Media in Cornwall
Encyclopedia
The media in Cornwall has a long and distinct history. The county has a wide range of different types and quality of media.
Porthcurno
in 1870 - Britain
became wired
to the world. For the first time telegraphy
made it possible for Britain to communicate with its colonies in the British Empire
.
Originally, the intention was to land telegraphy
cables at Falmouth, Cornwall
, but a last minute change by the Falmouth Gibraltar and Malta Telegraph Company ensured that Porthcurno has gone into telecommunications history. The reason was to protect the cables from dredging damage in the busy Falmouth harbour. Although the new telecommunications industry itself did not affect the communications between the sparse and geographically spread out villages and towns within Cornwall
, it started the Victorian Internet
, which had a profound effect on mobilising the speed of change during the latter days of the Industrial Revolution
.
Cornwall's geography, a long, narrowing peninsula, pointing into the Atlantic, made travel by land (Cornwall is only joined to Devon
by a short four mile stretch of land—the River Tamar
divides the rest) slow, unreliable and poor. (Crossing the Tamar was by a few ancient stone bridges and two ferries to Plymouth
). Selling and distribution
of market
goods used the sea and major rivers. However, improved telecommunications stimulated growth in the ports of Cornwall and the exchange of goods, particularly of mining
products, like copper
and tin
. It also led to previously unexplored markets being discovered, for example arsenic
, a by-product of tin production, was exported to the USA, where it was used in the production of pesticides in the cotton
field
s.
Before the arrival of mass media
in Cornwall and telegraphy
, since 1688, Falmouth
was the hub of the Packet ship
s Post Office
mail
system. Newspapers were slow to develop in Cornwall. Despite the first British newspaper (London Gazette
) starting in 1665, due to poor roads, and long distances, distribution of national newspapers did not start fully until the coming of the railways in the 1840s. Outside key urban areas like Truro
and Falmouth
, nation
al news
travelled slowly, and unreliably, by word of mouth.
Mines
used cork
bulletin board
s displayed in "the dry", a building used for miners to change in and out of work clothes. The information displayed included: employment
, tin output, rates
of pay
(for piece work
ers) and new Resource extraction
s. Little information was passed on concerning news from the neighbouring village
, or the next market town
along the road.
Although the Cornish language
had effectively died out by the early nineteenth century, dialects and accents
remained strong throughout the whole of Cornwall. Different areas within Cornwall had their own variations from each other. It was more common for a miner, seeking work to travel from his home in West Cornwall to South Africa
, than it was for him to travel to the Tamar Valley
, or other mining locations within Cornwall. The communications with developing mining towns in the British Empire were better than they were within the county
.
With the major slump in mining at the end of the nineteenth century, and the coming of the Great War, Cornwall was about to embark on a process of change, which has continued to the present day.
In 1869, John Pender
formed his first telegraph company, the Falmouth Gibraltar and Malta Telegraph Company, with the aim of completing the cable chain connecting India to England with cables via Gibraltar and Portugal. The company name was somewhat misleading as although Pender intended the cable to land at Falmouth
, the final landing point was the more westerly Porthcurno
, because of fears of shipping damaging the cables.
The completion of this cable in 1870 was the final link in the London
to Bombay line. In 1872, this was one of the companies merged to form the Eastern Telegraph Company.
Established in 1872, the Eastern Telegraph Company was an amalgamation of a number of important smaller telegraph companies: John Pender
, became the company's Chairman, and Sir James Anderson, who had captained the Great Eastern on its successful laying of the 1866 Atlantic cable, was the General Manager.
The company developed a network of telegraphs by creating new routes and doubling and trebling cables on busy existing routes. In the early years of the 20th century, the Eastern became part of the Eastern and Associated Telegraph Companies which incorporated many other telegraph companies from around the world.
Porthcurno's telegraphic code name was "PK". In 1929 the company began to operate world radio communications through a merger with Marconi's radio network and it was renamed Imperial and International Communications
. In 1934 the name changed once again to Cable & Wireless
. At its height, Porthcurno was the world's largest cable station, with fourteen telegraph cables in operation.
Although telegraphy itself is not generally regarded as mass media, as its communications are, in effect, on a one to one basis, the data and information that was transmitted through Porthcurno had both national and international importance. Wars were declared, announcements of deaths of royalty announced - these in turn were relayed to the national and local newspapers for the general public to absorb. Without telegraphy, there would have been little news in newspapers, and very little national and global content over the radio airwaves.
. It was published in Falmouth by a Cornishman, Thomas Flindell. Flindell was born in Helston
in 1767, and he had previously been editor of the Doncaster Gazette. Unfortunately, the newspaper got off to a rocky start—Flindell's business partners became bankrupt, and Flindell himself ended up in a debtor's jail in Bodmin
.
The last edition appeared on 16 October 1802. All was not lost however, as Cornish landowners got a group subscription together, and Flindell offered his services as publisher and printer. The paper re-appeared, published in Truro
on 2 July 1803. Two years later it was sold to Nettletons, and Flindell moved to Exeter
to set up another newspaper there. The newspaper was mainly subscribed by doctors, bankers, lawyers and landowners, but it was also made available publicly to inns and guest houses, a process which made it more amenable to advertisers.
Although the Royal Cornwall Gazette was the first newspaper published within Cornwall, another region
al newspaper, which had many subscribers and distribution throughout Cornwall, as far west as Penzance
, was the Dorset
based Sherborne Mercury
, which started in 1737, and predates the national Times
. It covered many Cornish news items, and was read by key businessmen and professional classes in the County. Archive copies are available in the Cornish Studies Centre
in Redruth
.
Flindell purchased large numbers of postage stamp
s from a stationers Messrs Tipper & Fry of Aldgate
in London
. He wrote requesting more stamps at election time. Despite use of stamps for getting copies of the newspapers out to his subscribers, he also used a large body of couriers to get the paper down throughout the County of Cornwall
. He negotiated with organisers of markets to sell his newspaper direct from stalls on market days. The Gazette, however, despite Flindell's best efforts, fell into the hands of the Tory Party. To counter balance this, the prominent Whig Party
in Truro set up The West Briton
in 1810, which is still published today, although now under the ownership of Cornwall & Devon Media
/ Northcliffe Newspapers Group. Newspapers continued to expand across the county, both in number, size and readership.
banner, and under ownership of Newsquest
.
, the St. Ives Times & Echo
, which formed out of the merger of Western Echo and the St. Ives Times in 1972. All of the others are either owned by Tindle Newspaper Group
, Newsquest
or Northcliffe Newspapers Group. The geographical coverage of the existing papers is also haphazard, with a lot of duplication (for example, Callington is covered by the East Cornwall Times
, The Cornish Times
and the Cornish & Devon Post
) while some areas (particularly North Cornwall
/Bude
) are poorly served (just the North Cornwall edition of the St Austell
centric Cornish Guardian
). There is an argument that Cornwall would be better served having at least one weekly paper which covers the entire county, as one of the main reasons for purchasing the weekly paper is by prospective property buyers and people buying and selling cars and job seekers. Indeed, The West Briton
has gone some way to accommodate this; although there are four separate news editions of the paper, each week a classified/job vacancy section and a property section cover all of mid and west Cornwall, though places east of Bodmin
, for no known reason, are generally excluded.
wholesalers and the newsagents. Newsagents sprang up in Cornwall in the 1850s, but still continued to buy direct from the publisher. This generally meant a long delivery time from publication dates to shelf date, particularly for the national newspapers. However, by the 1870s both independent and national chains of news wholesaler started to make in roads into Cornwall. Currently, there are just two news wholesalers in the County, who distribute all newspapers and magazines to all outlets, from the village Post Office to the hypermarket
. They are Smiths News
, who are based in Plymouth, but have sub-branches in Bodmin
and Redruth
, and DashNews, which distributes Cornwall & Devon Media
titles as well as News International
newspapers.
and copper
mining
throughout the county. Indeed, both the printed media and the mining industry fed off each other. However, growth was not all due to mining. Agriculture benefited too. By promoting livestock markets outside of a farmers immediate area, it stimulated expansion of the rural economy. By looking at archive newspapers in Cornwall from the 1830s and 1840s they are full of detail about markets, property, livestock farming equipment. mining equipment and prices for buying and selling tin and copper as well as other metals. Job vacancies were widely advertised, meaning that workers did not have to toil in their immediate village or town, This became especially important when the mining slump started in the 1880s. Jobs and opportunities were advertised from far flung places like South Africa
, Australia
, Bolivia
and Canada
, where Cornish entrepreneurs had already started new mining operations using skills they had learnt back home.
Benefits of the newspapers was not solely limited to developing economic growth. It encouraged social networks by putting the Cornish people
in touch with other villages and towns, as well as encouraging social meetings at summer fairs and agricultural shows (e.g. Royal Cornwall Show). The newspapers also became points of record for births, marriages, deaths and court calendars, prosecutions, bankruptcies and hangings.
Education
benefited too. It encouraged people to read, and indeed stimulated people to learn to read. It also encouraged people to write, for example articles and letters. A gauge of literacy , or specifically the ability to sign one's name, is available form 1754 when both parties were required to sign marriage registers. By analysing five Cornish parishes indicates that approximately 24% of men and 70% of women could not sign their name between 1760 and 1770. However, by 1870 that figure had improved to 18% for men and 40% for women. Although it cannot be shown that this is a direct cause of the newspapers, there are writings (e.g. Andrew Brice writing in the Grand Gazetteer) to indicate that it was the considered opinion at the time.
Post World War II
the effects of the importance of newspapers lessened. With the coming of television
and the abundance of radio
, it effect was less marked. Numbers of newspapers in Cornwall at that time declined, and several mergers occurred. In this technological period of growth, there is still a role for local newspapers in Cornwall, particularly as not all local newspaper content is available online
.
, it is no longer necessary to be in a large city, like London
to publish any magazine or written word. In addition, the relatively new University of Cornwall
in the county is creating original media talent. Some of these newly qualified media students, having seen the benefits of Cornwall in their student years, do not want to leave at the end of their studies. An example of magazines include Stranger, a bi-monthly creative lifestyle magazine based in Falmouth. It focuses on the alternative, creative, and non-metro centric side of British culture. Since its first local issue on October 2004, the magazine has grown to become distributed worldwide. Other magazines which are published in Cornwall, but have national or international distribution, and include out of County topics include the International Railway Journal
, gasworld
, a Truro based magazine about the global industrial gas industry and Smallholder Magazine
, which caters for small scale farming in the UK.
It was from Trencrom Hill in St Ives that the first issue of a Cornish magazine, the Cornish Review (editor: Denys Val Baker
), was published in 1949. It ran until 1952, and offered the very best of Cornish writing on all aspects of the arts, including articles by Bernard Leach
, R. Morton Nance, Peter Lanyon
and Kenneth Hamilton Jenkin
, as well as poetry by Charles Causley
.
Cornish Review was followed by Cornish Scene, an A5 black & white quarterly, which covered Cornish history, as well as other topics including the arts. It ran from 1972 until the mid-1980s.
Since then, a whole raft of glossy magazines have sprung up which cater for the ever-expanding interest in the county, including Cornish World Magazine
, aimed at the Cornish diaspora; Cornwall Today magazine
, a more 'frothy' title catering for aspirational residents and would-be residents; Taste Cornwall, about food, food production and restaurants in Cornwall; and Inside Cornwall magazine
, a listings magazine covering the arts, entertainment and sport.
It is the world of sport and specifically, water sports, which has seen and developed the third section of magazine growth in Cornwall. Surfing is key to Cornwall's tourism, and this has led to titles like Surf Girl magazine
, Pitpilot magazine
and Wavelength
catering for this market. These titles not only cover surfing in Cornwall but the UK too, and in the case of Surf Girl, internationally. Another new title is Adventure Cornwall, which covers climbing and other outdoor pursuits.
. In 1904, the Imperial Radioscope Company visited the hall with their animated pictures. In 1910 Druids Hall was converted into the Jenkin's Picturedrome and operated by Mr William Henry Jenkin. Excited audiences filled the hall and marvelled as moving images of Pearl White
, Rudolph Valentino
and later Charlie Chaplin
flickered across the screen. The cinema had its own orchestra
, which started in 1918. Parts of the building (which was converted to a bingo hall in 1954, and burnt down in 1984) still stand today in Penryn Street, and the interior of the ruins now house St Rumon's Gardens. A rival cinema, officially called the Electric Picture Palace but known locally as The Egg Pit (so called because the owner supplied eggs for the London market) set up in nearby Foundry Row in the late 1900s. This cinema closed in the late 1920s.
In nearby Camborne
, Mr Burrow, a local photographer put on the very first public Bioscope show
, with a nightly open air presentation in the Market Square in 1909.
In 1910, the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society
in Falmouth
started showing films in the Arts Centre. Films are still shown at this site, as Falmouth does not currently have a stand-alone cinema of its own.
Currently, Cornwall has cinemas in the following towns: Penzance
, St Ives
, Helston
, Redruth
(see image), Truro
, Wadebridge
, Padstow
, and just outside Bude
. The cinema in St Austell
was closed and demolished in 2007, as part of the town's re-development. A new cinema has now opened there. This means that important places like Newquay
, Falmouth, Saltash
and Liskeard
currently have no cinemas. All of these places have previously had at least one cinema, and all have had several unsuccessful attempts to rebuild cinemas in these towns in recent years. None of the cinemas in Cornwall are owned by the big chains (like Vue
). With the exception of the Rebel cinema near Bude, they are either operated by Merlin Cinemas or WTW cinemas, both local business concerns. Even the village of Delabole
once had a cinema.
The Plaza Cinema on Truro
's Lemon Street opened in 1938 and was the premier venue for film-goers at the time. It has changed hands many times and is now owned by WTW Cinemas, who purchased it in 1996. It was extensively refurbished in 1998, and now features four screens with air conditioning and the latest video and audio systems.
, at the time of opening, the Regal
Cinema in Redruth opened on 2 December 1935, with seating for 982 on a semi-stadium
plan. It was opened by Mr Prance as part of Sound & Movement Cinemas. The original sound system was by British Thomson-Houston
. In the 1960s the cinema was equipped with CinemaScope
and stereophonic sound.
