Reithianism and Modern(ist) Broadcasting Between the Wars: To Inform, Educate or Project?

From its foundation in 1922 until June 1938, the BBC was firmly in the grip of John Reith and the purpose of “improving” the listener—an approach sometimes at odds with the more “modernist” agenda embraced by others who saw the listener as an individual to be enriched and enabled, rather than improved. This divergence could also be observed in empire broadcasting in a context punctuated by desires for greater autonomy against the backdrop of an impending European conflict. This required a different approach to broadcasting with the incorporation of innovative techniques experimented outside the BBC. This revealed the need for an awareness of a more plural national identity and, accordingly, for the projection of a more confident, diverse national self-image, with an emphasis on international “development”, as opposed to “improvement”.