London Calling Asia
- 1937— the BBC began planning a shortwave transmitting station to relay BBC Empire signals from the United Kingdom to the Far East
- 1946 —The British Far Eastern Broadcasting Service began broadcasting at Jurong transmitting live programmes in English, Burmese, Indonesian and Thai from studios at Singapore's Cathay Building on Thomson Rd.
- 1949 —These studios moved to Caldecott Hill. B.F.E.B.S. shared the site with Radio Malaya (Singapore). Operations consisted of live broadcasting in English, Indonesian and Siamese, news editing and monitoring.
- Christmas Day, 1949 —The station was again moved to Tebrau on the mainland of Malaya, and control of B.F.E.B. S. was handed over by the Foreign Office to the BBC.
- 13 May 1951 - Inaugural broadcast of London Calling Asia
- August 1965 — BBC Far Eastern Service closed down its studio operations in Singapore. It became the BBC Far Eastern Relay Station in 1974, and it is still on the air.
London Calling Asia, (LCA) was a programme in English for South and South East Asia and the Far East. It was produced by the BBC’s Far Eastern Service and had its first broadcast on 13 May 1951 as a recorded transmission. The service transmitted daily between 13.15 and 14.00 GMT to South and South-East Asia and the Far East as a complement to English language programmes already being broadcast to these territories by the BBC's General Overseas Service. LCA was the maiden broadcast of the new and more powerful relay stations installed by the British Far Eastern broadcasting service in the U.K. and Singapore.
LCA was conceived by Director General of the Overseas Service of the BBC, Major General Sir Ian Jacob and John Morris Head of the BBC’s Far Eastern Service. LCA’s programme aims were to "reflect ideas and activities of people in Britain" and will include cultural, scientific, and current affairs talks and discussions.” It was hoped that “Asian friendship for Britain will be fostered by this.”
In the Inaugural broadcast of the LCA, Sir Ian Jacobs says that the LCA will be composed of items of particular interest to those inhabitants of Asia who understand English, and will thus serve a special need which the General Service cannot meet.
The goal of the programme was to “.. build a strong link of friendship and understanding between the people of Britain and the people in the Asian countries who can hear the program. It was also hoped that
“It will also help to link the peoples of the various Asian countries to each other because, before long we shall arrange radio exchange programs between speakers of different Asian centres.”
The new program was not to include any news as there was already a world news bulletin everyday at 1300 GMT in the General Overseas Service (15 minutes before LCA started.)
According to Jacobs:
“the BBC tries in its programs to reflect the ideas and activities of people in Britain and stimulate understanding between the people of Britain and the people of distant lands. We therefore intend to try and interpret to our friends in Asia, the various trends of British policy and thought on current affairs and to project the different aspects of life in Britain today.
We shall give you reviews of the British press and commentaries on international affairs. We shall give you a weekly review of material relating to Asian affairs which have been published or broadcast in Britain.
We shall bring representative men and women in Britain to the microphone to give their views on a wide variety of subjects, including literary and scientific topics and accounts of important events in the social, academic and cultural life of Britain. “
The LCA thought up of few ways to draw in speakers and audiences from Asia. One was the plan to broadcast commentaries about Asian affairs recorded in the studios of the various national broadcasting organizations of the Asian countries as well as doing radio exchange programs between speakers of different Asian centres. The LCA was also keen to create “Audience Reports” in order to promote “.. a two-way flow of ideas and opinions and receive the views of our listeners.” The LCA had installed an Asian listening panel in order to distribute and collate answers to questionnaires that the LCA would send out. The BBC Written Archives at Caversham has several surviving samples of these LCA Audience reports.
The LCA seemed to have flourished for several years but became more and more indistinguishable from the other programmes produced by the GOS. Interestingly, in a memo dated November, 1958, Acting Assistant Head of the Far Eastern Service, Sybil Hall, outlines the incorporation of London Calling Asia into the BBC’s General Overseas Service programming. Mr Hall describes LCA as being a popular part of the BBC’s “Eastern and Far Eastern Service, not only with Asian but also with many other listeners living in Asia” but proceeds to announce the incorporation.