When the Cornwall Circuit Group of cinemas were taken over by The Rank Group
, the cinema was later sold off to independent Vivian Bartle, and in 1983 the former café area was converted into an 80 seat screen 2. The auditorium
was tripled in 1986 with seating for 600 front area (screen 3) and 172 (screen 2) & 121 (Screen 1) in the rear areas. It was taken over by Merlin Cinemas on 24 July 1998. Screen 3 has retained its stage
facilities and allows the cinema to operate as the town’s theatre when required. Screen 3 now has Dolby Digital
Surround Sound. Screen 3 is also the largest screen and auditorium in Cornwall.
In August 2008 the exterior of the building was fully refurbished, including a new roof, with walls re-rendered and painted in blue with red stripes (The Regal's owners', Merlin Cinemas, branded colour scheme).
), and situated just off the Atlantic Highway
, opened on the 11th August 1988. It was built and designed by a film producer, Mervyn Collard (who produced actor David Jason
's first film, White Cargo. Mervyn died in 2004) and his family. Originally, the cinema site was a garden centre and café, but the Collard family purchased it in 1986 to convert it into a cinema, as the nearest cinema to Bude was over 30 miles away in Wadebridge
.
Work started on the rebuild at the end of 1987, and Westar 7000s projectors were installed, along with the carpets and seats and other fittings. The projectors were moved from the former Strand Cinema in Bideford
, Devon
. The architect was Martin Back.
The building frontage is in mock Greek style with a classical pediment, and two columns. The opening night film was a charity screening of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
. Some changes have been made since opening, including the projectors now replaced with Cinemeccanica
Victoria 9’s, and the ticket office and foyer have been modified.
The Rebel ceased operating in August 2007 but is due to reopen on 12 August 2011.
! Stations on medium wave
and long wave
! Stations on FM
! Stations on DAB
& DRM
! Stations on Freeview, Cable
,
and Satellite
|-
| 1927
|BBC National Programme
(from Daventry
)
| -
| -
| -
|-
| 1943
| BBC Home Service
(became BBC Radio Four in 1967)
(from Redruth MF - still broadcasting)
(from Start Point in 1945 - ceased Start Point in 1978)
| -
| -
| -
|-
|1945
|BBC Light Programme
(became BBC Radio 2
in 1967)
(ceased broadcasting on MW in 1994)
(from Start Point and Redruth MF)
| -
| -
| -
|-
|1946
|BBC Third Programme
(became BBC Radio 3
in 1967)
(ceased broadcasting on MW in 1994)
(from Start Point and Redruth MF)
| -
| -
| -
|-
|1956
| -
| BBC Radio 2/Light Programme
,
BBC Radio 3/Third Programme
,
BBC Radio Four/Home Service
(all from North Hessary Tor
)
| -
| -
|-
|1964
| -
| BBC Radio 2/Light Programme
,
BBC Radio 3/Third Programme
,
BBC Radio Four/Home Service
(all from Four Lanes/Redruth)
| -
| -
|-
|1967
| BBC Radio One
(ceased broadcasting on MW in 1994)
| -
| -
| -
|-
|1975
|Plymouth Sound
(South East Cornwall
only)
(until 1992)
|Plymouth Sound
(South East Cornwall
only)
| -
| -
|-
|1978
|BBC Radio Four
(including Morning Sou'West opt out)
(from Plumer Barracks Transmitter,
in Plymouth
and Redruth MF)
| -
| -
| -
|-
|1983
|BBC Radio Cornwall
|BBC Radio Cornwall
| -
| -
|-
|1987
| -
|BBC Radio One
(from North Hessary Tor
, Devon
)
| -
| -
|-
|1989
|Atlantic 252
(ceased broadcasting in 2002)
| BBC Radio One
(from Four Lanes/Redruth)
| -
|Cable Television
available in PL12
postcode areas -
includes selected commercial
& BBC radio stations
|-
|1990
|BBC Radio Five
(became BBC Radio five live in 1994)
| -
| -
| -
|-
|1992
|Plymouth Sound AM
(South East Cornwall
only)
(ceased broadcasting in 2000)
|Pirate FM
, Classic FM
| -
| -
|-
|1993
| -
| -
| -
| BBC Radio
(1, 4, 5
& World Service),
launch in mono
on
the Astra satellite.
|-
|1996
|Virgin Radio
(launched on 30 April 1993 nationally)
Talk Radio
(launched on 14 February 1995
nationally, became talkSPORT
in 2000)
| -
| -
| -
|-
|2000
|Classic Gold 1152
(South East Cornwall
only)
| -
|Digital 1 Multiplex
| -
|-
|2002
| -
| -
| -
| BBC Freeview Radio Services
|-
| 2003
| -
| -
|BBC National DAB
(from Caradon Hill)
|EMAP Radio services
|-
|2004
| -
| -
|NOW Cornwall Multiplex
(from Caradon and Redruth)
BBC National DAB
(from Four Lanes/Redruth)
| -
|-
|2006
| -
|Atlantic FM
| -
| Virgin Radio
, talkSPORT
|-
|2007
| -
| -
|DRM
BBC test broadcasts from
Plumer Barracks, Plymouth
broadcasting to Plymouth,
South Hams
and South East Cornwall
.
|-
|2008
| -
|Radio St Austell Bay
Launched on 28 January
| -
|-
|2009
| -
|Source fm
Launched on 27 February
| -
| -
|-
|}
Timeline
| 1688 | 1801 | 1870 | 1901 | 1904 | 1927 | 1949 | 1956 | 1956 | 1962 | 1982 | 1992 | 1998 | 2000 | 2001 | 2006 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start of Packet ship Packet ship A "packet ship" was originally a vessel employed to carry post office mail packets to and from British embassies, colonies and outposts. In sea transport, a packet service is a regular, scheduled service, carrying freight and passengers... s |
first local Cornish newspaper |
Telegraphy Telegraphy Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages via some form of signalling technology. Telegraphy requires messages to be converted to a code which is known to both sender and receiver... arrives in Cornwall |
first radio transmission on The Lizard The Lizard The Lizard is a peninsula in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at .... |
first cinema screenings in Redruth Redruth Redruth is a town and civil parish traditionally in the Penwith Hundred in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It has a population of 12,352. Redruth lies approximately at the junction of the A393 and A3047 roads, on the route of the old London to Land's End trunk road , and is approximately west of... |
first BBC radio BBC Radio BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company... broadcasts receivable in Cornwall |
first magazine published in Cornwall |
first BBC TV broadcasts in Cornwall |
first BBC BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff... FM FM broadcasting FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"... broadcasts receivable in parts of Cornwall |
first UK satellite Earth Station starts on The Lizard The Lizard The Lizard is a peninsula in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at .... |
first BBC BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff... local radio in Cornwall |
first ILR Independent Local Radio Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. The same name is used for Independent Local Radio in Ireland.-Development of ILR:... station in Cornwall |
DVB in Cornwall starts |
DAB Radio starts broadcasting in Cornwall |
Broadband Broadband The term broadband refers to a telecommunications signal or device of greater bandwidth, in some sense, than another standard or usual signal or device . Different criteria for "broad" have been applied in different contexts and at different times... in Cornwall starts |
3G mobile phone starts in Cornwall |
Radio St Austell Bay Radio St Austell Bay Radio St Austell Bay is a not for profit, community radio station. The radio station is funded by a combination of grants from the National Lottery and the Arts Council, alongside a small amount of commercial advertising and sponsorship. Partners include the Eden Project, the Lost Gardens of... launches as Cornwall's first mainland Community Radio Community radio Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest... |
Background
Porthcurno
Porthcurno is a small village in the parish of St. Levan located in a valley on the south coast of the county of Cornwall, England in the United Kingdom. It is approximately to the west of the market town of Penzance and about from Land's End, the most westerly point of the English mainland...
in 1870 - Britain
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
became wired
Electrical wiring
Electrical wiring in general refers to insulated conductors used to carry electricity, and associated devices. This article describes general aspects of electrical wiring as used to provide power in buildings and structures, commonly referred to as building wiring. This article is intended to...
to the world. For the first time telegraphy
Telegraphy
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages via some form of signalling technology. Telegraphy requires messages to be converted to a code which is known to both sender and receiver...
made it possible for Britain to communicate with its colonies in the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
.
Originally, the intention was to land telegraphy
Telegraphy
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages via some form of signalling technology. Telegraphy requires messages to be converted to a code which is known to both sender and receiver...
cables at Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
, but a last minute change by the Falmouth Gibraltar and Malta Telegraph Company ensured that Porthcurno has gone into telecommunications history. The reason was to protect the cables from dredging damage in the busy Falmouth harbour. Although the new telecommunications industry itself did not affect the communications between the sparse and geographically spread out villages and towns within Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, it started the Victorian Internet
Victorian Internet
The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-Line Pioneers is a 1998 book by Tom Standage. It is about the development and uses of the electric telegraph during the second half of the 19th Century and some of the similarities the telegraph shared...
, which had a profound effect on mobilising the speed of change during the latter days of the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
.
Cornwall's geography, a long, narrowing peninsula, pointing into the Atlantic, made travel by land (Cornwall is only joined to Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
by a short four mile stretch of land—the River Tamar
River Tamar
The Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . It is one of several British rivers whose ancient name is assumed to be derived from a prehistoric river word apparently meaning "dark flowing" and which it shares with the River Thames.The...
divides the rest) slow, unreliable and poor. (Crossing the Tamar was by a few ancient stone bridges and two ferries to Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
). Selling and distribution
Distribution (business)
Product distribution is one of the four elements of the marketing mix. An organization or set of organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption by a consumer or business user.The other three parts of the marketing mix are product, pricing,...
of market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
goods used the sea and major rivers. However, improved telecommunications stimulated growth in the ports of Cornwall and the exchange of goods, particularly of mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
products, like copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
and tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
. It also led to previously unexplored markets being discovered, for example arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
, a by-product of tin production, was exported to the USA, where it was used in the production of pesticides in the cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
field
Field (agriculture)
In agriculture, the word field refers generally to an area of land enclosed or otherwise and used for agricultural purposes such as:* Cultivating crops* Usage as a paddock or, generally, an enclosure of livestock...
s.
Before the arrival of mass media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
in Cornwall and telegraphy
Telegraphy
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages via some form of signalling technology. Telegraphy requires messages to be converted to a code which is known to both sender and receiver...
, since 1688, Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
was the hub of the Packet ship
Packet ship
A "packet ship" was originally a vessel employed to carry post office mail packets to and from British embassies, colonies and outposts. In sea transport, a packet service is a regular, scheduled service, carrying freight and passengers...
s Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
system. Newspapers were slow to develop in Cornwall. Despite the first British newspaper (London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
) starting in 1665, due to poor roads, and long distances, distribution of national newspapers did not start fully until the coming of the railways in the 1840s. Outside key urban areas like Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
and Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
, nation
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
al news
News
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
travelled slowly, and unreliably, by word of mouth.
Mines
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
used cork
Cork (material)
Cork is an impermeable, buoyant material, a prime-subset of bark tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber , which is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa...
bulletin board
Bulletin board
A bulletin board is a surface intended for the posting of public messages, for example, to advertise things to buy or sell, announce events, or provide information...
s displayed in "the dry", a building used for miners to change in and out of work clothes. The information displayed included: employment
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
, tin output, rates
Rates
Rates is a Portuguese parish and town located in the municipality of Póvoa de Varzim. In the census of 2001, it had a population of 2,539 inhabitants and a total area of 13.88 square kilometres.-History:...
of pay
Payment
A payment is the transfer of wealth from one party to another. A payment is usually made in exchange for the provision of goods, services or both, or to fulfill a legal obligation....
(for piece work
Piece work
Piece work is any type of employment in which a worker is paid a fixed "piece rate" for each unit produced or action performed regardless of time...
ers) and new Resource extraction
Resource extraction
The related terms natural resource extraction both refer to the practice of locating, acquiring and selling natural resources....
s. Little information was passed on concerning news from the neighbouring village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
, or the next market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
along the road.
Although the Cornish language
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
had effectively died out by the early nineteenth century, dialects and accents
Accent (linguistics)
In linguistics, an accent is a manner of pronunciation peculiar to a particular individual, location, or nation.An accent may identify the locality in which its speakers reside , the socio-economic status of its speakers, their ethnicity, their caste or social class, their first language In...
remained strong throughout the whole of Cornwall. Different areas within Cornwall had their own variations from each other. It was more common for a miner, seeking work to travel from his home in West Cornwall to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, than it was for him to travel to the Tamar Valley
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, or other mining locations within Cornwall. The communications with developing mining towns in the British Empire were better than they were within the county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
.
With the major slump in mining at the end of the nineteenth century, and the coming of the Great War, Cornwall was about to embark on a process of change, which has continued to the present day.
Telegraphy
John Pender
Sir John Pender , British Submarine communications cable pioneer, was born in the Vale of Leven, Scotland, and after attending school in Glasgow became a successful merchant in textile fabrics in that city and in Manchester; where he had a warehouse in Peter street near The Great Northern Warehouse...
formed his first telegraph company, the Falmouth Gibraltar and Malta Telegraph Company, with the aim of completing the cable chain connecting India to England with cables via Gibraltar and Portugal. The company name was somewhat misleading as although Pender intended the cable to land at Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
, the final landing point was the more westerly Porthcurno
Porthcurno
Porthcurno is a small village in the parish of St. Levan located in a valley on the south coast of the county of Cornwall, England in the United Kingdom. It is approximately to the west of the market town of Penzance and about from Land's End, the most westerly point of the English mainland...
, because of fears of shipping damaging the cables.
The completion of this cable in 1870 was the final link in the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Bombay line. In 1872, this was one of the companies merged to form the Eastern Telegraph Company.
Established in 1872, the Eastern Telegraph Company was an amalgamation of a number of important smaller telegraph companies: John Pender
John Pender
Sir John Pender , British Submarine communications cable pioneer, was born in the Vale of Leven, Scotland, and after attending school in Glasgow became a successful merchant in textile fabrics in that city and in Manchester; where he had a warehouse in Peter street near The Great Northern Warehouse...
, became the company's Chairman, and Sir James Anderson, who had captained the Great Eastern on its successful laying of the 1866 Atlantic cable, was the General Manager.
The company developed a network of telegraphs by creating new routes and doubling and trebling cables on busy existing routes. In the early years of the 20th century, the Eastern became part of the Eastern and Associated Telegraph Companies which incorporated many other telegraph companies from around the world.
