broadcasting
broadcasting Transmission of sound or images to a widely dispersed audience through radio or television receivers. The first US commercial radio company, KDKA, began broadcasting in Pittsburgh in 1920. In the UK, the British Broadcasting Company began radio transmission in 1922 and, as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), was incorporated as a public body in 1927. Until 1973 it enjoyed a monopoly in radio broadcasting. Today, there are five national BBC radio stations. UK public television broadcasting began in 1936 from Alexandra Palace, London. The BBC transmitted on one channel, using 405 lines to build up an image. A second channel, ITV, run by the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA), was set up in 1955. BBC2 started broadcasting in 1964; Channel 4 commenced transmission in 1982 and Channel 5 in 1997. BBC1 and BBC2 do not carry commercial advertising, and receive their funding from a licence fee. All five terrestrial channels may be received on television sets with 625 lines. In 1962, Telstar delivered the first transatlantic, satellite television broadcast. Rupert Murdoch's Sky Television satellite service began broadcasting in 1989, since when cable television as well as satellite services have grown rapidly in popularity. The launch of digital television in the UK in 1998 greatly increased the number of channels.
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broadcasting