News release

From the University Library

27 October 2008

Trial access: BBC Written Archives

The University of Southampton now has trial access to two digitised collections from the BBC Written Archives Centre in Caversham, Reading:

  • BBC handbooks, annual reports and accounts, 1927-2001/2 and:
  • BBC audience research reports Part 1: BBC Listener Research Department
    (1937-c1950)

Commencement date: 24 October 2008

End date: 1 December 2008

BBC handbooks, annual reports & accounts, 1927-2001/2

This collection, covering 1927-2001/2, includes all the handbooks, annual reports & accounts published by the BBC since its founding right up to the start of the 21st century.

In addition to financial data relating to the BBC's grant-in-aid and how it was spent, the collection contains a review of each year's public-service broadcasting, with detailed schedules, audience research, performance and objective tables, as well as commentaries and editorials.

The volumes are arranged chronologically within two groups – BBC handbooks and BBC annual reports & accounts. The collection is introduced by Dr. Hugh Chignell of the Media School at Bournemouth University.

BBC audience research reports Part 1: BBC Listener Research Department
(1937-c1950)

This collection of reports covers the BBC's internal research into its audiences and represents the early research of the BBC's pioneering Listener Research Department (LRD) into radio listening in Britain nationwide and at regional level.

The periods covered are the controversial founding of the Department in 1937, the turbulent years of the Second World War, through to the early post-war period and leading up to the launch of Britain’s first national television channel.

Included are the weekly audience summaries, together with the weekly, then daily listening barometers. Also included are the audience reaction reports on particular programmes and special reports on specific themes or issues, as well as key policy documents produced by the LRD during these years, tracing the early development within the BBC of what is now known as ‘market research’.

The collection is introduced by Sian Nicholas of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

Access the trial