Porthcurno's telegraphic code name was "PK". In 1929 the company began to operate world radio communications through a merger with Marconi's radio network and it was renamed Imperial and International Communications
Cable & Wireless
Cable & Wireless Worldwide PLC is a global telecommunications company headquartered in Bracknell, United Kingdom. Cable & Wireless specialises in providing communication networks and services to large corporates, governments, carrier customers and resellers...
. In 1934 the name changed once again to Cable & Wireless
Cable & Wireless
Cable & Wireless Worldwide PLC is a global telecommunications company headquartered in Bracknell, United Kingdom. Cable & Wireless specialises in providing communication networks and services to large corporates, governments, carrier customers and resellers...
. At its height, Porthcurno was the world's largest cable station, with fourteen telegraph cables in operation.
Although telegraphy itself is not generally regarded as mass media, as its communications are, in effect, on a one to one basis, the data and information that was transmitted through Porthcurno had both national and international importance. Wars were declared, announcements of deaths of royalty announced - these in turn were relayed to the national and local newspapers for the general public to absorb. Without telegraphy, there would have been little news in newspapers, and very little national and global content over the radio airwaves.
Royal Cornwall Gazette
The first newspaper printed and published in Cornwall was the Royal Cornwall Gazette, first published in 1801. It finally ceased publication in 1951, but formed the roots of today's Packet NewspapersPacket Newspapers
The Packet Newspapers are a series of weekly local newspapers in west Cornwall owned by the Newsquest Group. The titles include:*The Camborne and Redruth Packet *The Falmouth Packet...
. It was published in Falmouth by a Cornishman, Thomas Flindell. Flindell was born in Helston
Helston
Helston is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately 12 miles east of Penzance and nine miles southwest of Falmouth. Helston is the most southerly town in the UK and is around further south than...
in 1767, and he had previously been editor of the Doncaster Gazette. Unfortunately, the newspaper got off to a rocky start—Flindell's business partners became bankrupt, and Flindell himself ended up in a debtor's jail in Bodmin
Bodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
.
The last edition appeared on 16 October 1802. All was not lost however, as Cornish landowners got a group subscription together, and Flindell offered his services as publisher and printer. The paper re-appeared, published in Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
on 2 July 1803. Two years later it was sold to Nettletons, and Flindell moved to Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
to set up another newspaper there. The newspaper was mainly subscribed by doctors, bankers, lawyers and landowners, but it was also made available publicly to inns and guest houses, a process which made it more amenable to advertisers.
Although the Royal Cornwall Gazette was the first newspaper published within Cornwall, another region
Region
Region is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity...
al newspaper, which had many subscribers and distribution throughout Cornwall, as far west as Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
, was the Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
based Sherborne Mercury
Sherborne Mercury
The Sherborne Mercury is a defunct regional newspaper, published in Sherborne, Dorset, United Kingdom.It was a hugely influential newspaper, particularly as its news coverage and distribution went well beyond that of the boundaries of Dorset....
, which started in 1737, and predates the national Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
. It covered many Cornish news items, and was read by key businessmen and professional classes in the County. Archive copies are available in the Cornish Studies Centre
Cornish Studies Centre
For other uses of the name "Cornwall Centre" see Cornwall Centre.The Cornish Studies Centre is in a building called The Cornwall Centre. It is Cornwall's largest library of Cornish printed and published archival material. It contains a wide range of resources for everyday use and academic...
in Redruth
Redruth
Redruth is a town and civil parish traditionally in the Penwith Hundred in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It has a population of 12,352. Redruth lies approximately at the junction of the A393 and A3047 roads, on the route of the old London to Land's End trunk road , and is approximately west of...
.
Flindell purchased large numbers of postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
s from a stationers Messrs Tipper & Fry of Aldgate
Aldgate
Aldgate was the eastern most gateway through London Wall leading from the City of London to Whitechapel and the east end of London. Aldgate gives its name to a ward of the City...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He wrote requesting more stamps at election time. Despite use of stamps for getting copies of the newspapers out to his subscribers, he also used a large body of couriers to get the paper down throughout the County of Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. He negotiated with organisers of markets to sell his newspaper direct from stalls on market days. The Gazette, however, despite Flindell's best efforts, fell into the hands of the Tory Party. To counter balance this, the prominent Whig Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
in Truro set up The West Briton
The West Briton
The West Briton is a local weekly newspaper published every Thursday. It serves different areas of Cornwall, United Kingdom with four separate editions—Truro and Mid-Cornwall, Falmouth and Penryn, Redruth Camborne and Hayle, and Helston and The Lizard. It was established in 1810 and is part...
in 1810, which is still published today, although now under the ownership of Cornwall & Devon Media
Cornwall & Devon Media
Cornwall & Devon Media is the Westcountry division of the Northcliffe Media of companies.-Publications:Cornish Guardian,The Cornishman,Exeter & Express Echo,Mid Devon Gazette Series,North Devon Journal,Plymouth Evening Herald,...
/ Northcliffe Newspapers Group. Newspapers continued to expand across the county, both in number, size and readership.
Falmouth Packet
The next most prominent newspaper to start was the Falmouth Packet & Cornish Herald in 1829, which also still publishes today, though now under the Packet NewspapersPacket Newspapers
The Packet Newspapers are a series of weekly local newspapers in west Cornwall owned by the Newsquest Group. The titles include:*The Camborne and Redruth Packet *The Falmouth Packet...
banner, and under ownership of Newsquest
Newsquest
Newsquest is the third largest publisher of regional and local newspapers in the United Kingdom with 300 titles in its portfolio. Newsquest is based in Weybridge, Surrey and employs a total of more than 5,500 people across the UK...
.
Other current newspapers
Indeed, of all the current newspapers published within Cornwall, only one is independentIndependent business
In business, an independent business as a term of distinction generally refers to privately owned companies . Independent businesses most commonly take the form of sole-proprietorships...
, the St. Ives Times & Echo
St. Ives Times & Echo
The St. Ives Times and Echo is an independent, weekly local newspaper based in St Ives, Cornwall United Kingdom. Published every Friday, its circulation covers the St. Ives Bay Area and is intensive in the old Borough area of St Ives which encompasses Carbis Bay Halsetown and Lelant...
, which formed out of the merger of Western Echo and the St. Ives Times in 1972. All of the others are either owned by Tindle Newspaper Group
Tindle Newspaper Group
Tindle Newspapers Group publish over 200 local newspapers in the UK. Some of these titles are over 100 years old. They are based in Farnham, Surrey, and the Chief Executive, as at 2007, was Mr Brian Doel. The owner and managing director is Sir Ray Tindle...
, Newsquest
Newsquest
Newsquest is the third largest publisher of regional and local newspapers in the United Kingdom with 300 titles in its portfolio. Newsquest is based in Weybridge, Surrey and employs a total of more than 5,500 people across the UK...
or Northcliffe Newspapers Group. The geographical coverage of the existing papers is also haphazard, with a lot of duplication (for example, Callington is covered by the East Cornwall Times
East Cornwall Times
The East Cornwall Times is a weekly local newspaper first published in 1859. It covers the mid-East area of Cornwall, including Gunnislake and Drakewalls, Callington, Calstock and Kelly Bray. It is now owned by the Tindle Newspaper Group, and published as an off-shoot of the Tavistock Times....
, The Cornish Times
The Cornish Times
The Cornish Times is a weekly newspaper, published every Friday from offices in Liskeard, Cornwall, United Kingdom. The offices are currently based in the former Webb's Hotel building . It covers all of South East Cornwall, including Callington, Fowey, Liskeard, Looe, Saltash and Torpoint. It has...
and the Cornish & Devon Post
Cornish & Devon Post
The Cornish & Devon Post is a weekly newspaper, published in Launceston, Cornwall, England, which was launched in 1856. It is one of only two newspapers in the UK to carry advertisements rather than news on the front page. The Cornish & Devon Post is a weekly newspaper, published in Launceston,...
) while some areas (particularly North Cornwall
North Cornwall
North Cornwall was the largest of the six local government districts of Cornwall, United Kingdom. Its council was based in Wadebridge . Other towns in the district included Bude, Bodmin, Launceston, Padstow, and Camelford....
/Bude
Bude
Bude is a small seaside resort town in North Cornwall, England, at the mouth of the River Neet . It lies just south of Flexbury, north of Widemouth Bay and west of Stratton and is located along the A3073 road off the A39. Bude is twinned with Ergué-Gabéric in Brittany, France...
) are poorly served (just the North Cornwall edition of the St Austell
St Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
centric Cornish Guardian
Cornish Guardian
Cornish Guardian is a weekly newspaper in Cornwall, UK, which is part of the Cornwall & Devon Media group. It is published in 7 separate editions:*Bodmin edition*Lostwithiel and Fowey edition*Newquay edition*North Cornwall edition...
). There is an argument that Cornwall would be better served having at least one weekly paper which covers the entire county, as one of the main reasons for purchasing the weekly paper is by prospective property buyers and people buying and selling cars and job seekers. Indeed, The West Briton
The West Briton
The West Briton is a local weekly newspaper published every Thursday. It serves different areas of Cornwall, United Kingdom with four separate editions—Truro and Mid-Cornwall, Falmouth and Penryn, Redruth Camborne and Hayle, and Helston and The Lizard. It was established in 1810 and is part...
has gone some way to accommodate this; although there are four separate news editions of the paper, each week a classified/job vacancy section and a property section cover all of mid and west Cornwall, though places east of Bodmin
Bodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
, for no known reason, are generally excluded.
Newsagents
The final part of the chain in getting the newspaper from printer to the reader are the newsNews
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
wholesalers and the newsagents. Newsagents sprang up in Cornwall in the 1850s, but still continued to buy direct from the publisher. This generally meant a long delivery time from publication dates to shelf date, particularly for the national newspapers. However, by the 1870s both independent and national chains of news wholesaler started to make in roads into Cornwall. Currently, there are just two news wholesalers in the County, who distribute all newspapers and magazines to all outlets, from the village Post Office to the hypermarket
Hypermarket
In commerce, a hypermarket is a superstore combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, including full groceries lines and general merchandise...
. They are Smiths News
Smiths News
Smiths News plc is a British newspaper and magazine distributor, based in Swindon, England. The company, previously known as 'WHSmith News' was created on 1 September 2006 from the demerger of WH Smith plc ....
, who are based in Plymouth, but have sub-branches in Bodmin
Bodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
and Redruth
Redruth
Redruth is a town and civil parish traditionally in the Penwith Hundred in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It has a population of 12,352. Redruth lies approximately at the junction of the A393 and A3047 roads, on the route of the old London to Land's End trunk road , and is approximately west of...
, and DashNews, which distributes Cornwall & Devon Media
Cornwall & Devon Media
Cornwall & Devon Media is the Westcountry division of the Northcliffe Media of companies.-Publications:Cornish Guardian,The Cornishman,Exeter & Express Echo,Mid Devon Gazette Series,North Devon Journal,Plymouth Evening Herald,...
titles as well as News International
News International
News International Ltd is the United Kingdom newspaper publishing division of News Corporation. Until June 2002, it was called News International plc....
newspapers.
Table of historic and current newspapers in Cornwall
| Newspapers previously published in Cornwall publication dates in brackets excludes free newspapers | Newspapers currently published in Cornwall year of 1st publication in brackets excludes free newspapers |
|---|---|
| Royal Cornwall Gazette (1801–1951) Falmouth Packet & Cornish Herald (1829–1848) Penzance Gazette (1839–1858) Penzance Journal (1847–1850) Cornubian (1850–1925). Between (1867–1879) called the Redruth Times Cornish Telegraph (1851–1915) Launceston Weekly News (1856–1931) Falmouth & Penryn Weekly Times (1861–1895). Continued as Cornish Echo until 1952. Redruth Independent (1879–1895) Cornish Post & Mining News (1889–1944) St. Austell Star (1889–1915) St. Ives Weekly Summary (1892–1918) Western Echo (1899–1957) Newquay Express (1905–1945) St. Ives Times (1910–1971) |
Cornish & Devon Post Cornish & Devon Post The Cornish & Devon Post is a weekly newspaper, published in Launceston, Cornwall, England, which was launched in 1856. It is one of only two newspapers in the UK to carry advertisements rather than news on the front page. The Cornish & Devon Post is a weekly newspaper, published in Launceston,... (1877) Cornish Guardian Cornish Guardian Cornish Guardian is a weekly newspaper in Cornwall, UK, which is part of the Cornwall & Devon Media group. It is published in 7 separate editions:*Bodmin edition*Lostwithiel and Fowey edition*Newquay edition*North Cornwall edition... (1901) East Cornwall Times East Cornwall Times The East Cornwall Times is a weekly local newspaper first published in 1859. It covers the mid-East area of Cornwall, including Gunnislake and Drakewalls, Callington, Calstock and Kelly Bray. It is now owned by the Tindle Newspaper Group, and published as an off-shoot of the Tavistock Times.... (1859) Newquay Voice Newquay Voice The Newquay Voice is a local weekly newspaper, published every Wednesday from Newquay, Cornwall, United Kingdom covering the northern part of the former borough of Restormel, which is effectively ‘Greater Newquay’. It has a sister newspaper, the St. Austell Voice, covering the south of the old... (2002) Packet Newspapers Packet Newspapers The Packet Newspapers are a series of weekly local newspapers in west Cornwall owned by the Newsquest Group. The titles include:*The Camborne and Redruth Packet *The Falmouth Packet... (1829) St. Austell Voice St. Austell Voice St Austell Voice is a paid-for weekly newspaper that is published every Wednesday. The paper was launched in 2005 and is the sister title to the Newquay Voice. It covers the south half of the former Borough of Restormel, Cornwall, UK, while the Newquay Voice covers the north... (2005) St. Ives Times & Echo St. Ives Times & Echo The St. Ives Times and Echo is an independent, weekly local newspaper based in St Ives, Cornwall United Kingdom. Published every Friday, its circulation covers the St. Ives Bay Area and is intensive in the old Borough area of St Ives which encompasses Carbis Bay Halsetown and Lelant... (1972) The Cornish Times The Cornish Times The Cornish Times is a weekly newspaper, published every Friday from offices in Liskeard, Cornwall, United Kingdom. The offices are currently based in the former Webb's Hotel building . It covers all of South East Cornwall, including Callington, Fowey, Liskeard, Looe, Saltash and Torpoint. It has... (1857) The Cornishman The Cornishman The Cornishman is a weekly newspaper based in Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is published every Thursday.It formerly had a separate edition to cover the Isles of Scilly. However, it now just has one edition which covers the whole of the Penwith peninsula as well as the Isles of Scilly.It is... (1878) The West Briton The West Briton The West Briton is a local weekly newspaper published every Thursday. It serves different areas of Cornwall, United Kingdom with four separate editions—Truro and Mid-Cornwall, Falmouth and Penryn, Redruth Camborne and Hayle, and Helston and The Lizard. It was established in 1810 and is part... (1810) Western Morning News Western Morning News The Western Morning News is a politically independent daily regional newspaper founded in 1860 and covering Devon and Cornwall and parts of Somerset and Dorset.-Organisation:... (1977) |
Social and economic effects
The rapid expansion of newspapers in Cornwall can be directly related to the boom in tinTin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
throughout the county. Indeed, both the printed media and the mining industry fed off each other. However, growth was not all due to mining. Agriculture benefited too. By promoting livestock markets outside of a farmers immediate area, it stimulated expansion of the rural economy. By looking at archive newspapers in Cornwall from the 1830s and 1840s they are full of detail about markets, property, livestock farming equipment. mining equipment and prices for buying and selling tin and copper as well as other metals. Job vacancies were widely advertised, meaning that workers did not have to toil in their immediate village or town, This became especially important when the mining slump started in the 1880s. Jobs and opportunities were advertised from far flung places like South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where Cornish entrepreneurs had already started new mining operations using skills they had learnt back home.
