Classical Music Radio in the United Kingdom, 1945–1995

This book is the first comprehensive account of classical music on all British radio stations, BBC and commercial, between 1945 and 1995. It narrates the shifting development of those services, from before the launch of the Third Programme until after the start of Classic FM, examining the output from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives, as well as recounting some of the stories and anecdotes which enliven the tale. During these fifty years, British classical music radio featured spells of broad, multi-channel classical music radio, with aspirational and mainstream culture enjoying positive interactions, followed by periods of more restricted and exclusive output, in a paradigm of the place of high culture in UK society as a whole. The history was characterised by the recurring tensions between elite and popular provision, and the interplay of demands for highbrow and middlebrow output, and also sheds new light on the continuing relevance of class in Britain. It is an important and unique resource for those studying British history in the second half of the twentieth century, as well as being a compelling and diverting account for enthusiasts for classical music radio. Front Matter ....Pages i-xvii Introduction: The Music we are accustomed to call Classical (Tony Stoller)....Pages 1-29 The Forties: A Pyramid of Taste (Tony Stoller)....Pages 31-65 The Fifties: Defending the Elite (Tony Stoller)....Pages 67-93 The Sixties: Simple and Conservative Tastes (Tony Stoller)....Pages 95-126 The Seventies: Breaking the Monopoly (Tony Stoller)....Pages 127-154 The Eighties: Keeping the Philistines at Bay (Tony Stoller)....Pages 155-186 The Nineties: Saga Louts and Dumbing Down (Tony Stoller)....Pages 187-226 Conclusions: Engaging on Equal Terms? (Tony Stoller)....Pages 227-245 Back Matter ....Pages 247-297 This comprehensive account of classical music on all British radio stations, BBC and commercial, between 1945 and 1995 narrates the shifting development of those services, from before the launch of the Third Programme until after the start of Classic FM. It examines the output from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives, as well as recounting some of the stories and anecdotes which enliven the tale