Overview
- Provides the first comprehensive history of classical music radio in the UK in the twentieth century
- Sheds light on the relationship between culture and society in the UK between 1945 and 1995
- Explores debates regarding the ‘dumbing down’ of classical music and ‘highbrow elitism’ in British society
- Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
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About this book
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.
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Keywords
Table of contents (8 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Reviews
“Tony Stoller confidently and expertly challenges the current understanding of the history of classical music radio in the UK. This impressive book offers an original perspective on an important topic, and is certain to be the definitive book on the subject.”(Kate Murphy, Bournemouth University, UK)
“Tony Stoller is a passionate observer of who we are and what can change the way we live. His account of how, through commercial radio, classical music has reached unexpectedly varied and loyal mass audiences, radically challenges many traditional cultural assumptions. An early enabler of Britain’s radio revolution, here he becomes a powerful advocate for why breaking the monopoly of the BBC became an unexpected signifier of profound social change.” (Gillian Reynolds MBE is the radio critic of the Daily Telegraph)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Tony Stoller is Visiting Professor at Bournemouth University, UK. He was Chief Executive of the Radio Authority from 1995 until it was succeeded by Ofcom, where he helped establish the new regulator. In 2004 he was awarded a CBE for services to broadcasting, and he was elected a Fellow of the Radio Academy in 2003. He is the author of Sounds of Your Life: The History of Independent Radio in the UK (2010), and researches, writes and lectures about the history of sound broadcasting in the UK.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Classical Music Radio in the United Kingdom, 1945–1995
Authors: Tony Stoller
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64710-4
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: History, History (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-64709-8Published: 20 November 2017
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-87852-2Published: 24 May 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-64710-4Published: 11 November 2017
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XVII, 297
Topics: History of Britain and Ireland, Cultural History, History of Modern Europe, Social History, Music