Benefits of the newspapers was not solely limited to developing economic growth. It encouraged social networks by putting the Cornish people
Cornish people
The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...
in touch with other villages and towns, as well as encouraging social meetings at summer fairs and agricultural shows (e.g. Royal Cornwall Show). The newspapers also became points of record for births, marriages, deaths and court calendars, prosecutions, bankruptcies and hangings.
Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
benefited too. It encouraged people to read, and indeed stimulated people to learn to read. It also encouraged people to write, for example articles and letters. A gauge of literacy , or specifically the ability to sign one's name, is available form 1754 when both parties were required to sign marriage registers. By analysing five Cornish parishes indicates that approximately 24% of men and 70% of women could not sign their name between 1760 and 1770. However, by 1870 that figure had improved to 18% for men and 40% for women. Although it cannot be shown that this is a direct cause of the newspapers, there are writings (e.g. Andrew Brice writing in the Grand Gazetteer) to indicate that it was the considered opinion at the time.
Post World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the effects of the importance of newspapers lessened. With the coming of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and the abundance of radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, it effect was less marked. Numbers of newspapers in Cornwall at that time declined, and several mergers occurred. In this technological period of growth, there is still a role for local newspapers in Cornwall, particularly as not all local newspaper content is available online
ONLINE
ONLINE is a magazine for information systems first published in 1977. The publisher Online, Inc. was founded the year before. In May 2002, Information Today, Inc. acquired the assets of Online Inc....
.
Magazines
Magazines are a much newer media industry in Cornwall than all of the other media types, however, it is one which is starting to develop rapidly. One of the reasons for this is, due to improvements in ITInformation technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, it is no longer necessary to be in a large city, like London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to publish any magazine or written word. In addition, the relatively new University of Cornwall
Combined Universities in Cornwall
The Combined Universities in Cornwall is a project to provide higher education in Cornwall, one of the few counties in the United Kingdom not to have a university within its boundaries, and also one of the poorest areas of the country in terms of GDP per head...
in the county is creating original media talent. Some of these newly qualified media students, having seen the benefits of Cornwall in their student years, do not want to leave at the end of their studies. An example of magazines include Stranger, a bi-monthly creative lifestyle magazine based in Falmouth. It focuses on the alternative, creative, and non-metro centric side of British culture. Since its first local issue on October 2004, the magazine has grown to become distributed worldwide. Other magazines which are published in Cornwall, but have national or international distribution, and include out of County topics include the International Railway Journal
International Railway Journal
International Railway Journal is a monthly international trade magazine published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation . The magazine was first published in 1961....
, gasworld
Gasworld
Gasworld is a monthly magazine published by gasworld.com Ltd. from their offices in Truro, Cornwall, Great Britain.It is an international magazine that is aimed at companies involved with the production and distribution of industrial gases...
, a Truro based magazine about the global industrial gas industry and Smallholder Magazine
Smallholder Magazine
Founded in 1910 for small farmers, allotment holders and gardeners, Smallholder magazine is published monthly by Packet Newspapers in Falmouth, Cornwall. It is a national UK magazine.-Current articles:* Avian influenza* Horse parades...
, which caters for small scale farming in the UK.
It was from Trencrom Hill in St Ives that the first issue of a Cornish magazine, the Cornish Review (editor: Denys Val Baker
Denys Val Baker
Denys Val Baker was a British writer, specialising in short stories, novels, and autobiographical novels. He was also known for his activities as an editor, and promotion of the arts in Cornwall.-Early years:...
), was published in 1949. It ran until 1952, and offered the very best of Cornish writing on all aspects of the arts, including articles by Bernard Leach
Bernard Leach
Bernard Howell Leach, CBE, CH , was a British studio potter and art teacher. He is regarded as the "Father of British studio pottery"-Biography:...
, R. Morton Nance, Peter Lanyon
Peter Lanyon
Peter Lanyon was a Cornish painter of landscapes leaning heavily towards abstraction. He also made constructions, pottery and collage....
and Kenneth Hamilton Jenkin
Kenneth Hamilton Jenkin
Alfred Kenneth Hamilton Jenkin was best known as a historian with a particular interest in Cornish mining, publishing The Cornish Miner, now a classic, in 1927.-Birth and education:...
, as well as poetry by Charles Causley
Charles Causley
Charles Stanley Causley, CBE, FRSL was a Cornish poet, schoolmaster and writer. His work is noted for its simplicity and directness and for its associations with folklore, especially when linked to his native Cornwall....
.
Cornish Review was followed by Cornish Scene, an A5 black & white quarterly, which covered Cornish history, as well as other topics including the arts. It ran from 1972 until the mid-1980s.
Since then, a whole raft of glossy magazines have sprung up which cater for the ever-expanding interest in the county, including Cornish World Magazine
Cornish World Magazine
Cornish World is an independent, glossy, bimonthly magazine published in Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom.The magazine was launched in 1994 to keep the Cornish diaspora around the globe in touch with Cornwall...
, aimed at the Cornish diaspora; Cornwall Today magazine
Cornwall Today magazine
Cornwall Today is a monthly magazine, published by Cornwall & Devon Media, from their offices at Phoenix Wharf, Truro, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is aspirational in style, and includes features on Cornish celebrities, and social events. It also includes scenic photography of Cornwall.Cornwall...
, a more 'frothy' title catering for aspirational residents and would-be residents; Taste Cornwall, about food, food production and restaurants in Cornwall; and Inside Cornwall magazine
Inside Cornwall magazine
This is a monthly listings and events magazine covering Cornwall, in the United Kingdom.It is published in Newlyn near Penzance. It is independently owned.The main areas covered are:The ArtsGardensFoodEvents.Link to magazine's website:...
, a listings magazine covering the arts, entertainment and sport.
It is the world of sport and specifically, water sports, which has seen and developed the third section of magazine growth in Cornwall. Surfing is key to Cornwall's tourism, and this has led to titles like Surf Girl magazine
Surf Girl magazine
SurfGirl Magazine is Britain’s most widely-read surf and beach lifestyle publication for women. As the first independent magazine for women’s surfing in the UK, it is a huge milestone for the sport...
, Pitpilot magazine
Pitpilot magazine
Pitpilot is the first magazine solely devoted to the UK surfing scene. It is published in Newquay, Cornwall. The owner is Arcwind Ltd, based in Woodstock, Oxfordshire.*...
and Wavelength
Wavelength (magazine)
Multiple publications exist under the name Wavelength Magazine. Wavelength is a worldwide surfing magazine published by Cornwall & Devon Media, based in Truro, Cornwall. Another Wavelength Magazine is a sea kayaking magazine published on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, with distribution...
catering for this market. These titles not only cover surfing in Cornwall but the UK too, and in the case of Surf Girl, internationally. Another new title is Adventure Cornwall, which covers climbing and other outdoor pursuits.
Cinema
One of the first records of presentations of movies was at Druids Hall in RedruthRedruth
Redruth is a town and civil parish traditionally in the Penwith Hundred in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It has a population of 12,352. Redruth lies approximately at the junction of the A393 and A3047 roads, on the route of the old London to Land's End trunk road , and is approximately west of...
. In 1904, the Imperial Radioscope Company visited the hall with their animated pictures. In 1910 Druids Hall was converted into the Jenkin's Picturedrome and operated by Mr William Henry Jenkin. Excited audiences filled the hall and marvelled as moving images of Pearl White
Pearl White
Pearl Fay White was an American film actress, the so-called "Stunt Queen" of silent films, most notably in The Perils of Pauline.-Early life:...
, Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
and later Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
flickered across the screen. The cinema had its own orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, which started in 1918. Parts of the building (which was converted to a bingo hall in 1954, and burnt down in 1984) still stand today in Penryn Street, and the interior of the ruins now house St Rumon's Gardens. A rival cinema, officially called the Electric Picture Palace but known locally as The Egg Pit (so called because the owner supplied eggs for the London market) set up in nearby Foundry Row in the late 1900s. This cinema closed in the late 1920s.
In nearby Camborne
Camborne
Camborne is a town and civil parish in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is at the western edge of a conurbation comprising Camborne, Pool and Redruth....
, Mr Burrow, a local photographer put on the very first public Bioscope show
Bioscope show
A Bioscope show was a fairground attraction consisting of a travelling cinema. The heyday of the Bioscope was from the late 1890s until World War I....
, with a nightly open air presentation in the Market Square in 1909.
In 1910, the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society
Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society
The Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society is an educational, cultural and scientific charity, based in Falmouth, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The Society exists to promote innovation in the arts and sciences...
in Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
started showing films in the Arts Centre. Films are still shown at this site, as Falmouth does not currently have a stand-alone cinema of its own.
Currently, Cornwall has cinemas in the following towns: Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
, St Ives
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...
, Helston
Helston
Helston is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately 12 miles east of Penzance and nine miles southwest of Falmouth. Helston is the most southerly town in the UK and is around further south than...
, Redruth
Redruth
Redruth is a town and civil parish traditionally in the Penwith Hundred in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It has a population of 12,352. Redruth lies approximately at the junction of the A393 and A3047 roads, on the route of the old London to Land's End trunk road , and is approximately west of...
(see image), Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
, Wadebridge
Wadebridge
Wadebridge is a civil parish and town in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town straddles the River Camel five miles upstream from Padstow....
, Padstow
Padstow
Padstow is a town, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary approximately five miles northwest of Wadebridge, ten miles northwest of Bodmin and ten miles northeast of Newquay...
, and just outside Bude
Bude
Bude is a small seaside resort town in North Cornwall, England, at the mouth of the River Neet . It lies just south of Flexbury, north of Widemouth Bay and west of Stratton and is located along the A3073 road off the A39. Bude is twinned with Ergué-Gabéric in Brittany, France...
. The cinema in St Austell
St Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
was closed and demolished in 2007, as part of the town's re-development. A new cinema has now opened there. This means that important places like Newquay
Newquay
Newquay is a town, civil parish, seaside resort and fishing port in Cornwall, England. It is situated on the North Atlantic coast of Cornwall approximately west of Bodmin and north of Truro....
, Falmouth, Saltash
Saltash
Saltash is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a population of 14,964. It lies in the south east of Cornwall, facing Plymouth over the River Tamar. It was in the Caradon district until March 2009 and is known as "the gateway to Cornwall". Saltash means ash tree by...
and Liskeard
Liskeard
Liskeard is an ancient stannary and market town and civil parish in south east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Liskeard is situated approximately 20 miles west of Plymouth, west of the River Tamar and the border with Devon, and 12 miles east of Bodmin...
currently have no cinemas. All of these places have previously had at least one cinema, and all have had several unsuccessful attempts to rebuild cinemas in these towns in recent years. None of the cinemas in Cornwall are owned by the big chains (like Vue
Vue (cinema)
Vue Entertainment , formerly known as SBC International Cinemas, is a cinema company in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The company was formed in May 2003 when SBC acquired 36 Warner Village cinemas. There are now 69 Vue cinemas, with 654 screens totaling 140,500 seats, including the rebranded...
). With the exception of the Rebel cinema near Bude, they are either operated by Merlin Cinemas or WTW cinemas, both local business concerns. Even the village of Delabole
Delabole
Delabole is a large village in north Cornwall, England, UK. It is situated approximately two miles west of Camelford.The village of Delabole came into existence in the 20th century; it is named after the Delabole Quarry. There were three hamlets: Pengelly, Medrose and Rockhead...
once had a cinema.
The Plaza, Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
's Lemon Street opened in 1938 and was the premier venue for film-goers at the time. It has changed hands many times and is now owned by WTW Cinemas, who purchased it in 1996. It was extensively refurbished in 1998, and now features four screens with air conditioning and the latest video and audio systems.
Regal Cinema, Redruth
Perhaps the finest cinema building in Cornwall, and possibly the South WestSouth West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
, at the time of opening, the Regal
Regal Cinema, Redruth
The Regal Cinema is in Redruth, Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom.-History:Perhaps the finest cinema building in Cornwall at the time it opened, and possibly the South West, the Regal Cinema in Redruth opened on 2 December 1935, with seating for 982 on a semi-stadium plan. It was opened by...
Cinema in Redruth opened on 2 December 1935, with seating for 982 on a semi-stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
plan. It was opened by Mr Prance as part of Sound & Movement Cinemas. The original sound system was by British Thomson-Houston
British Thomson-Houston
British Thomson-Houston was a British engineering and heavy industrial company, based at Rugby, Warwickshire, England. They were known primarily for their electrical systems and steam turbines. They were merged with the similar Metropolitan-Vickers company in 1928, but the two maintained their own...
. In the 1960s the cinema was equipped with CinemaScope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
and stereophonic sound.
