROPHONE. This important early precursor of “wireless” was invented by a Frenchman, Clement Ader in 1881, and introduced first in France that year as the “Theatrephone.” The principle was that of relaying audio entertainments down telephone lines; thus Ader demonstrated live performances from the Paris Opera to audiences at the Paris Electrical Exhibition of that year. The system became popular in Europe and the United States, and was introduced to Great Britain in the early 1890s by the National Telephone Company, licensed by the Post Office under the title of “Electrophone” with its central exchange in Gerrard Street, London. Queen Victoria became an early adopter of the system, having it installed at Windsor Castle.
A subscription service, it offered customers a choice of theater performance and other events, including church services, via headphones. “Receivers” were installed in domestic homes and public places, where it offered a “pay-per-listen” service. There were two levels of subscription: a £5 charge enabled listeners to connect to a preselected service, whilst for £10, subscribers could choose from a selection themselves. During World War I, the Electrophone was installed in some hospitals for the entertainment of convalescent troops. On Sundays, church services were relayed.
The system survived for some years after the introduction of wireless radio services, offering as it did choice and “live” quality relays at a time when the fledgling wireless service was overcoming early transmission and reception issues. Reputedly the last Electrophone relay service ended as late as 1938—in Bournemouth—when the final subscriber died.
EMAP. Formed as a newspaper and magazine company in 1947, Emap has expanded into all areas of media, including radio. In 1990, the company acquired the London dance station, Kiss FM, and the following year, bought Radio City in Liverpool. Other acquisitions followed, with a strong north-country bias to purchases. In 1998, Emap bought the London station, Melody FM, renaming it Magic 105.4. This began the development of the Magic brand—nine stations aimed at the 35–44 year-old audience age group, and complementing the group’s Big City brand (8 stations) targeting the 15–34 year-old audience. Emap also moved into digital radio, operating 13 multiplexes across the UK. In April 2005, the group’s burgeoning radio aspirations were demonstrated by the creation of a new division, “Emap Radio,” and Emap acquired Scottish Radio Holdings in June 2005.
“EMPEROR ROSKO.” Born Michael Pasternak, the son of the film producer, Joe Pasternak, this iconic disc jockey joined Radio Caroline in 1966, where his brash American style gained him great popularity. Educated in Paris, Switzerland, and California, “Rosko” was equally at home broadcasting in French, and after leaving Caroline, he worked on the French services of Radio Monte-Carlo and Radio Luxembourg, where he worked under the pseudonym, “Le Président Rosko.”
His style was strongly influenced by the U.S. DJs, Emperor Hudson and Wolfman Jack. In 1967, he was one of the original team at Radio 1, although initially, due to his continental commitments, his programs were prerecorded. From 1968, now a resident of the UK, his shows went “live,” and he stayed with Radio 1, broadcasting on various shows, until September 1976, when he returned to the United States to be near his ailing father. He returned to the network in 1982 for a further four years, being part of its 25th anniversary celebrations in 1992. He then worked for Virgin Radio, before returning to the U.S. to work in California, continuing to be heard by UK audiences on the Classic Gold Network.
EMPIRE SERVICE. Launched by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in December 1932, this was the beginning of the Corporation’s international aspirations as a broadcaster. Studios were initially at Broadcasting House, later moving to Bush House and transmitted from Daventry. From the start, the service broadcast across five time zones, targeting Canada, West Africa, South Africa, India, and Australasia. It later became known as the General Overseas Service, BBC External Services, and ultimately as the World Service.
ENGELMANN, FRANKLIN (1908–1972). Engelmann was a popular broadcaster on British radio for more than 30 years, and his warm tones were associated with many programs, including What Do You Know and the program that replaced it, Brain of Britain. He was the original host of Pick of the Pops but is mostly remembered for his role as presenter of two long-running programs, Down Your Way, which he hosted from 1955–1972, and Gardeners’ Question Time. Having chaired the latter program from 1961–1972, he died in the week of the 1,000th edition. His nickname was “Jingle.”
