Radio active women

Archive on 4 looked at the history of women in radio – specifically BBC radio.

There were surprisingly large numbers of women working in the BBC from its earliest radio days – but in the back office. Some women did give Talks, of a suitably intellectual kind, & in the 1920s & 1930s this meant, almost by definition, that they were drawn from the Upper Middle Class & above. Which was just as well as it was soon decided that only RP was suitable for speaking to The Nation.

But the idea that a woman might read the news – or even report it – was plainly ridiculous. No woman had the requisite authority, their voices were too high, & they would lack the essential objectivity by, for example, sounding sad or even crying, when bringing bad tidings.

Apart from plain old sexist prejudice, the programme put forward the idea that people generally did find something rather disturbing about listening to the (literally) disembodied female voice.

In a curious way, television helped bring that to an end. Women’s bodies clearly had to appear on screen & their voices had to be broadcast. In fact BBC television was opened by a woman – Sylvia Peters (married Peter West?).

These days we are used to women fronting & contributing to all types of programme (except Today & most of Radio 1).

What was sad to hear was that Joan Bakewell & Bridget Kendall – both splendid women & splendid broadcasters – have each faced suggestions that their accents may now be just a bit too posh for C21st broadcasting. And yet, on tv at least, Clare Balding can become the nation’s favourite.

Links
Archive on 4: Spoken Like a Woman
Radio active women - Nepal
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