When the Cornwall Circuit Group of cinemas were taken over by The Rank Group
The Rank Group
The Rank Group plc is a European gaming and leisure business. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
, the cinema was later sold off to independent Vivian Bartle, and in 1983 the former café area was converted into an 80 seat screen 2. The auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
was tripled in 1986 with seating for 600 front area (screen 3) and 172 (screen 2) & 121 (Screen 1) in the rear areas. It was taken over by Merlin Cinemas on 24 July 1998. Screen 3 has retained its stage
Stage (theatre)
In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...
facilities and allows the cinema to operate as the town’s theatre when required. Screen 3 now has Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital is the name for audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories. It was originally called Dolby Stereo Digital until 1994. Except for Dolby TrueHD, the audio compression is lossy. The first use of Dolby Digital was to provide digital sound in cinemas from 35mm film prints...
Surround Sound. Screen 3 is also the largest screen and auditorium in Cornwall.
In August 2008 the exterior of the building was fully refurbished, including a new roof, with walls re-rendered and painted in blue with red stripes (The Regal's owners', Merlin Cinemas, branded colour scheme).
Rebel Cinema, Poundstock
This relatively new cinema, four and a half miles south of the town of Bude (at the village of PoundstockPoundstock
Poundstock is a civil parish and a hamlet on the north coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. The hamlet is situated four miles south of Bude half-a-mile west of the A39 trunk road about one mile from the coast....
), and situated just off the Atlantic Highway
A39 road
The A39 is an A road in south west England. It runs south-west from Bath in Somerset through Wells, Glastonbury, Street and Bridgwater. It then follows the north coast of Somerset and Devon through Williton, Minehead, Porlock, Lynmouth, Barnstaple, Bideford, Stratton, Camelford, Wadebridge and St...
, opened on the 11th August 1988. It was built and designed by a film producer, Mervyn Collard (who produced actor David Jason
David Jason
Sir David John White, OBE , better known by his stage name David Jason, is an English BAFTA award-winning actor. He is best known as the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter on the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses from 1981, the voice of Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows and as detective Jack...
's first film, White Cargo. Mervyn died in 2004) and his family. Originally, the cinema site was a garden centre and café, but the Collard family purchased it in 1986 to convert it into a cinema, as the nearest cinema to Bude was over 30 miles away in Wadebridge
Wadebridge
Wadebridge is a civil parish and town in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town straddles the River Camel five miles upstream from Padstow....
.
Work started on the rebuild at the end of 1987, and Westar 7000s projectors were installed, along with the carpets and seats and other fittings. The projectors were moved from the former Strand Cinema in Bideford
Bideford
Bideford is a small port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is also the main town of the Torridge local government district.-History:...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. The architect was Martin Back.
The building frontage is in mock Greek style with a classical pediment, and two columns. The opening night film was a charity screening of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...
. Some changes have been made since opening, including the projectors now replaced with Cinemeccanica
Cinemeccanica
Cinemeccanica is a motion picture equipment company specializing in cinema projectors. The company was formed in 1920 in Milano, Italy. Currently they have two film projectors available, the Victoria 5 and the Victoria 8...
Victoria 9’s, and the ticket office and foyer have been modified.
The Rebel ceased operating in August 2007 but is due to reopen on 12 August 2011.
Table of radio development
in Cornwall! Stations on medium wave
and long wave
! Stations on FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
! Stations on DAB
Digital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
& DRM
Digital Radio Mondiale
Digital Radio Mondiale is a set of digital audio broadcasting technologies designed to work over the bands currently used for AM broadcasting, particularly shortwave...
! Stations on Freeview, Cable
Cable
A cable is two or more wires running side by side and bonded, twisted or braided together to form a single assembly. In mechanics cables, otherwise known as wire ropes, are used for lifting, hauling and towing or conveying force through tension. In electrical engineering cables are used to carry...
,
and Satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
|-
| 1927
|BBC National Programme
BBC National Programme
The BBC National Programme was a BBC radio station from the 1920s until the outbreak of World War II.-Foundation:When the BBC first began transmissions on 14 November 1922, the technology for both national coverage and joint programming between transmitters did not exist – transmitter powers were...
(from Daventry
Borough Hill
Borough Hill is a hill to the east of the town of Daventry in the English county of Northamptonshire. It is over above sea level and dominates the surrounding area.-Archaeology:...
)
| -
| -
| -
|-
| 1943
| BBC Home Service
BBC Home Service
The BBC Home Service was a British national radio station which broadcast from 1939 until 1967.-Development:Between the 1920s and the outbreak of The Second World War, the BBC had developed two nationwide radio services, the BBC National Programme and the BBC Regional Programme...
(became BBC Radio Four in 1967)
(from Redruth MF - still broadcasting)
(from Start Point in 1945 - ceased Start Point in 1978)
| -
| -
| -
|-
|1945
|BBC Light Programme
BBC Light Programme
The Light Programme was a BBC radio station which broadcast mainstream light entertainment and music from 1945 until 1967, when it was rebranded as BBC Radio 2...
(became BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
in 1967)
(ceased broadcasting on MW in 1994)
(from Start Point and Redruth MF)
| -
| -
| -
|-
|1946
|BBC Third Programme
BBC Third Programme
The BBC Third Programme was a national radio network broadcast by the BBC. The network first went on air on 29 September 1946 and became one of the leading cultural and intellectual forces in Britain, playing a crucial role in disseminating the arts...
(became BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
in 1967)
(ceased broadcasting on MW in 1994)
(from Start Point and Redruth MF)
| -
| -
| -
|-
|1956
| -
| BBC Radio 2/Light Programme
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
,
BBC Radio 3/Third Programme
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
,
BBC Radio Four/Home Service
(all from North Hessary Tor
North Hessary Tor
The North Hessary Tor is a hill 517 metres high just above Dartmoor Prison, in Princetown within Dartmoor Forest civil parish, which is located in the borough of West Devon, Devon, England...
)
| -
| -
|-
|1964
| -
| BBC Radio 2/Light Programme
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
,
BBC Radio 3/Third Programme
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
,
BBC Radio Four/Home Service
(all from Four Lanes/Redruth)
| -
| -
|-
|1967
| BBC Radio One
(ceased broadcasting on MW in 1994)
| -
| -
| -
|-
|1975
|Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a bay at Plymouth in England.Its southwest and southeast corners are Penlee Point in Cornwall and Wembury Point on Devon, a distance of about 3 nautical miles . Its northern limit is Plymouth Hoe giving a north-south distance of nearly 3 nautical miles...
(South East Cornwall
South East Cornwall
South East Cornwall is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
only)
(until 1992)
|Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a bay at Plymouth in England.Its southwest and southeast corners are Penlee Point in Cornwall and Wembury Point on Devon, a distance of about 3 nautical miles . Its northern limit is Plymouth Hoe giving a north-south distance of nearly 3 nautical miles...
(South East Cornwall
South East Cornwall
South East Cornwall is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
only)
| -
| -
|-
|1978
|BBC Radio Four
(including Morning Sou'West opt out)
(from Plumer Barracks Transmitter,
in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
and Redruth MF)
| -
| -
| -
|-
|1983
|BBC Radio Cornwall
BBC Radio Cornwall
BBC Radio Cornwall is the BBC Local Radio service for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in the United Kingdom. It broadcasts from its studios on Phoenix Wharf in Truro on 95.2 in the east, 96.0 on the Isles of Scilly and 103.9 in the west MHz FM, as well as on DAB.Andrew George, MP for St Ives, has...
|BBC Radio Cornwall
BBC Radio Cornwall
BBC Radio Cornwall is the BBC Local Radio service for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in the United Kingdom. It broadcasts from its studios on Phoenix Wharf in Truro on 95.2 in the east, 96.0 on the Isles of Scilly and 103.9 in the west MHz FM, as well as on DAB.Andrew George, MP for St Ives, has...
| -
| -
|-
|1987
| -
|BBC Radio One
(from North Hessary Tor
North Hessary Tor
The North Hessary Tor is a hill 517 metres high just above Dartmoor Prison, in Princetown within Dartmoor Forest civil parish, which is located in the borough of West Devon, Devon, England...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
)
| -
| -
|-
|1989
|Atlantic 252
Atlantic 252
Atlantic 252 was a long wave radio station broadcasting to Ireland and the United Kingdom on 252 kHz from its 1988 purpose built transmission site Clarkstown radio transmitter, which provided service to Atlantic 252 from 1989 until 2002. The station's studios were located just 12 km away in...
(ceased broadcasting in 2002)
| BBC Radio One
(from Four Lanes/Redruth)
| -
|Cable Television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
available in PL12
postcode areas -
includes selected commercial
& BBC radio stations
|-
|1990
|BBC Radio Five
BBC Radio 5 (former)
BBC Radio 5 was a BBC radio network that carried sport, children's and educational programmes.It was transmitted via analogue radio on 693 and 909 kHz, and lasted for three years and eight months. The success of BBC Radio 4's coverage of the Gulf War, on a service known as Scud FM,...
(became BBC Radio five live in 1994)
| -
| -
| -
|-
|1992
|Plymouth Sound AM
(South East Cornwall
South East Cornwall
South East Cornwall is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
only)
(ceased broadcasting in 2000)
|Pirate FM
Pirate FM
Pirate FM is one of the Independent Local Radio stations for Cornwall, playing a range of music from the 1960's to the present day.-Background:...
, Classic FM
Classic FM (UK)
Classic FM, one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations, broadcasts classical music in a popular and accessible style.-Overview:...
| -
| -
|-
|1993
| -
| -
| -
| BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
(1, 4, 5
BBC Radio 5 (former)
BBC Radio 5 was a BBC radio network that carried sport, children's and educational programmes.It was transmitted via analogue radio on 693 and 909 kHz, and lasted for three years and eight months. The success of BBC Radio 4's coverage of the Gulf War, on a service known as Scud FM,...
& World Service),
launch in mono
Monaural
Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...
on
the Astra satellite.
|-
|1996
|Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio
Absolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...
(launched on 30 April 1993 nationally)
Talk Radio
TalkSPORT
Talksport , owned by UTV radio, is one of the United Kingdom's three terrestrial analogue Independent National Radio broadcasters, offering a sports and talk radio service broadcast from London to the United Kingdom....
(launched on 14 February 1995
nationally, became talkSPORT
TalkSPORT
Talksport , owned by UTV radio, is one of the United Kingdom's three terrestrial analogue Independent National Radio broadcasters, offering a sports and talk radio service broadcast from London to the United Kingdom....
in 2000)
| -
| -
| -
|-
|2000
|Classic Gold 1152
(South East Cornwall
South East Cornwall
South East Cornwall is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
only)
| -
|Digital 1 Multiplex
Digital One
Digital One is a national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva. , the multiplex covers more than 90% of the populationfrom a total of 137 transmitters...
| -
|-
|2002
| -
| -
| -
| BBC Freeview Radio Services
|-
| 2003
| -
| -
|BBC National DAB
(from Caradon Hill)
|EMAP Radio services
EMAP Radio
Bauer Radio is a UK-based division of Bauer Media Group.The Bauer network is divisible into two main groups, the Bauer Place and Bauer Passion units, with Place consisting of locally-focused services primarily broadcast on FM/AM and local digital platforms, and Passion consisting of national and...
|-
|2004
| -
| -
|NOW Cornwall Multiplex
(from Caradon and Redruth)
BBC National DAB
(from Four Lanes/Redruth)
| -
|-
|2006
| -
|Atlantic FM
Atlantic FM
Atlantic FM, is a radio station based in and serving Cornwall, United Kingdom. The station, owned by Atlantic Broadcasting Ltd, began broadcasting on July 6, 2006 at 0730 BST, and is broadcast from St Agnes...
| -
| Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio
Absolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...
, talkSPORT
TalkSPORT
Talksport , owned by UTV radio, is one of the United Kingdom's three terrestrial analogue Independent National Radio broadcasters, offering a sports and talk radio service broadcast from London to the United Kingdom....
|-
|2007
| -
| -
|DRM
Digital Radio Mondiale
Digital Radio Mondiale is a set of digital audio broadcasting technologies designed to work over the bands currently used for AM broadcasting, particularly shortwave...
BBC test broadcasts from
Plumer Barracks, Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
broadcasting to Plymouth,
South Hams
South Hams
South Hams is a local government district on the south coast of Devon, England with its headquarters in the town of Totnes. It contains the towns of Dartmouth, Kingsbridge, Ivybridge, Salcombe — the largest of which is Ivybridge with a population of 16,056....
and South East Cornwall
South East Cornwall
South East Cornwall is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
.
|-
|2008
| -
|Radio St Austell Bay
Radio St Austell Bay
Radio St Austell Bay is a not for profit, community radio station. The radio station is funded by a combination of grants from the National Lottery and the Arts Council, alongside a small amount of commercial advertising and sponsorship. Partners include the Eden Project, the Lost Gardens of...
Launched on 28 January
| -
|-
|2009
| -
|Source fm
Source fm
Source FM is a community radio station, designed to establish a voice for the 40,000 members of the combined Falmouth and Penryn community. The Source is committed to providing a community-specific, social gains radio service that addresses the needs of the groups that make up that community...
Launched on 27 February
| -
| -
|-
|}
Background
Poldhu
Poldhu is a small area in south Cornwall, England, UK, situated on the Lizard Peninsula; it comprises Poldhu Point and Poldhu Cove. It lies on the coast west of Goonhilly Downs, with Mullion to the south and Porthleven to the north...
on The Lizard
The Lizard
The Lizard is a peninsula in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at ....
, Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor, known as the father of long distance radio transmission and for his development of Marconi's law and a radio telegraph system. Marconi is often credited as the inventor of radio, and indeed he shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand...
made his first trans-atlantic radio transmission
Transmission Communications
Transmission Communications is an independent record label based in Brisbane, Australia. The label focusses on production and performance of electronic music; including techno, industrial, synthpop, experimental, and all manner of crossovers....
. It would be another twenty six years before the BBC National Programme
BBC National Programme
The BBC National Programme was a BBC radio station from the 1920s until the outbreak of World War II.-Foundation:When the BBC first began transmissions on 14 November 1922, the technology for both national coverage and joint programming between transmitters did not exist – transmitter powers were...
was audible in Cornwall, from the then new long wave transmitter
Transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...
at Daventry
Borough Hill
Borough Hill is a hill to the east of the town of Daventry in the English county of Northamptonshire. It is over above sea level and dominates the surrounding area.-Archaeology:...
