Arthur Burrows (broadcaster) explained
Arthur Richard Burrows FJI (15 February 1882 – 26 November 1947), known as "Uncle Arthur" to listeners, was one of the earliest employees of the British Broadcasting Company and was the first to hold the position of Director of Programmes. Burrows was previously a journalist who began his career on the Oxford Times newspaper, obtaining the post through the editor Claude Rippon. Burrows knew Rippon through the Oxford Camera Club; both were keen photographers.[1]
Burrows was also a keen wireless enthusiast. Prior to joining the BBC he was in charge of the original experimental transmissions from Marconi House, the first 2LO station.[2]
Arthur Burrows was a man of several British broadcasting 'firsts':
- At 6pm on 14 November 1922, he read the BBC's first-ever, on-air news bulletin.[3]
- At 5pm on 24 December 1922, he played Father Christmas in the play 'The Truth About Father Christmas' – considered to be the first official broadcast of a radio drama.
- He was one of the original BBC 'Uncles' ('Uncle Arthur'), the first London wireless Uncle on Children's Hour.
At 2LO and the BBC, he was assisted by L. Stanton Jefferies - the latter's first Director of Music.[4]
After the BBC, Burrows went on to be head of the International Wireless Bureau in Geneva.[5]
He was a Fellow of the Institute of Journalists (FJI) (now the Chartered Institute of Journalists).[6]
Bibliography
- BBC Programme Records 1922–1926.
- BBC Year Book 1930.
- The Story of Broadcasting, A.R. Burrows, 1924.
Notes and References
- Web site: Huson. Giles. 15 November 2012. “Uncle Arthur’s Photography: Arthur Richard Burrows (1882-1947) and the Oxford Camera Club”. Matters Photographical. 15 November 2013. WordPress.com.
- Baker . Anne Pimlott . Burrows, Arthur Richard (1882–1947), broadcaster . 2004 . 10.1093/ref:odnb/57389. 978-0-19-861412-8 . en.
- Web site: About BBC news. BBC . Nov 11, 2012.
- Book: Doctor . Jennifer Ruth . The BBC and Ultra-Modern Music, 1922-1936: Shaping a Nation's Tastes . 1999 . Cambridge University Press . 9780521661171 . 402 .
- Jefferies . L. Stanton . Soap Box Days . Popular Wireless . 5 October 1935 .
- The B.B.C. Staff . . 5 October 1923 . 2 . 28 .