Feature: 50 Years of Commercial Radio
What was the first national commercial station and when did it first broadcast? When was the first joint radio app launched? When was the first commercial broadcast on DAB? Find these answers and more below.
As the finale to our feature series on the 50th anniversary of commercial radio’s first licensed broadcast, we have produced a timeline of the major milestones for the medium.
Commercial radio’s 50-year history began as LBC, then called the London Broadcasting Company, put out its first broadcast at 6am on 8 October 1973.
By 1976 there were 19 commercial stations on air and now according to Ofcom there are just over a thousand radio services currently broadcasting under license.
Matt Payton, Radiocentre CEO commented on the anniversary and what it means for commercial radio. “We owe so much to those early…