, although BBC transmissions began in 1922. The transmission, coming a long way from Cornwall, (from the centre of the English Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
), was crackly and barely audible at night-time, and it was a solitary listening experience, as sets were only equipped with a single earpiece, and not a loudspeaker.
In 1933, the BBC started their BBC West Regional Programme
BBC Regional Programme
The BBC Regional Programme was a UK radio network which operated from the end of the 1920s until the outbreak of World War II in 1939.-Foundation:...
(station ident: "5PY"). The main transmitter for this service was at Washford
Washford
Washford is a small village on the Washford River in the English county of Somerset. It is within the civil parish of Old Cleeve and is best known as the site of Cleeve Abbey, one of the best-preserved medieval monasteries in England...
, near Minehead
Minehead
Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the border with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National Park...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. The intended transmitting area was the whole of the South West and South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
, but the reception of this medium wave transmitter in Cornwall was generally poor, effectively blocked by Dartmoor
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...
and in the west of the county by Bodmin Moor
Bodmin Moor
Bodmin Moor is a granite moorland in northeastern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in size, and originally dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history....
.
It was to be another ten years before reception improved. In 1939, the BBC investigated using Start Point transmitting station
Start Point transmitting station
The Start Point transmitting station is a broadcasting facility at Start Point, Devon, owned by National Grid Wireless. The site is just north-west of the Start Point lighthouse.The station currently transmits a single broadcast: BBC Radio 5 Live on 693 kHz....
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
to improve their coverage of radio in the South West. However, due to the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, transmissions of the BBC Home Service
BBC Home Service
The BBC Home Service was a British national radio station which broadcast from 1939 until 1967.-Development:Between the 1920s and the outbreak of The Second World War, the BBC had developed two nationwide radio services, the BBC National Programme and the BBC Regional Programme...
did not start here until 1945. Another medium wave transmitter, Lanner/Redruth MF, in the west of the county, was built in 1943 by German POWs. This started transmissions of the BBC Home Service immediately, as unlike the transmitter at Start Point, it was felt that the signal could not be picked up by the Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
.
In 1945 the Light Programme was added to both the Start Point and Redruth transmitters, and in 1946, the Third Programme commenced broadcasting from these as well. In 1955, the BBC were looking to expand their 405 line television coverage. This resulted in the construction of the transmitter at North Hessary Tor
North Hessary Tor
The North Hessary Tor is a hill 517 metres high just above Dartmoor Prison, in Princetown within Dartmoor Forest civil parish, which is located in the borough of West Devon, Devon, England...
on Dartmoor
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, which began transmitting FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
radio signals for the Home, Light and Third Programme BBC stations in 1956. However, coverage of FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
in Cornwall was only consistent in the east and south east of the county; it was barely receivable in the west of the county until the construction of the Four Lanes transmitter in 1964.
Despite moving the long wave Daventry
Borough Hill
Borough Hill is a hill to the east of the town of Daventry in the English county of Northamptonshire. It is over above sea level and dominates the surrounding area.-Archaeology:...
transmissions to Droitwich, and increasing the transmitters power, long wave reception from the Midlands remained poor in Cornwall. To this day, BBC Radio Four is not audible on long wave in most of Cornwall, and reception relies on a couple of low power repeater transmitters on medium wave (e.g. Lanner/Redruth MF on 756 KHz). Initially, the BBC National Programme
BBC National Programme
The BBC National Programme was a BBC radio station from the 1920s until the outbreak of World War II.-Foundation:When the BBC first began transmissions on 14 November 1922, the technology for both national coverage and joint programming between transmitters did not exist – transmitter powers were...
replaced several local and regional services. However, although it launched BBC Regional Programme
BBC Regional Programme
The BBC Regional Programme was a UK radio network which operated from the end of the 1920s until the outbreak of World War II in 1939.-Foundation:...
for the West in 1933, it transmitted it from the Washford
Washford
Washford is a small village on the Washford River in the English county of Somerset. It is within the civil parish of Old Cleeve and is best known as the site of Cleeve Abbey, one of the best-preserved medieval monasteries in England...
transmitter. In the 1960s, it started an opt out from the then new BBC Radio Four (formerly the BBC Home Service
BBC Home Service
The BBC Home Service was a British national radio station which broadcast from 1939 until 1967.-Development:Between the 1920s and the outbreak of The Second World War, the BBC had developed two nationwide radio services, the BBC National Programme and the BBC Regional Programme...
during the morning daily news programme (Today
Today programme
Today is BBC Radio 4's long-running early morning news and current affairs programme, now broadcast from 6.00 am to 9.00 am Monday to Friday, and 7.00 am to 9.00 am on Saturdays. It is also the most popular programme on Radio 4 and one of the BBC's most popular programmes across its radio networks...
), called Morning Sou'West. This opt out continued, long after other regional services had ceased on the BBC (only National services for Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
remained). However, the opt-out stopped with the long-overdue launch of BBC Radio Cornwall
BBC Radio Cornwall
BBC Radio Cornwall is the BBC Local Radio service for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in the United Kingdom. It broadcasts from its studios on Phoenix Wharf in Truro on 95.2 in the east, 96.0 on the Isles of Scilly and 103.9 in the west MHz FM, as well as on DAB.Andrew George, MP for St Ives, has...
and BBC Radio Devon
BBC Radio Devon
BBC Radio Devon is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Devon. It began transmissions on 17 January 1983, replacing a previous breakfast show for Devon and Cornwall broadcast on the local frequencies of Radio 4....
on the 17th January 1983.
Commercial Radio had been expanding rapidly throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, starting with the launch of LBC
LBC
LBC Radio operates two London-based radio stations, with news and talk formats. LBC was Britain's first legal commercial Independent Local Radio station, providing a service of news and information to London. It began broadcasting on 8 October 1973, a week ahead of Capital Radio...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, a news based service. Commercial Radio came to parts of Cornwall, mainly the south east of the county (approximately within thirty miles of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
) with the launch of Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a bay at Plymouth in England.Its southwest and southeast corners are Penlee Point in Cornwall and Wembury Point on Devon, a distance of about 3 nautical miles . Its northern limit is Plymouth Hoe giving a north-south distance of nearly 3 nautical miles...
in 1975. This gave those listeners fortunate to hear it, pop music in stereo on FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
for the first time. The two main FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
transmitters for Cornwall, namely North Hessary Tor
North Hessary Tor
The North Hessary Tor is a hill 517 metres high just above Dartmoor Prison, in Princetown within Dartmoor Forest civil parish, which is located in the borough of West Devon, Devon, England...
, which opened in 1956, and Four Lanes/Redruth, (which opened in 1964), although transmitting BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
, were not yet stereo capable.
Commercial progress
It took until 1992 for Cornwall to get its first Commercial Radio station, long after most other counties and areas of the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
had had at least one heritage station
Heritage station
In commercial radio, heritage station is the term for an AM radio station that has broadcast a specific format for a sustained period of time, since its beginning; usually since the 1930s or 1940s; in some cases the 1920s...
. The reasons were complex, but at the heart were two factors; the relatively suppressed state of the Cornish economy and the large surface area but light population density of Cornwall itself.
Despite this, on the 22nd August 1990, the soon to be UKRD Group
UKRD Group
The UKRD Group Ltd is a British media company which owns 16 commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. The name originates from UK Radio Developments.-History:...
formed Infinity Radio (an investment and radio consultancy company), and started work on a bid to the Radio Authority for the licence for Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, West Devon
West Devon
West Devon is a local government district and borough in Devon, England. Towns in the district include Chagford, Okehampton, Princetown, and Tavistock, where the council is based....
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
and Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
broadcasting area. Mike Powell, formerly Programme Controller with County Sound was the leading light behind Infinity. Another investor was Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
insurance broker William Rogers.
There were eight bids for the licence, including one from Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a bay at Plymouth in England.Its southwest and southeast corners are Penlee Point in Cornwall and Wembury Point on Devon, a distance of about 3 nautical miles . Its northern limit is Plymouth Hoe giving a north-south distance of nearly 3 nautical miles...
's owners, GWR group (now Global Radio
Global Radio
Global Radio UK Ltd. is a British commercial radio company, the largest in the country following acquisitions of Chrysalis Radio and GCap Media.The company's Chief Executive Officer is Stephen Miron, while the Group Chairman is Charles Allen...
). The Plymouth Sound Company's bid wanted to run the Cornish service as an opt out from their main service to the Plymouth Area, on a similar model like they had done for their (unsuccessful) Tavistock opt-out. Infinity's model was much bolder - an eighteen hour a day operation based in studios in the heart of Cornwall, with additional studios and offices in Plymouth.
Infinity won, and Pirate FM
Pirate FM
Pirate FM is one of the Independent Local Radio stations for Cornwall, playing a range of music from the 1960's to the present day.-Background:...
launched to 590,000 potential listeners on the 3rd April 1992, broadcasting from new studios in an industrial estate in Redruth, with subsidiary studios at the Foot & Bowden building in Plymouth. It transmitted from the Four Lanes/Redruth mast and the Caradon Hill transmitting station, with both transmitters having separate data feeds, to allow for more localised advertising. It used, at the time, a state of the art
State of the art
The state of the art is the highest level of development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field, achieved at a particular time. It also refers to the level of development reached at any particular time as a result of the latest methodologies employed.- Origin :The earliest use of the term...
music play-out system, and bought in jingles from JAM Creative Productions
JAM Creative Productions
JAM Creative Productions, Inc., is an American company that produces radio jingles, promo music for television, and commercial jingles for advertisers. It has made more radio jingles than any other jingle company and has become part of American pop culture....
in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, USA. Pirate FM was commercially successful, and enabled its owners to expand the UKRD Group
UKRD Group
The UKRD Group Ltd is a British media company which owns 16 commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. The name originates from UK Radio Developments.-History:...
to purchase other radio stations across the UK.
In 1997, Cornwall's first RSL
Restricted Service Licence
A UK Restricted Service Licence , is typically granted to radio stations and television stations broadcasting within the UK to serve a local community or a special event...
came on air. Broadcasting to Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
and mid-Cornwall, from a caravan next to the A390 road
A390 road
The A390 is a road in Cornwall and Devon, England. It runs from Tavistock to north west of the city of Truro. Starting in Tavistock, it heads south-westwards towards Liskeard, crossing over the River Tamar and into Cornwall, then through Gunnislake and Callington. Immediately before Liskeard, it...
, Live 105 played a mixture of Dance and Rock, and was a first for radio in Cornwall. However, at that time, the demographic and geographical mix did not work. To assist with the sailing festival in Falmouth, the owners of Packet Newspapers
Packet Newspapers
The Packet Newspapers are a series of weekly local newspapers in west Cornwall owned by the Newsquest Group. The titles include:*The Camborne and Redruth Packet *The Falmouth Packet...
, set up Tall Ships FM in 1998, and followed it again with Packet FM (broadcasting from studios at Falmouth College of Art) in 2004. Redruth
Redruth
Redruth is a town and civil parish traditionally in the Penwith Hundred in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It has a population of 12,352. Redruth lies approximately at the junction of the A393 and A3047 roads, on the route of the old London to Land's End trunk road , and is approximately west of...
School (a Technology College
Technology College
Technology College is a term used in the United Kingdom for a secondary specialist school that focuses on design and technology, mathematics and science. These were the first type of specialist schools, beginning in 1994. In 2008 there were 598 Technology Colleges in England, of which 12 also...
) set up an RSL in 2000 called Red Youth Radio. It continued for a further two years, and rebranded as Airwaves 105. Two other RSLs were to set the background for the bidding war for Cornwall's second ILR
Independent Local Radio
Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. The same name is used for Independent Local Radio in Ireland.-Development of ILR:...
radio station, Malibu Surf FM and CK-FM. CK-FM (Cornwall/Kernow FM) was set up by John Grierson, and transmitted to the Camborne
Camborne
Camborne is a town and civil parish in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is at the western edge of a conurbation comprising Camborne, Pool and Redruth....
, Pool
Pool, Cornwall
The village of Pool is bypassed by the A30 in West Cornwall, situated on the A3047 between Camborne and Redruth, between Tuckingmill and Illogan Highway.Not to be confused with:* Poole, the town in Dorset....
and Redruth
Redruth
Redruth is a town and civil parish traditionally in the Penwith Hundred in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It has a population of 12,352. Redruth lies approximately at the junction of the A393 and A3047 roads, on the route of the old London to Land's End trunk road , and is approximately west of...
area during the summer of 2001. It aired a mixture of news, topical discussion and highlighted business ventures in West Cornwall. It was somewhat similar in style to BBC Radio Cornwall
BBC Radio Cornwall
BBC Radio Cornwall is the BBC Local Radio service for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in the United Kingdom. It broadcasts from its studios on Phoenix Wharf in Truro on 95.2 in the east, 96.0 on the Isles of Scilly and 103.9 in the west MHz FM, as well as on DAB.Andrew George, MP for St Ives, has...
, but offered a viable alternative. During the 1990s, surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
took off in a big way in Newquay
Newquay
Newquay is a town, civil parish, seaside resort and fishing port in Cornwall, England. It is situated on the North Atlantic coast of Cornwall approximately west of Bodmin and north of Truro....
, and it became the home of the Malibu Surf Championships. Malibu Surf FM was set up in 1999 to transmit a mixture of surfing news, music and competition commentaries to locals and surf visitors. It continued for several subsequent years, until 2005. Both CK-FM and Malibu Surf FM bidded with six other applicants (Itchy FM, Extreme Radio, Kernow FM, St. Piran FM SouWest FM and Time FM were the others) for the new OFCOM awarded licence for Cornwall. After a much more competitive battle compared to Pirate FM's bid, Atlantic Broadcasting Ltd (Malibu Surf FMs bid) won in early 2005, and started broadcasting in the summer of 2006 with a format mixing music with a minimum of 30% speech during weekday daytime. During its start-up period the station had a high turnover of presenters. However, it is starting to build a base and the RAJAR
RAJAR
RAJAR was established in 1992 to operate a single audience measurement system for the radio industry in the United Kingdom. RAJAR is jointly owned by the British Broadcasting Corporation and the RadioCentre...
figures now exceed monthly reach of 100,000 listeners, with weekly share of listening in Cornwall up from 2% to 3.9% by late 2007.