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19 items
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In 1955, Vivian Fuchs, the leader of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, discussed the qualities he looks for when choosing personnel for expeditions in an interview with Lai Chong Kiat from Sarawak. The interview was broadcast on 'London Calling Asia' More »Spoken voice |Topic: Sport |Audio
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Extract from General Sir Gerald Templer's address. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Military Conflict |Audio
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The inaugural broadcast of London Calling Asia in 1951 is introduced by Major General Sir Ian Jacob, the Director General of BBC's Overseas Service. The program aims to reflect British ideas and activities for audiences in South and Southeast Asia and the Far East, covering various topics such as cultural, scientific, and current affairs discussions. John Morris, the head of the BBC's Far Eastern Service, discusses the format and content of the program. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture | Agriculture |Audio
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A talk in which Joyce Cary considers his relationship with the people to whom his work is offered. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
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Excerpt from 'Personal Call' with sculptor Henry Moore. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
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Herbert Morrison, MP and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, interviewed by Stephen Black in the series 'Personal Call', broadcast on the BBC's overseas service London Calling Asia, 28 June 1954. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Politics |Audio
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Broadcast about Mr. Walsh, blinded in WWI, and his hobbies. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
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A composer and his public: Michael Tippett considers his relationship with the people to whom his work is offered. Tippett discusses the impact of long-distance communication on art, the revival of the song recital, and services to new music by radio. He addresses the stranglehold of consumer demand on creative artists, the fear and hatred of new art in totalitarian societies, and the challenges faced by composers in modern Western capitalist societies. Tippett talks about writing works on commission and the difficulties of state patronage in the age of cultural anarchy. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
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A Poet and his Public: Robert Graves discusses his relationship with the people to whom his work is offered. Graves explores the unjustified search for a public, his dependence on writing historical novels rather than poetry, and the true compulsion behind writing poetry. He defines a poet's 'public,' criticizes the evils of ambition and experimentation in young poets, and emphasizes why poetry should not be expected to pay. Graves reflects on being a 'secret friend' rather than a public figure. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
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An Actress and Her Public: a talk in which Dame Edith considers the responsibilities of her art, and her relationship with the people to whom it is offered. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
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Interview with Bernard Cousins, a 23-year-old Cambridge University undergraduate, from the BBC program "Personal Call." Bernard discusses his academic journey, the impact of army life on maturity, and the nuances of studying English literature at Cambridge. Touches upon the challenges of university life, the role of sports like rowing, and his aspirations in publishing and journalism. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
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Excerpt about discoveries at Corbridge and Sir Leonard Wooley. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
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Edmund Blunden (1896-1974) reads and comments on his own poems from 'Poems of Many Years,' published by Collins. Individual works are catalogued separately. Broadcasted by BBC Far Eastern Service (London Calling Asia) on 1957-08-15. Title: Lyric interludes. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
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Ruth Pitter on George Orwell: Ruth Pitter discusses her poetry and life in a conversation with a male speaker. The recording includes a talk by Ruth Pitter on George Orwell, where she recounts personal memories of Orwell and reflects on his impact on English thought. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
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Summary of a discussion on the future of socialism featuring Aneurin Bevan, Hugh Gaitskell, and Frank Byers. Topics include British progress, challenges of denationalization, potential industries for nationalization, and insights from Bevan and Gaitskell on socialist policies, parliamentary procedures, and the role of Trade Unions. Gaitskell emphasizes the need for maintaining controls to prevent inflation. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Politics |Audio
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The recording from the Asian Club program features Ruth Pitter sharing insights on the modern school of classical poetry and Sir Edmund Hillary discussing an incident on Theron's Voyage to the Antarctic. The discussion delves into the influences leading to the emergence of the Modernist school of poetry. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture | Sport |Audio
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Interview with Robert Vansittart by Stephen Black about the introduction of the typewriter at the (British) Foreign Office. Aired on BBC Far Eastern Service (London Calling Asia) on 1953-11-23. Reflects on the improvement of communications and the shift from quill pens to typewriters at the Foreign Office. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
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Excerpt from the program 'Personal Call' featuring a discussion on the work of a test pilot. Interviewed by Stephen Black, test pilot Peter Twiss shares insights into the challenges and experiences of his profession. Part of the BBC Far Eastern Service (London Calling Asia) broadcasted on 1956-06-18. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Military Conflict |Audio
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An extract from The Asian Club program features Angus Wilson discussing the serious message in his writings. He emphasizes the value of each human being and his interest in portraying the social dynamics of England. More »Spoken voice |Topic: Culture |Audio
