Wireless Internationalism and Distant Listening : Britain, Propaganda, and the Invention of Global Radio, 1920-1939

During the 1920s and 1930s the new medium of radio broadcasting promised to transform society by fostering national unity and strengthening and popularising national cultures. However, many hoped that 'wireless' would also encourage international understanding and world peace. Intentionally or otherwise, wireless signals crossed borders, bringing talk, music, and news to enthusiastic 'distant listeners' in other countries. In Europe, radio was regulated through international consultation and cooperation, to restrict interference between stations, and to unleash the medium's full potential to carry programmes to global audiences. A distinctive form of 'wireless internationalism' emerged, reflecting and reinforcing the broader internationalist movement and establishing structures and approaches which endured into the Second World War, the Cold War, and beyond. This study reveals this untold history. 0'Wireless Internationalism and Distant Listening' also explores the neglected interwar experience of distant listening, revealing the prevalence of listening across borders and explaining how individuals struggled to overcome unwanted noise, tune in as many stations as possible, and comprehend and enjoy what they heard. The volume shows how radio brought the world to Britain, and Britain to the world. It revises our understanding of early BBC broadcasting and the BBC Empire Service (the precursor to today's World Service) and shows how government influence shaped early BBC international broadcasting in English, Arabic, Spanish, and Portuguese. It also explores the wider European and trans-Atlantic context, demonstrating how Fascism in Italy and Germany, the Spanish Civil War, and the Japanese invasion of China, combined to overturn the utopianism of the 1920s and usher in a new era of wireless nationalism Cover Wireless Internationalism and Distant Listening: Britain, Propaganda, and the Invention of Global Radio, 1920–1939 Copyright Dedication Preface Contents List of Illustrations Acronyms and Abbreviations Introduction Part I: International Broadcasting: Peace, Propaganda, and War Chapter 1: Pulling Down the Walls of the World, 1920–1930 Direct Listening Listening to Britain Relays and Exchanges Communication, Regulation, and Cooperation The Rise of Short Wave Conclusions Chapter 2: Fraternizing in the Ether, 1931–1933 ‘The Best Waves and the Strongest Stations’ Relays Short Wave and the BBC Empire Service International Broadcasting and the British State Broadcasting in the Cause of Peace Broadcasting and the Nazi Revolution Broadcasting Propaganda Conclusions Chapter 3: Rivalry and Competition, 1934–1937 Transatlantic Relays Daventry and Zeesen BBC Broadcasts in Foreign Languages Conclusions Chapter 4: Wireless Nationalism, 1938–1939 The BBC and the State The Arabic Service The Latin American Service Broadcasting to Europe Fascist Broadcast Propaganda Conclusions Part II: Producing and Listening to International Radio Chapter 5: The Shock Troops of Propaganda: BBC News for Overseas Listeners News for the Empire Foreign Competition and the Development of International News Broadcasting Bad News from Palestine Crisis News Conclusions Chapter 6: The Lonely Listener in the Bush: BBC Empire Service Programmes and Audiences Establishing the Empire Service Listeners, Programmes, and Feedback Sound and Voice Projecting Britain Conclusions Chapter 7: Distant Listening: The Social and Cultural Impact of International Broadcasting Listening as a Social and Antisocial Practice A World-wide Noise Choice Distant Listening, Masculinity, and the Modern Girl Race, Noise, and Resistant Listening Conclusions Conclusions Index "During the 1920s and 1930s radio was transnational in its reach and appeal, attracting distant listeners and encouraging hopes that broadcasting would foster international understanding and world peace. As a new medium, radio broadcasting transmitted speech, music, news, and a range of exotic and authentic sounds across borders to reach audiences in other countries. In Europe radio was regulated through international consultation and cooperation to restrict interference between stations and to unleash the medium's full potential to carry programmes to global audiences. A distinctive form of 'wireless internationalism' emerged, reflecting and reinforcing the broader internationalist movement and establishing structures and approaches which endured into the Second World War, the Cold War, and beyond. Distant listeners, meanwhile, used new technologies and skills to overcome unwanted noise, tune in as many stations as possible, and comprehend and enjoy what they heard. The BBC and other international broadcasters sought to produce tailor-made programmes for audiences overseas, encouraging feedback from listeners and using it to inform production decisions. The book revises our understanding of early British and global broadcasting, and of the BBC Empire Service (the precursor to today's World Service), and shows how government influence shaped early BBC international broadcasting in English, Arabic, Spanish, and Portuguese. It also explores the wider European and global context, demonstrating how fascism in Italy and Germany, the Spanish Civil War, and the Japanese invasion of China, combined to overturn the utopianism of the 1920s and usher in a new era of wireless nationalism." -- Oxford Scholarship Online Simon Potter links the history of broadcasting to the history of internationalism, showing how radio was used as a means of promoting international peace and understanding. He looks at histories of propaganda and international conflict and reconstructs early international radio programming and the experience of 'distant listening'