BROADCASTING - HOME NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT .

(1) It is the tendency of the Air Ministry to close down medium wave stations for longer and longer periods, in view of their possible use to the enemy for directional purposes. As the result of this the reception of broadcasting at home gets poor and certain areas lose contact with broadcasting.

(2) For the relief of this situation ten low power medium wave stations are being constructed to serve certain heavily populated areas. These will have quite a local range and therefore prove only a partial remedy. At the same time, it has not been ascertained for certain that the Air Ministry will allow even these low power medium wave stations to continue in operation.

(3) Of the short wave transmitters which are used for Overseas broadcasting, two could be diverted from foreign services and transferred to home services. The effect of this would be to weaken the general service given in the European countries, though not seriously to impair it. At the moment, the Air Ministry do not require short wave stations to be closed down, (as apparently the technical equipment for the use of these services for directional purposes is not sufficiently developed).

(4) It should, however, be noted that the short wave transmitters are ineffective after 6 p.m. in the winter months for physical reasons underlying broadcasting; further, that short wave sets are not in common employment. Only sets bought within quite a recent period of time would embody the short wave range. These sets are not expensive.

(5) The progressive weakening of the broadcast service may affect security as well as information: it is, therefore, necessary to consider what action should be taken.

(6) It is assumed that an adequate service of home news and entertainment is of more importance than even foreign broadcasting. There are two approaches to the problem.

First, to ascertain from the Air Ministry the extent to which they are prepared to relax upon the shutting down of the medium wave transmitters with a view to ensuring continuance of the existing facilities, even under air raid conditions. Certainly it is essential that a decision should now be reached with the Air Ministry as to the extent to which the low power medium wave stations being installed in the densely populated areas can be used.

Secondly even if the Air Ministry is prepared to relax - and certainly if it is not prepared to relax - its present conditions, it would seem essential that two of the short wave transmitters should now be diverted to employment upon home broadcasting - one for the Forces Programme and one for the Home Programme proper.

(7) It may be desirable that this matter should be put clearly before the War Cabinet, so that they may be advised as to the situation which is not altogether satisfactory. If broadcasting facilities were bombed, the position would steadily become worse.

11th September, 1940.