ENNALS, MAURICE (1919–2002). Maurice Ennals was the first manager of a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) local radio station, Radio Leicester. This opened in 1967, prior to which, he had worked on the introduction of local radio, and was jointly responsible for deciding where many of the stations were to be sited. In 1970, he was responsible for the launch of BBC Radio Solent, part of the second tier of stations to roll out after the success of the initial experiment. He remained as manager of Radio Solent until his retirement in 1976, after which he lived in Dorset, acting as a talent scout for local football teams.
THE EPILOGUE. The program was a part of John Reith’s Sabbatarian policy of broadcasting, and was heard at the close of transmissions on Sunday evenings from 1926. In its original format, it was a Bible reading, although this was later added to by hymns and psalms, broadcast on the Home Service. The final broadcast was in 1980.
ESSLIN, MARTIN (1918–2002). Of Hungarian origin, born and educated in Vienna, Esslin was a theater scholar and radio producer, who came to London because of the Anschluss, and joined the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), becoming a producer and scriptwriter. He worked for the European Service from 1941–1955, eventually becoming head of the European production department. He translated many pieces of European theater into English, and this in turn led to a number of significant drama productions. In 1961, Esslin became assistant head of radio drama, becoming the department head in 1963, a post he retained until 1977 when he began spending more time each year in the United States. He received an OBE in 1972. A scholar of theater, his book The Theatre of the Absurd (1962) defined a movement and created a term that remains extant.
EUREKA 147. The system, developed by a consortium of 12 partners, has been widely adopted since 1994 as an international standard for the transmission of Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB). Today, a large proportion of the world’s broadcasters have implemented the system. Exceptions have been the United States, which has embraced both satellite digital radio and high definition (HD) radio—In Band, On Channel (IBOC)—and Japan, where cable is the chosen method of new radio format delivery. Other countries, including South Korea, have used Eureka 147 as the delivery system for the development of Terrestrial Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (T-DMB) in mobile devices.
EVANS, CHRIS (1966– ). Born in Lancashire, Evans’s first job in radio was for Manchester’s Piccadilly Radio. He soon moved to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) London station, GLR. In 1992, he gained national prominence as the host of the TV show The Big Breakfast and built on his new-found celebrity by establishing his own production company, Ginger Productions, responsible for his Channel 4 quiz program, Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush. The program format was sold worldwide, and much of Evans’s media empire was built on the money from the show.
In 1994, Evans left The Big Breakfast, and the following year he signed with Radio 1 to present the breakfast show at a time when the network was moving—under the controllership of Matthew Bannister—toward a new image and definition of itself after a period of decline and stagnation. Between his arrival at the station and October 1996, he had increased the breakfast show audience from one million to seven million listeners. His time at Radio 1 was, however, not without controversy, and he was frequently censured for his remarks and inappropriate jokes. In January 1997, he was sacked after his demands to work a four-day week were refused by Bannister.
Evans moved to Virgin Radio, where he worked as a presenter, but in 1997, his Ginger Media Group bought the station for £85m. Less than three years later, the station was sold again, this time for £225m. Evans continued to broadcast for the station, but in 2001 he was sacked after failing to appear for his program for five consecutive days. After some unsuccessful TV ventures, during 2005 he made a number of guest appearances on BBC programs, including a charity broadcast in aid of the Asian Tsunami appeal, and an outside broadcast from the London Live 8 concert held in Hyde Park. Also in the summer of 2005, he signed a contract to present programs on Radio 2.
EVERETT, KENNY (1944–1995). Everett was a disc jockey/presenter of genius who developed a style of radio which used the medium’s technical resources in a creative and innovative way, unlike much of the pop music programming of the 1960s and 1970s. He first came to the attention of the British public on the pirate radio station Radio London and joined the Radio 1 team when the station was created in 1967. He was sacked by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 1970 after a joke in which he suggested on his program that the transport minister’s wife had passed her driving test because of a bribe. He came back to the BBC in 1981, but two years later he was again the subject of controversy after a remark about Margaret Thatcher. He also worked for Capital Radio. He died of AIDS in 1995.