TELEVISION IN THE 50'S
Added on: 18th Sep 2014
In the 50s, the hours people watched television were tightly controlled,
the 24 hour broadcasting of today was unheard of.
The Postmaster General stipulated how many hours of television
could be shown each week.
In 1956, for example, the BBC was allowed to broadcast television
on weekdays between 9am and 11pm, with not more
than 2 hours before 1pm.
There was also a period between 6pm and 7pm when no television was broadcast.
This period was used by parents to trick young children into thinking
that the evening's television had finished so they would go to bed without complaint.
It was known as the 'toddlers' truce', imagine that today!
At the weekends, the rules were no more relaxed.
A maximum of eight hours broadcasting was allowed on Saturdays and
7 3/4 hours on Sunday. On Sunday another anachronism reigned,
television shown between 2pm and 4pm was intended for adults as
children were meant to be at Sunday School! Gradually the rules on
broadcasting hours were made less strict.
The 'toddlers' truce', for example, was dropped in 1957.
THE LONE RANGER
LASSIE
BARRY BUCKNELL WAS BRITISH TV'S DIY EXPERT
IN THE FIFTIES AND EARLY SIXTIES.
WHICKER’S WORLD (1959-1988).
BLUE PETER (1958 TO TODAY).
KENNETH KENDALL, THE FIRST NEWSREADER WHOSE
FACE WAS SEEN ON BRITISH TELEVISION SCREENS.
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST (1957 TO TODAY).
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