BBC National Programme

<p>The BBC National Programme was a radio service which was on the air from 9 March 1930 – replacing the earlier <a href="/facts/BBC/qFateIz8">BBC</a>'s experimental station 5XX – until 1 September 1939 when it was subsumed into the <a href="/facts/BBC_Home_Service/8tNVRf5M">BBC Home Service</a>, two days before the outbreak of <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a>.
</p><p>Both the National Programme and the <a href="/facts/BBC_Regional_Programme/e3NV3Mlv">Regional Programme</a> provided a mixed mainstream radio service. Whilst the two services provided different programming, allowing listeners a choice they were not streamed to appeal to different audiences, rather they were intended to offer a choice of programming to a single audience. While using the same transmitters, the National Programme broadcast significantly more speech and <a href="/facts/Classical_music/oglVXmSb">classical music</a> than its successor, the <a href="/facts/BBC_Light_Programme/I263D3QR">BBC Light Programme</a>. Similarly, the Regional Programme broadcast much more <a href="/facts/Light_music/yVU9mv99">light</a> and <a href="/facts/Dance_music/MsDMMnvz">dance music</a> than its successor, the Home Service.
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BBC National Programme open-in-new

BBC National Programme