BBC

===Later 20th century===
[[File:BBC AXBT Microphone (designed in 1944).jpg|thumb|left|Produced between 1934 and 1959, the [[BBC-Marconi Type A microphone]] has been described as an iconic symbol of the BBC alongside the channel's most famous emblem, the [[History of BBC television idents#BBC Television Service/BBC One|rotating globe]], which was introduced in 1963.<ref>{{citation|last1=Sargeant|first1=Paul|title=Looking Back at the BBC|year=2010|publisher=BBC|place=London|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ahistoryoftheworld/2010/10/looking-back-at-the-bbc.shtml|access-date=9 November 2010|archive-date=22 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201222192824/https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ahistoryoftheworld/2010/10/looking-back-at-the-bbc.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
There was a widely reported urban myth that, upon resumption of the BBC television service after the war, announcer [[Leslie Mitchell (broadcaster)|Leslie Mitchell]] started by saying, "As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted&nbsp;..." In fact, the first person to appear when transmission resumed was [[Jasmine Bligh]] and the words said were "Good afternoon, everybody. How are you? Do you remember me, Jasmine Bligh&nbsp;... ?"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transdiffusion.org/emc/baird/tvoff.php |title=Baird: The edit that rewrote history |last=Graham |first=Russ J. |date=31 October 2005 |access-date=11 August 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060718223433/http://www.transdiffusion.org/emc/baird/tvoff.php |archive-date=18 July 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[European Broadcasting Union]] was formed on 12 February 1950, in [[Torquay]] with the BBC among the 23 founding broadcasting organisations.<ref>"BBC Annual Report and Handbook". p. 215. BBC 1985</ref>

Competition to the BBC was introduced in 1955, with the commercial and independently operated television network of [[ITV (TV network)|Independent Television (ITV)]]. However, the BBC monopoly on radio services would persist until 8 October 1973 when under the control of the newly renamed [[Independent Broadcasting Authority]] (IBA), the UK's first Independent local radio station, [[LBC]] came on-air in the London area. As a result of the [[Pilkington Committee on Broadcasting|Pilkington Committee]] report of 1962, in which the BBC was praised for the quality and range of its output, and ITV was very heavily criticised for not providing enough quality programming,<ref>{{cite web|title=Committees of Enquiry: Pilkington Committee |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/heritage/more/pdfs/committees_of_enquiry.pdf |page=4 |date=1 June 1962 |access-date=30 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061012060952/http://www.bbc.co.uk/heritage/more/pdfs/committees_of_enquiry.pdf |archive-date=12 October 2006 |url-status=live }}</ref> the decision was taken to award the BBC a second television channel, [[BBC Two|BBC2]], in 1964, renaming the existing service [[BBC1]]. BBC2 used the higher resolution 625-line standard which had been standardised across Europe. BBC2 was broadcast in colour from 1 July 1967 and was joined by BBC1 and ITV on 15 November 1969. The 405-line [[Vhf#United Kingdom|VHF]] transmissions of BBC1 (and ITV) were continued for compatibility with older television receivers until 1985.
[[File:BBC TV Centre.jpg|thumb|[[BBC Television Centre]] at [[White City, London|White City]], West London, which opened in 1960 and closed in 2013]]

Starting in 1964, a series of [[pirate radio]] stations (starting with [[Radio Caroline]]) came on the air and forced the British government finally to regulate radio services to permit nationally based advertising-financed services. In response, the BBC reorganised and renamed their radio channels. On 30 September 1967, the Light Programme was split into [[BBC Radio 1|Radio 1]] offering continuous "Popular" music and [[BBC Radio 2|Radio 2]] more "Easy Listening".<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/09/27/bvradio127.xml&page=1 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |title=The day we woke up to pop music on Radio 1 |date=27 September 2007 |first=Imogen |last=Carter |access-date=30 September 2007 |location=London |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071018203739/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=%2Farts%2F2007%2F09%2F27%2Fbvradio127.xml&page=1 |archive-date=18 October 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The "Third" programme became [[BBC Radio 3|Radio 3]] offering classical music and cultural programming. The Home Service became [[BBC Radio 4|Radio 4]] offering news, and non-musical content such as quiz shows, readings, dramas and plays. As well as the four national channels, a series of local BBC radio stations were established in 1967, including [[BBC London 94.9|Radio London]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Q8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA41|title=Radio in London|last=Partridge|first=Rob|date=13 November 1971|magazine=Billboard|access-date=2 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125083315/https://books.google.com/books?id=-Q8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA41|archive-date=25 January 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1969, the BBC Enterprises department was formed to exploit BBC brands and programmes for commercial [[spin-off (media)|spin-off]] products. In 1979, it became a wholly owned limited company, BBC Enterprises Ltd.<ref name="briggs">{{cite book|last=Briggs|first=Asa|title=Competition|year=2000|publisher=Oxford Univ. Press|location=Oxford [u.a.]|isbn=978-0-19-215964-9|page=713|edition=Reprinted.}}</ref>

