When the British Broadcasting Company began transmissions on 14 November 1922, the technology for both national coverage and joint programming between transmitters did not exist – transmitter powers were generally in the region of 1 kilowatt. From 9 July 1924, however, the company began experimenting with higher power long wave transmissions from the Marconi company's site near Chelmsford in Essex, using the call sign 5XX. The experiments proved successful and on 27 July 1925 the Chelmsford long wave transmitter was relocated to a more central site at Borough Hill near Daventry in Northamptonshire. This provided a "national service" of programmes originating in London, although it remained somewhat experimental and was supplementary to the BBC's locally based services, including its main London station, 2LO. Initially the national programme was transmitted on long wave but this was later changed, with the opening in 1934 of a new high-power long wave transmitter site at Droitwich, to, which was to remain the BBC's long wave frequency until 1988, when it was moved slightly to. Medium wave transmitters were used to augment coverage.
The regional scheme
On 21 August 1927, the BBC opened a high power medium wave transmitter at the Daventry 5GB site, to replace the existing local stations in the English Midlands. That allowed the experimental long wave transmitter 5XX to provide a service programmed from London for the majority of the population. This came to be called the BBC National Programme. By combining the resources of the local stations into one regional station in each area, with a basic sustaining service from London, the BBC hoped to increase programme quality whilst also centralising the management of the radio service. This was known as The Regional Scheme, and eventually resulted in the gradual extension throughout the 1930s of a separate BBC Regional Programme. The local stations were gradually either converted to regional relays or closed entirely and replaced by high-power Regional Programme transmitters. Some local studios were retained to provide for programming from specific areas within each region. Most transmitters also carried the BBC National Programme on a local frequency to supplement the long wave broadcasts from 5XX, initially these were on three separate frequencies in order to minimise interference, but by 1939, as the Regional Programme network expanded, the National Programme's three remaining medium wave transmitters – at Brookmans Park, Moorside Edge, and Westerglen – were all using.
Broadcasting hours
The National Programme's broadcasting hours were from 10.15am until Midnight Mondays to Saturdays, with Sundays commencing broadcasting at 3.00pm, however by the mid 1930s broadcasting on a Sunday was extended to commence at around 10.30am. BBC News on the National Programme would not air until at least 6.00pm each day. This was in agreement with the newspapers, so to ensure people would buy a morning newspaper. The national programme did not have a dedicated news department until 1934, and only then was it used to edit and broadcast news material from other wire agencies in the country and around the world. The start of the second world war in September 1939 would see the start of a proper news service on the new BBC Home Service with morning news bulletins commencing at 7.00am each day.
Closure
Upon the outbreak of World War II, the BBC closed the Regional and National Programmes and replaced them with a single channel known as the BBC Home Service. The main transmitter network was synchronised between just two groups, using 668 and 767 kHz, each of which could be turned off during air raids to prevent its signals being used as navigational beacons. On 29 July 1945, within 12 weeks of VE Day, the BBC reactivated the Regional Programme, but retained the name "BBC Home Service". On the same date, the BBC Light Programme was launched, taking over the style and much of the function, as an entertainment channel, of the BBC Forces Programme, as well as the Droitwich long wave frequency which had been used by the pre-war National Programme.
Inheritance
Both the National Programme and the Regional Programme provided a mixed mainstream radio service. Whilst the two services provided different programming, allowing listeners a choice, they were not streamed to appeal to different audiences, rather, they were intended to offer a choice of programming to a single audience. While using the same transmitters, the National Programme broadcast significantly more speech and classical music than its successor, the Light Programme. Similarly, the Regional Programme broadcast much more light music than its successor, the Home Service.