A new station on the Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
, Radio Scilly
Radio Scilly
Radio Scilly is a not for profit, non-profit distributing community radio station, owned and run by Keri Jones. It launched at 2pm on 3 September 2007, and broadcasts to 2,100 residents of the Isles of Scilly...
, opened in late 2007, broadcasting on FM. The radio station launched at 2pm on the 3rd of September 2007. It claims to be the world's smallest radio station.
A community radio
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
station to facilitate the County's largest urban area, St Austell
St Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
, was launched as Radio St Austell Bay
Radio St Austell Bay
Radio St Austell Bay is a not for profit, community radio station. The radio station is funded by a combination of grants from the National Lottery and the Arts Council, alongside a small amount of commercial advertising and sponsorship. Partners include the Eden Project, the Lost Gardens of...
at 7am on 28 January 2008.
DAB, DRM and other transmissions
DABDigital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
started being tested by the BBC in the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
area in 1990, and was rolled out fully in 1995. At that time, DAB radio sets were confined to Hi-Fi Tuner
Tuner (radio)
A radio tuner is a subsystem that receives radio broadcasts and converts them into audio-frequency signals which can be fed into an amplifier driving a loudspeaker. FM tuner, AM tuner, Digital Audio Broadcasting DAB tuner, etc. are types of radio tuner dealing with transmissions using different...
separates, and were comparatively expensive (around GBP 800).
In 1999, Digital One
Digital One
Digital One is a national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva. , the multiplex covers more than 90% of the populationfrom a total of 137 transmitters...
started a very rapid roll out of DAB multiplexed enabled transmitters. Both Caradon Hill and Four Lanes/Redruth were converted to transmit DAB signals for the first time in 2000. This enabled DAB to be heard for the first time in Cornwall, although due to the still scarcity of sets, not many listeners were tuning in on launch day. That all changed in 2002, when Pure
Pure Digital
PURE is a British consumer electronics company, based in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, founded in 2002. Pure is a division of another Hertfordshire-based company, Imagination Technologies, which primarily builds processors and graphics chips....
launched their Evoke 1 set at GB£
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
100, by far the cheapest at that time. Other manufactures followed, and the price by 2004 had gone below the GB£
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
50 mark, enabling a much greater consumer take up. However, DAB signal reception within Cornwall remained patchy, and was (and at 2007 still is) virtually non-existent in areas like Falmouth. The BBC did not come to DAB in Cornwall until 2003, three years behind the commercial rival, and even then this was broadcasting to mid and east Cornwall only, as Redruth was not DAB enabled by the BBC until late in 2004.
While offering listeners a much greater choice of stations and programming than previous, DAB did not offer Cornwall any extra local offering, as was hoped. Costs of launching a DAB only station on the two non-BBC multiplexes was very expensive for any would-be community broadcasters, and when the NOW Cornwall Multiplex launched on the two main transmitters in Cornwall in 2004, it only relayed existing local FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
stations, with the addition of DAB Networked Stations {e.g. XFM
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
, Chill
Chill (radio station)
Chill is a British digital radio station dedicated to chill out, ambient and trip-hop music.-The station:Chill is broadcast on DAB in London and Birmingham, across the UK on Sky channel 0177 and also online. The station's aim is to help listeners relax. It is owned by Global Radio...
). The NOW Cornwall Multiplex however meant that Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound FM
Heart Plymouth was an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Plymouth in Devon, England.-History:The name heritage name Plymouth Sound was a pun on the popular meaning of sound and the bay of Plymouth Sound between Penlee Point and Wembury Point in Devon.In November 2005 it was announced...
, previously only audible in South East Cornwall
South East Cornwall
South East Cornwall is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
, could be heard across most of Cornwall for the first time.
When Atlantic FM
Atlantic FM
Atlantic FM, is a radio station based in and serving Cornwall, United Kingdom. The station, owned by Atlantic Broadcasting Ltd, began broadcasting on July 6, 2006 at 0730 BST, and is broadcast from St Agnes...
launched in 2006, it decided to launch on FM only, not only due to the cost of airing on a DAB multiplex, but also over concerns about the quality of sound on DAB and the future of DAB itself. DAB has been criticised in many quarters due to its compromise of bit rate
Bit rate
In telecommunications and computing, bit rate is the number of bits that are conveyed or processed per unit of time....
s over the number of stations and data services that can be squeezed into each multiplex. As a broadcast medium outside of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, it has been abandoned in favour of more up-to-date technology (DAB was designed in the 1980s). To this end, although still committed to DAB for the time being, the BBC are experimenting with Digital Radio Mondiale
Digital Radio Mondiale
Digital Radio Mondiale is a set of digital audio broadcasting technologies designed to work over the bands currently used for AM broadcasting, particularly shortwave...
, or DRM.
DRM is broadcast using the existing medium wave and long wave transmitters, but utilising advanced digital technology. In 2007, by utilising the previous medium wave frequency of BBC Radio Devon
BBC Radio Devon
BBC Radio Devon is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Devon. It began transmissions on 17 January 1983, replacing a previous breakfast show for Devon and Cornwall broadcast on the local frequencies of Radio 4....
for the Plymouth area, the BBC have begun transmitting DRM signals to Plymouth, South East Cornwall
South East Cornwall
South East Cornwall is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
and parts of the South Hams
South Hams
South Hams is a local government district on the south coast of Devon, England with its headquarters in the town of Totnes. It contains the towns of Dartmouth, Kingsbridge, Ivybridge, Salcombe — the largest of which is Ivybridge with a population of 16,056....
. Volunteers from each of these areas have been equipped with DRM sets, and to try out the robustness of this new technology.
Both before and since DAB launched, other mediums of transmitting and listening to the radio have expanded. In 1989, cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
subscribers in the Saltash
Saltash
Saltash is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a population of 14,964. It lies in the south east of Cornwall, facing Plymouth over the River Tamar. It was in the Caradon district until March 2009 and is known as "the gateway to Cornwall". Saltash means ash tree by...
area could hear some BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
stations on their television sets for the first time. With the expansion of digital cable television, many more radio stations have been added. With the expansion of satellite television
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
too, many stations, including others from the European continent and beyond are available. The BBC added radio to UK Gold in 1993 on the Astra satellite, and subsequent satellites and services have been extended since then. The expansion of Freeview, and its subsequent replacement in Cornwall in 2009 of existing analogue television services is perhaps going to have the greatest impact. The internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, with thousands of radio stations streaming
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
online, and the expansion of broadband
Broadband Internet access
Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is a high data rate, low-latency connection to the Internet— typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 56 kbit/s modem or satellite Internet with inherently high latency....
has meant that radio reception has diversified in the number of stations that can be heard, and it is no longer restricted to crackles and night time fading of a few stations of old.
On the 6th July 2007, OFCOM announced that Channel 4 Radio
Channel 4 Radio
Channel 4 Radio was a radio brand launched by Channel 4 in January 2007. On October 11, 2008 the closure was announced. It incorporated Oneword, in which Channel 4 purchased a 51% share in 2005, although it relinquished this share to co-owner UBS Media in January 2008.Listeners were required to...
had won the licence to operate the second national commercial DAB multiplex. However, Channel 4 Radio subsequently announced that they would invest a large amount of money in new transmitters, but that there would be no coverage for the new service in Cornwall (except, perhaps the far South East, as Plymouth will be covered) due to potential interference with stations in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Social and technological referencing
Throughout radio's development, like with newspapers, there has been a technological delay of progress in the county. Despite being with radio at the outset on The LizardThe Lizard
The Lizard is a peninsula in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at ....
, Cornwall's geography and economy have conspired against it. For example, Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio
Absolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...
replaced BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
on the 1215 KHz frequency in 1992/1993, but the medium wave transmitters remained silent in Cornwall on this frequency until 1996, a full three years after Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio
Absolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...
's national launch.
Cornwall's current local radio output does not tap into the rich vein of cultural talent that Cornwall has to offer. Only very few programmes relate to Cornwall's history and cultural identity. For example, on BBC Radio Cornwall
BBC Radio Cornwall
BBC Radio Cornwall is the BBC Local Radio service for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in the United Kingdom. It broadcasts from its studios on Phoenix Wharf in Truro on 95.2 in the east, 96.0 on the Isles of Scilly and 103.9 in the west MHz FM, as well as on DAB.Andrew George, MP for St Ives, has...
, the Cornwall Connected programme, connects with the many Cornish who live worldwide, and David White's programme on unsigned bands, but these remain isolated examples. Most of the rest on the three local stations (BBC Radio Cornwall
BBC Radio Cornwall
BBC Radio Cornwall is the BBC Local Radio service for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in the United Kingdom. It broadcasts from its studios on Phoenix Wharf in Truro on 95.2 in the east, 96.0 on the Isles of Scilly and 103.9 in the west MHz FM, as well as on DAB.Andrew George, MP for St Ives, has...
, Pirate FM
Pirate FM
Pirate FM is one of the Independent Local Radio stations for Cornwall, playing a range of music from the 1960's to the present day.-Background:...
and Atlantic FM
Atlantic FM
Atlantic FM, is a radio station based in and serving Cornwall, United Kingdom. The station, owned by Atlantic Broadcasting Ltd, began broadcasting on July 6, 2006 at 0730 BST, and is broadcast from St Agnes...
) is chart pop music or golden oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
, travel, weather and news. In some parts of Cornwall other Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic radio stations can sometimes (atmospheric reception
TV-FM DX
TV DX and FM DX is the active search for distant radio or television stations received during unusual atmospheric conditions. The term DX is an old telegraphic term meaning "long distance."...
dependent) be received on FM. The BBC's own BBC Radio Wales
BBC Radio Wales
BBC Radio Wales is the BBC's national radio station broadcasting to Wales in the English language. Operated by BBC Wales, it began broadcasting on 12 November 1978 following the demise of the old "Radio 4 Wales" when BBC Radio 4 became a national network and moved from medium wave to long wave...
has its own Celtic music programme, which features Cornish, Scottish, Irish and Welsh folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
. Other stations, like RTÉ lyric fm
RTÉ lyric fm
RTÉ lyric fm is an Irish classical music radio station, owned by the public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. The station, which is based in Limerick, was launched in 1999 and is available on FM in Ireland, on satellite, on Sky Digital in Ireland and United Kingdom and via the...
and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta , abbreviated RnaG, is the Irish-language radio service of the public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. The station is available on FM in Ireland and via satellite and on the Internet.- History :...
play Celtic music, and other talk stations from the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, like Newstalk, feature history and social issues in depth.
There is no radio outlet in Cornwall for writers of plays and radio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
, nor outlets for comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
s, and very little live music
Live Music
Live Music is a reggaeton company owned by DJ Giann.-Artists:* Jowell & Randy* Tony Lenta* Watussi* De La Ghetto* Guelo Star* Galante "El Emperador"-Producers:*DJ Blass*Dexter*Mr. Greenz*DJ Giann*Los Hitmen*Dirty Joe*ALX...
from local bands (only promotional
Promotion (marketing)
Promotion is one of the four elements of marketing mix . It is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer's purchasing decision....
CDs tend to be aired). There are also very few local documentaries about Cornwall social and economic issues in depth.
The future, with DRM, DAB+, DAB enabled mobile phones all now increasing and being tested, offers opportunities for radio diversification in Cornwall, but it remains to be seen whether this will result in more extensive coverage of all things Cornish.
BBC Television
Television came to Cornwall in 1956 with the opening of the new transmitter at North Hessary TorNorth Hessary Tor
The North Hessary Tor is a hill 517 metres high just above Dartmoor Prison, in Princetown within Dartmoor Forest civil parish, which is located in the borough of West Devon, Devon, England...
. Construction of this transmitter began in 1955, and it gave 405 line black & white (as well as FM radio - see radio section above) coverage of television signals to many (but not all) new viewers in Cornwall for the first time when it went on air in 1956.
The only station on air was BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
, as it was to be five years before commercial television went on air. All programmes came from Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green...
, and were relayed to North Hessary Tor via Crystal Palace in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and there was no local or regional element to either news programming or general programmes.
BBC Regional Television did not start in Cornwall until the BBC news studios were completed in Seymour Road, Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
in 1961.
Originally called simply 'BBC South West', this was a simple news opt out around the main tea time news. However, in 1963, the long-standing Spotlight
Spotlight (BBC South West News)
Spotlight is the BBC's regional news programme for the southwest of England, covering Cornwall, Devon, West Dorset, and Somerset. There is also a special version of the programme for viewers in the Channel Islands. The main version of the programme broadcasts between 18:30 and 18:58 on weekdays,...
television programme started. Many future television presenters cut their teeth on this still running programme, including Kate Adie
Kate Adie
Kathryn "Kate" Adie , OBE , is a British journalist. Her most high-profile role was that of chief news correspondent for BBC News, during which time she became well known for reporting from war zones around the world...
, Sue Lawley
Sue Lawley
- Early life and education:Born in Sedgley, Staffordshire, England and brought up in the Black Country, she was educated at Dudley Girls High School and graduated in modern languages from the University of Bristol and some time later started her career at the BBC in Plymouth...
, Angela Rippon
Angela Rippon
Angela M. Rippon, OBE, born 12 October 1944, Plymouth, Devon, England, is an English television journalist, newsreader, writer and presenter. Rippon presented radio and television news programmes in South West England before moving to BBC One's Nine O'Clock News, becoming a regular presenter in 1975...
, Fern Britton
Fern Britton
Fern Britton is an English television presenter, known as the former main co-presenter on the ITV magazine programme This Morning alongside Phillip Schofield. She left the show on 17 July 2009, her 52nd birthday.- Early life :...
, Juliet Morris
Juliet Morris
-Early life:Morris was educated at Lady Eleanor Holles School, an independent school for girls in Hampton in West London, where she recalled the difficulties of being left-handed. At the age of eleven, she moved to a convent when her family settled in Devon...
, the late Jill Dando
Jill Dando
Jill Wendy Dando was an English journalist, television presenter and newsreader who worked for the BBC for 14 years. She was murdered by gunshot outside her home in Fulham, West London; her killer has never been identified....
and current Cornish resident Hugh Scully
Hugh Scully
Hugh Scully , is a British television presenter. He is best known as the host of the BBC show Antiques Roadshow from 1981 to 2000.Scully joined the BBC in 1965 as a freelance journalist...