In 1974, the BBC's [[teletext]] service, [[Ceefax]], was introduced, created initially to provide subtitling, but developed into a news and information service. In 1978, BBC staff went on strike just before the Christmas, thus blocking out the transmission of both channels and amalgamating all four radio stations into one.<ref>[http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/continuity/guestroom.html The Guestroom for Mr Cock-up] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224233404/http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/continuity/guestroom.html |date=24 February 2008 }} Pick of the Continuity Announcers, 6 April 2000</ref><ref>[http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/itw/features/Ratings.html Ratings for 1978] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080827202157/http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/itw/features/Ratings.html |date=27 August 2008 }} Independent Teleweb</ref> Since the deregulation of the UK television and radio market in the 1980s, the BBC has faced increased competition from the commercial sector (and from the advertiser-funded public service broadcaster [[Channel 4]]), especially on satellite television, cable television, and digital television services. In the late 1980s, the BBC began a process of [[divestment]] by [[Corporate spin-off|spinning off]] and selling parts of its organisation. In 1988, it sold off the [[Hulton Press Library]], a photographic archive which had been acquired from the ''[[Picture Post]]'' magazine by the BBC in 1957. The archive was sold to Brian Deutsch and is now owned by [[Getty Images]].<ref name=hulton-history>{{cite web|last=McDonald|first=Sarah|title=15 October 2004 Sarah McDonald, Curator Page 1 10/15/04 Hulton{{!}}Archive – History in Pictures|url=http://corporate.gettyimages.com/masters2/conservation/articles/HAHistory.pdf|publisher=Getty Images|access-date=28 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527044717/http://corporate.gettyimages.com/masters2/conservation/articles/HAHistory.pdf|archive-date=27 May 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1987, the BBC decided to centralize its operations by the management team with the radio and television divisions joining forces together for the first time, the activities of the news and currents departments and coordinated jointly under the new directorate.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Guider |first=Elizabeth |date=22 July 1987 |title=New BBC Management Team Sees Radio, TV Divisions Joining Forces |page=52 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> During the 1990s, this process continued with the separation of certain operational arms of the corporation into autonomous but [[subsidiary|wholly owned subsidiaries]], with the aim of generating additional revenue for programme-making. BBC Enterprises was reorganised and relaunched in 1995, as BBC Worldwide Ltd.<ref name="briggs"/> In 1998, BBC studios, outside broadcasts, post production, design, costumes and wigs were spun off into BBC Resources Ltd.<ref name=guardian-resources>{{cite news|last=Holmwood|first=Leigh|title=BBC Resources sell-off to begin|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/aug/15/bbc.television|access-date=28 May 2013|date=15 August 2007|location=London|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203153604/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/aug/15/bbc.television|archive-date=3 December 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[BBC Research Department]] has played a major part in the development of broadcasting and recording techniques. The BBC was also responsible for the development of the [[NICAM]] stereo standard. In recent decades, a number of additional channels and radio stations have been launched: [[BBC Radio 5 (former)|Radio 5]] was launched in 1990, as a sports and educational station, but was replaced in 1994, with [[BBC Radio 5 Live|Radio 5 Live]] to become a live radio station, following the success of the [[BBC Radio 4 News FM|Radio 4 service]] to cover the 1991 [[Gulf War]]. The new station would be a news and sport station. In 1997, [[BBC News 24]], a rolling news channel, launched on digital television services, and the following year, [[BBC Choice]] was launched as the third general entertainment channel from the BBC. The BBC also purchased The Parliamentary Channel, which was renamed [[BBC Parliament]]. In 1999, [[BBC Knowledge]] launched as a multimedia channel, with services available on the newly launched [[BBC Red Button|BBC Text]] digital teletext service (later rebranded as BBC Red Button), and on [[BBC Online]]. The channel had an educational aim, which was modified later on in its life to offer documentaries.