Percy Edgar
Encyclopedia
Frederick Percy Edgar OBE
(3 March 1884 – 21 April 1972) was an English
broadcaster
.
Edgar was the dominant figure in English regional broadcasting from its birth until World War II
. In 1922 he was the founding General Manager and opening announcer for the first BBC
station outside London - Birmingham
's 5IT
. Under Edgar 5IT pioneered many innovations, from employing the first full time announcers to launching Children's Hour
. He was the Director of the Midland Region
– the first of the BBC Regions – from its foundation in 1927 and the BBC's senior Regional Director until his retirement in 1948.
, spending his early career on the concert platform. During World War I
he organised series of concerts in military camps and hospitals, a role he combined after the war with touring theatres and music halls, where his speciality was presenting characters from Dickens
. Frustration with constant touring and rowdy audiences led him to accept a post as director of a concert agency in New Street, Birmingham
in 1921, and it was in this capacity that he was approached in October 1922 by the Western Electric Company, firstly to supply artists to perform on the radio station they were planning to open in Birmingham and, shortly afterwards, to manage the station itself.
He later recalled:
Despite being asked on one occasion "But tell me, Mr Edgar, what do you do in the daytime?", the early days of 5IT would often see Edgar working fifteen hour days – planning the nightly programme, booking the performers and arranging their transport to the station's studio in Witton
, reading the news, announcing the running order and working the gramophone. By late November, however, 5IT had been taken over by the newly-established British Broadcasting Company
and Edgar had recruited a staff of five, including an assistant manager, an announcer and two engineers.
1927 saw 5IT closed as the opening of the high-powered Borough Hill
transmitter enabled the creation of the Midland Region
transmitting the BBC Regional Programme
. Edgar was the region's founding Director and fought for the role of regional programme-making within the BBC
, writing to Director-General John Reith
in 1929 that "the ever growing policy of centralisation in London has clearly gone a good deal further and more rapidly than public opinion here is prepared to accept" and running the Midland Region as a "kind of independent entrepreneur". By 1935 the Midlands Region was producing 40% of its broadcast output itself – more than any other region – and with 14 producers was largest BBC department outside London.
Percy Edgar's son Barrie Edgar also worked for the BBC as a television producer
, and his grandson is the playwright David Edgar
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(3 March 1884 – 21 April 1972) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
broadcaster
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
.
Edgar was the dominant figure in English regional broadcasting from its birth until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1922 he was the founding General Manager and opening announcer for the first BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
station outside London - Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
's 5IT
5IT
5IT was a BBC radio station which broadcast from Birmingham, England, between 1922 and 1927. It was the BBC's second station, going live at 17.20 on 15 November 1922, the day after 2LO started daily BBC broadcasting from London and one hour forty minutes before 2ZY launched BBC broadcasting in...
. Under Edgar 5IT pioneered many innovations, from employing the first full time announcers to launching Children's Hour
Children's Hour
Children's Hour—at first: "The Children's Hour", from a verse by Longfellow—was the name of the BBC's principal recreational service for children during the period when radio dominated broadcasting....
. He was the Director of the Midland Region
BBC West Midlands
BBC West Midlands is the BBC English Region producing local television, radio, web and teletext content for West Midlands metropolitan county, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and parts of Northern Gloucestershire - although the county as part of the south west...
– the first of the BBC Regions – from its foundation in 1927 and the BBC's senior Regional Director until his retirement in 1948.
Life
Edgar was born and educated in StaffordStafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
, spending his early career on the concert platform. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he organised series of concerts in military camps and hospitals, a role he combined after the war with touring theatres and music halls, where his speciality was presenting characters from Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
. Frustration with constant touring and rowdy audiences led him to accept a post as director of a concert agency in New Street, Birmingham
New Street, Birmingham
New Street is a street in central Birmingham, England . It is one of the city's principal thoroughfares and shopping streets. Named after it is Birmingham New Street Station, although that does not have an entrance on New Street except through the Pallasades Shopping Centre.-History:New Street is...
in 1921, and it was in this capacity that he was approached in October 1922 by the Western Electric Company, firstly to supply artists to perform on the radio station they were planning to open in Birmingham and, shortly afterwards, to manage the station itself.
He later recalled:
Despite being asked on one occasion "But tell me, Mr Edgar, what do you do in the daytime?", the early days of 5IT would often see Edgar working fifteen hour days – planning the nightly programme, booking the performers and arranging their transport to the station's studio in Witton
Witton
Witton may refer to one of several places in England:*Witton-le-Wear, County Durham*Witton, Lancashire, a former parish in Blackburn*Postwick with Witton, in the county of Norfolk and 5 miles east of Norwich, in Broadland district...
, reading the news, announcing the running order and working the gramophone. By late November, however, 5IT had been taken over by the newly-established British Broadcasting Company
British Broadcasting Company
The British Broadcasting Company Ltd was a British commercial company formed on 18 October 1922 by British and American electrical companies doing business in the United Kingdom and licensed by the British General Post Office...
and Edgar had recruited a staff of five, including an assistant manager, an announcer and two engineers.
1927 saw 5IT closed as the opening of the high-powered Borough Hill
Borough Hill
Borough Hill is a hill to the east of the town of Daventry in the English county of Northamptonshire. It is over above sea level and dominates the surrounding area.-Archaeology:...
transmitter enabled the creation of the Midland Region
BBC West Midlands
BBC West Midlands is the BBC English Region producing local television, radio, web and teletext content for West Midlands metropolitan county, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and parts of Northern Gloucestershire - although the county as part of the south west...
transmitting the BBC Regional Programme
BBC Regional Programme
The BBC Regional Programme was a UK radio network which operated from the end of the 1920s until the outbreak of World War II in 1939.-Foundation:...
. Edgar was the region's founding Director and fought for the role of regional programme-making within the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, writing to Director-General John Reith
John Reith, 1st Baron Reith
John Charles Walsham Reith, 1st Baron Reith, KT, GCVO, GBE, CB, TD, PC was a Scottish broadcasting executive who established the tradition of independent public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom...
in 1929 that "the ever growing policy of centralisation in London has clearly gone a good deal further and more rapidly than public opinion here is prepared to accept" and running the Midland Region as a "kind of independent entrepreneur". By 1935 the Midlands Region was producing 40% of its broadcast output itself – more than any other region – and with 14 producers was largest BBC department outside London.
Percy Edgar's son Barrie Edgar also worked for the BBC as a television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
, and his grandson is the playwright David Edgar
David Edgar (playwright)
David Edgar is a British playwright and author who has had more than sixty of his plays published and performed on stage, radio and television around the world, making him one of the most prolific dramatists of the post-1960s generation in Great Britain.He was resident playwright at the Birmingham...
.