. Many of the current presenters have Cornish connections: Natalie Cornah, who was born in Newquay, Justin Leigh, who formerly presented on BBC Radio Cornwall, Rebecca Wills who was born in Helston
Helston
Helston is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately 12 miles east of Penzance and nine miles southwest of Falmouth. Helston is the most southerly town in the UK and is around further south than...
and Andy Breare, who used to present on Pirate FM.
As well as having some Cornish influenced presenters, the Spotlight news team also have a news studio in Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
, which is situated inside the BBC Radio Cornwall complex. The two news teams work closely together, to ensure news coverage is thorough across the county on the Spotlight programme.
The BBC has never made as many regional programmes as commercial television in the South West. The only other regional programme on air in 2007 is the national weekend The Politics Show
The Politics Show
The Politics Show is an hour long BBC One television political programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sundays. The programme usually starts at midday, but is often earlier or later when sporting events clash in the schedules. It was launched in 2003 and was originally presented by Jeremy...
, which has a South West opt-out. Despite this, this opt-out has covered such Cornwall important topics like affordability of housing, farming and fishing issues and articles about the future of tourism.
Regional opt-outs are now on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
only; however for a time in the 1980s and 1990s, opt outs for some regional programming and south west news (mainly day time) were on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
as well.
Commercial television
Commercial televisionCommercial Television
Commercial Television was the third free-to-air broadcast television station in Hong Kong. It first went on air in 1975, and ceased transmissions in 1978.-History:...
could be received in Cornwall from 1961, with the combined launches of Westward Television
Westward Television
Westward Television was the first ITV franchise holder for the South West of England from 29 April 1961 until 31 December 1981. After a difficult start, Westward provided a popular, distinctive and highly regarded service to its region, until public boardroom squabbles led to its franchise not...
and the Caradon Hill transmitting station. There was an additional transmitter at Stockland Hill, but this covered the east of Westward's region, namely east Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, West Dorset
West Dorset
West Dorset is a local government district and parliamentary constituency in Dorset, England. Its council is based in Dorchester. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, and was a merger of the boroughs of Bridport, Dorchester and Lyme Regis, along with...
and south Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. Only the Caradon Hill transmitter covered Cornwall, which meant that reception was virtually non-existent in the West of the county, until the Redruth transmitting station was built in 1964.
.jpg){kind=spacer}
Electronic news gathering
ENG is a broadcasting industry acronym which stands for electronic news gathering. It can mean anything from a lone broadcast journalist reporter taking a single professional video camera out to shoot a story, to an entire television crew taking a production truck or satellite truck on location...
facilities were decades away.
Despite this, those viewers in Cornwall who could receive a signal, the Westward service was a success, as it gave a different, and in some ways, lighter and friendlier media perspective from the BBC's television alternative. Westward were soon keen to distant itself from its near neighbour and part rival, TWW
Television Wales and the West
Television Wales and the WestTelevision Wales and the WestTelevision Wales and the West , accessed 19 August 2006, accessed 19 August 2006 was the British "Independent Television" contractor for the franchise area serving 'South Wales and West of England' 1956–68 Television Wales and the...
and purchased white Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
s to capture filmed news items. Most of the regional companies found it difficult to capture and show news from the far flung corners of their regions.
However Westward introduced a regional news slot after the News At Ten
News at Ten
The ITV News at Ten is the flagship news programme on British television network ITV, produced by ITN and founded by news editor Geoffrey Cox in 1967. It was originally planned as a thirteen week project in July 1967 because senior figures at ITV refused to believe that a permanent 30-minute late...
national news programme, to enable film to be shipped back to Derry's Cross, be developed, edited and shown all on the same day: this was a first for any ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
station.
Continuity announcers were not just confined to the studios either. They appeared at village fêtes and town fairs across Cornwall and the Westward region, and soon the station started to build up a loyal following. Although Westward made few programmes for the ITV Network, it produced many regional programmes which covered topics specific to Cornwall, including The Farming Programme and Look Westward as well as features, like walking the South West Coast Path
South West Coast Path
The South West Coast Path is Britain's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Since it rises and falls with every river mouth, it is also one of the more...
. By 1969, Westward had more than 100 correspondents across the region informing Westward of newsworthy local events and eight film cameramen who would travel the region gathering news.
Daphne du Maurier
Daphne du Maurier
Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning DBE was a British author and playwright.Many of her works have been adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca and Jamaica Inn and the short stories "The Birds" and "Don't Look Now". The first three were directed by Alfred Hitchcock.Her elder sister was...
was chosen by Peter Cadbury
Peter Cadbury
Peter Egbert Cadbury was a British entrepreneur.He was the son of Sir Egbert Cadbury, a World War I flying ace and managing director of Cadbury Brothers, the chocolate enterprise...
, as an iconic and famous Cornish resident to be on the Westward board of directors. The flamboyant Peter Cadbury made several enemies with the IBA
IBA
-Iba:People*Clarence Iba , American basketball coach*Erol Iba , Indonesian footballer*Henry Iba , American basketball coach*Moe Iba , American basketball coach*Itsuki Iba, a fictional characterPlaces...
and also with high profile community leaders. With financial troubles besetting the Company, Westward lost the franchise in 1981, to be replaced by TSW (going on air on New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
1982), who inherited all the staff and the studios.
TSW were a far more professional company than Westward, and even made relatively high-brow programmes for their region; in the arts world, they had some big names who worked with them, including Saltash
Saltash
Saltash is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a population of 14,964. It lies in the south east of Cornwall, facing Plymouth over the River Tamar. It was in the Caradon district until March 2009 and is known as "the gateway to Cornwall". Saltash means ash tree by...
born Moura Lympany
Moura Lympany
Dame Moura Lympany DBE was an English concert pianist.She was born as Mary Gertrude Johnstone at Saltash, Cornwall. Her father was an army officer who had served in World War I and her mother originally taught her the piano...
, who was one of Britain's leading concert pianists at the time, potter Bernard Leach
Bernard Leach
Bernard Howell Leach, CBE, CH , was a British studio potter and art teacher. He is regarded as the "Father of British studio pottery"-Biography:...
, and St Ives sculptor Barbara Hepworth
Barbara Hepworth
Dame Barbara Hepworth DBE was an English sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism, and with such contemporaries as Ivon Hitchens, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, Naum Gabo she helped to develop modern art in Britain.-Life and work:Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth was born on 10 January 1903 in Wakefield,...
.
Westcountry Television
Westcountry Television
Westcountry Television, is the ITV franchise holder in the South West of England, replacing its predecessor, TSW , from the 1 January 1993...
, another independent company, replaced Television South West at 00:00 GMT on 1 January 1993. The first programme aired on the channel was a video welcoming viewers to Westcountry and promising higher levels of regional commitment. Later, Westcountry was purchased by Carlton Television
Carlton Television
Carlton Television was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties including the cities of Solihull and Coventry of the West Midlands, south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire,...
, and it is now simply part of the ITV Network. However, since that original commitment to regional programming in 1993 (and approximately 16 hours of regional programmes per week), in 2007 this had been reduced to less than seven hours per week. There is no longer any mention of Westcountry on the ITV network in Cornwall, except for a vague verbal mention before a local programme is shown. Despite this, Westcountry Television has remained committed to Cornwall since launch, and have two small news studios in the county at Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
and Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
. There is also a five minute opt-out, broadcast from Redruth transmitting station of news stories specific to the west of the ITV Westcountry region (there are three others, based in Barnstaple
Barnstaple
Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon, England, UK. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter. The old spelling Barnstable is now obsolete.It is the main town of the...
, Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
and Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
.) It does mean though that those viewers in the east of the county receive news aimed at Plymouth City and the South Hams
South Hams
South Hams is a local government district on the south coast of Devon, England with its headquarters in the town of Totnes. It contains the towns of Dartmouth, Kingsbridge, Ivybridge, Salcombe — the largest of which is Ivybridge with a population of 16,056....
areas, as the Caradon Hill transmitting station covers Plymouth and Mid and South Devon as well as east Cornwall.
In the Westward and TSW days, is was fairly common to see Cornish businesses advertise on commercial television, both of the 35mm slide voice-over advertisement type, and of full video or filmed productions lasting 30 seconds or more. Advertisers included coal merchants, car dealers, department stores, garden centres, theme or tourist parks and solicitors. However, the number and frequency of Cornish advertisers on ITV Westcountry although not eliminated, are far less frequent in number.
Current regional programmes include John Nettles
John Nettles
John Vivian Drummond Nettles, OBE is an English actor, historian and writer who is best known for playing the lead roles in Bergerac and Midsomer Murders.-Early life:...
' Westcountry, Country Ways and Coastal Ways, all independent productions, but all including some Cornish content (for example, an episode of the John Nettles programme was about the Cornish China clay industry, and Coastal Ways, which has covered many Cornish resorts, including St. Ives).
National commercial programmes produced in Cornwall
Despite very few programmes being produced by Westward, TSW or Westcountry/ITV Westcountry over the years for the ITV Network since the mid-1990s, there has been a surge of interest in independent film makers making programmes set in Cornwall. In recent years all of the following have been made in Cornwall and shown on the ITV Network:- WycliffeWycliffe (TV series)Wycliffe is a British TV series, based on W. J. Burley's novels about Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe . It was produced by HTV and broadcast on the ITV Network, following a pilot episode on 7 August 1993, between 24 July 1994 and 5 July 1998. The series was filmed in Cornwall, with a...
(1993–1998) - Doc MartinDoc MartinDoc Martin is a British television comedy drama series starring Martin Clunes in the title role. It was created by Mark Crowdy, Craig Ferguson and Dominic Minghella. The show is filmed on location in the fishing village of Port Isaac, Cornwall, United Kingdom, with filming of most interior scenes...
(2004–2007) - Moving Wallpaper/Echo Beach (2007)
In addition, Wild West
Wild West (TV series)
Wild West is a situation comedy screened from October 2002 until 2004 starring Dawn French and Catherine Tate. It was described as a dark comedy from the pen of Simon Nye and was filmed on location in Cornwall. Set in the hamlet of St Gweep, Wild West observes the strange goings-on in the local...
starring Dawn French and Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate is an English actress, writer, and comedian. She has won numerous awards for her work on the sketch comedy series The Catherine Tate Show as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and four BAFTA Awards...
was made and filmed in Portloe
Portloe
Portloe is a small village in Cornwall, United Kingdom situated on the Roseland Peninsula east of Veryan. Portloe currently harbours two full time working fishing vessels, the Jasmine and Katy Lil, both of which fish for crab and lobster in Veryan and Gerrans Bay, along with a fleet of smaller...
, and shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
.
General and future developments
Unlike radio, television did not have its roots in Cornwall, however 1962 was a landmark year in British Television. A facility in Cornwall, the Goonhilly Satellite Earth StationGoonhilly Satellite Earth Station
Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station is a large telecommunications site located on Goonhilly Downs near Helston on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall, England, UK. Owned by BT Group plc, it was at one time the largest satellite earth station in the world, with more than 25 communications dishes in use...
, linked with Telstar
Telstar
Telstar is the name of various communications satellites, including the first such satellite to relay television signals.The first two Telstar satellites were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 was launched on top of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962...
and received the first live transatlantic television broadcasts from the United States. The facility continued to be used to transmit global pictured from around the world to viewers in the UK. Unfortunately, the facility will be closed in 2008.
Although satellite television
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
was gradually available throughout the 1980s, it was only available to owners of large dishes and the channels were intended to supply cable networks across Europe and domestic reception was not the prime audience. In 1989, Sky Television plc
Sky Television plc
Sky Television plc was a public limited company which operated its four-channel satellite television service, launched by Rupert Murdoch's News International on 5 February 1989...
's direct-to-home four channel service started (now Sky Digital
Sky Digital (UK & Ireland)
Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original...
) and was followed by the launch of BSB
British Satellite Broadcasting
British Satellite Broadcasting was a British television company which provided direct broadcast satellite television services to the United Kingdom...
in 1990.
In 1982, Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
was launched across the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. However, Channel 4 did not arrive in Cornwall until 1983 on the two main television transmitting stations (Redruth (Four Lanes) & Caradon Hill) in the county.
In 1989, Cable Television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
arrived in Cornwall, or at least to Saltash
Saltash
Saltash is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a population of 14,964. It lies in the south east of Cornwall, facing Plymouth over the River Tamar. It was in the Caradon district until March 2009 and is known as "the gateway to Cornwall". Saltash means ash tree by...
, and the immediate surrounding areas. Initially, this was an analogue service, but it is now part of Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
. It does not offer any Cornish or regional programming, unlike some of the early cable television schemes in the UK.
In 1997, Five, the last national terrestrial station to launch in the UK, came to some of Cornwall from the first day of the station's transmission to the Redruth coverage area (serving the west of the county), although at much lower power than the other 4 channels. Channel Five is not broadcast on Caradon Hill (serving the east of the county) or some of the television relay transmitters in Cornwall, and also broadcasts on the main transmitters on lower power than the four other main analogue terrestrial channels.
Both Channel Four and Channel Five are part of the Freeview digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
offering, again available from the two main transmitters, since ONdigital's launch in 1998. None of the relays in Cornwall carry Freeview. However, this will change when Cornwall has its analogue television transmitters switched off in the summer of 2009.
In 2005, ITV launched ITV Local
ITV Local
ITV Local was a broadband service provided by ITV plc, the contractor and provider of ITV in 11 of the 15 Television Regions. First established in 2005, the website provided local news, weather and features on demand 24 hours a day....
, a broadband news and information service. This service launched in the Westcountry area in October 2007.
Also in 2007, ITV said that they intended to merge ITV West with ITV Westcountry, and close the studios at Plymouth, running the news operation from Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. This was met with considerable opposition from business leaders and councils.
External links
- Wire around the World — Porthcurno to Alice Springs by Telegraph
- The Porthcurno Telegraph Museum
- The History of Cable and Wireless
- The Victorian Internet
- Atlantic Cables
- Cornwall & West Devon Mining - World Heritage Site
- Digital Radio Mondiale
- Film in Cornwall
- North Hessary Tor Transmitter
- Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station
- Caradon Hill Transmitter
- Redruth (Four Lanes) TV/FM/DAB Transmitter
- Redruth (Lanner) Medium Wave Transmitter
- The Mad Cornish Projectionist - Website devoted to all things cinema
- Cinema in the Westcountry
- List of Cornish Publications
- Radio Scilly
- Radio St Austell Bay
- Source fm
- Falmouth Cinema