Dorchester\u2019s own radio station<\/u><\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2025\/02\/Radio-Blog-Post-photo-1.jpg\")
\u201cMr R.E. Cornick, a Technical Officer, stands at the switchboard used for transferring signals from landlines to radio. This equipment is entirely automatic.\u201d This image was published in the Dorset County Chronicle. D-3369\/3\/1<\/a>.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIn September 1956, the Dorset County Chronicle reflected on the relationship between technology and the media. They reported:<\/p>\n
\u201cSome years ago it was a great event to see in one\u2019s daily newspaper a picture taken the day before in a foreign country. Underneath would appear the words \u2013 \u2018This is a radio photo.\u2019 But now [the] public and newspapers accepted such pictures as a matter of course. The public expects to find important foreign news pictures in its paper the next morning, and it does.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2025\/02\/Radio-Blog-Post-photo-2-scaled.jpg\")
Bridport Road in Dorchester, April 1948. D-3369\/2\/2b<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDorset was directly connected to this new radio technology. Following the construction of a radio \u2018beam\u2019 on Bridport Road in 1925, Dorchester\u2019s very own radio station was established. \u201cDorchester radio station was one of the first to experiment with this new system,<\/em>\u201d claimed the Dorset County Chronicle. Wirelessly transmitting a photograph (or a negative) from one place to another meant transferring the negative into \u201ctwo frequencies<\/em>\u201d that were black and white. Between the two were the \u201csemi-tones<\/em>\u201d (DCC). From there, an anonymous magazine clipping suggests, the system \u201cconcentrated radiated energy into a narrow beam<\/em>\u201d such as the one constructed on Bridport Road. The receiving equipment would then interpret the frequencies back into a negative to be used, for example, in local newspapers (DCC).<\/p>\nAfter interviewing Mr. Richards (the Manager Engineer\u2019s Deputy), the Dorset County Chronicle discussed advancements in radio technology, particularly the transition from manual to automatic transmission. The article writes that \u201ca machine will translate a combination of signals into a letter, and print that letter. If it doesn\u2019t understand the signals it is receiving it will send a message back to the other end, and there will be a correction immediately<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2025\/02\/Radio-Blog-Post-photo-3.jpg\")
\u201cMr. Ivor Thomas, Technical Officer, checking a transmitter in the lower hall of the station\u201d in the Dorset County Chronicle. D-3369\/3\/1<\/a> .<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDorset locals were directly connected to this developing technology. As a local employer, the station recruited \u201clocal labour, including youths from grammar schools who [\u2026] gained their G.C.E. with emphasis on maths and physics<\/em>\u201d, offering candidates training programs within the technician trade (DCC). According to writer Peter Austen, at its peak between the 1950s and mid-1960s, \u201cup to 130 people were employed<\/em>\u201d by the station.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2025\/02\/Radio-Blog-Post-photo-4.jpg\")
The upper photo is captioned \u201cEarly Post Office days at the station: a staff group taken in the mid-1950s\u201d. The photo below this is captioned \u201cThe last staff group picture taken at Dorchester during happier days \u2013 at the Christmas party, 1977\u201d. Both images are published in an unnamed magazine clipping. The article was written by a Peter Austen. D-3369\/3\/1<\/a> .<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nOwnership of the radio station changed over the years. Austen\u2019s article informs readers that the radio station was originally run by the \u2018Marconi Company\u2019 before it was acquired by \u2018Cable & Wireless\u2019 in 1934. After acquiring the assets of \u2018Cable & Wireless\u2019, the Post Office came to own the station sixteen years later in 1950. The Post Office\u2019s ownership of the station in the 1950s also saw the station\u2019s greatest staffing numbers.<\/p>\n
Being one of four transmitting stations across the country (DCC), Dorchester radio station had international significance. Austen highlights that \u201cthe station\u2019s original service was to New York, followed soon after by a route to South America.<\/em>\u201d By the end of 1928, the station had radio connections as far as Japan and Egypt. Dorchester radio station also had a role in domestic services. Government and commercial traffic, as well as private messages and news pictures, were transmitted from the station (DCC).<\/p>\nThe end of an era<\/u><\/h3>\n
As many readers may have recognised, there are now no radio beams dominating the landscape of Bridport Road.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/files\/2025\/02\/Radio-Blog-Post-photo-5.jpg\")
D-3369\/2\/1<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAfter fifty-two years of service, Dorchester radio station closed. The radio station had been preparing for its closure after Ongar Radio in Essex was chosen for re-equipping over Dorchester (Austen).<\/p>\n
According to Austen\u2019s article, the last of the \u2018beam\u2019 aerials had been taken down by 1966. He continues, \u201c\u2026since 1971, apart from Press services for Associated Press, all the transmitters have been used for long-range maritime telegraphy services.<\/em>\u201d Whilst the dismantling of the forty-nine masts continued to employ some of the station\u2019s staff, other Dorchester staff were transferred to sites elsewhere.<\/p>\nIt is strange to think that the beams once described as \u201cstark against Dorchester\u2019s skyline<\/em>\u201d or as impressive \u201cgiants<\/em>\u201d (DCC) are now no more. Poundbury, which now surrounds Bridport Road, did not begin construction until sixty-eight years (over half a century!) after the construction of the first radio beam. Here, Dorchester offers an example of how much a local landscape can change within someone\u2019s lifetime.<\/p>\nAlthough now in the past, Dorchester radio station\u2019s role in the transfer of information and images both domestically and internationally demonstrates the importance of Dorset to radio and its history.<\/p>\n
Sources<\/u><\/h3>\n
UNESCO World Radio Day: https:\/\/www.unesco.org\/en\/days\/world-radio?hub=66636<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cDorchester Radio Station \u2013 Radio Photo Pioneer\u201d. Dorset County Chronicle, Thursday 13th<\/sup> September 1956. D-3369\/3\/1<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cAfter 52 years ~ Dorchester Radio closes\u201d. Unknown magazine clipping of an article by Peter Austen. D-3369\/3\/1<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cRadio Masts, Dorchester Radio Station\u201d. April 1948. D-3369\/2\/2b<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cRadio Masts, Dorchester Radio Station\u201d. Circa 20th<\/sup> century. D-3369\/2\/1<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What is World Radio Day? Earlier this month, the 13th February marked \u2018World Radio Day\u2019. First designated by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in 2011, this international day celebrates radio as \u201cone of the most dependable and widely utilized forms of media in the world\u201d (UNESCO). World Radio Day celebrates radio\u2019s ability… Read more World Radio Day: Remembering Dorchester Radio Station<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1892,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[82,17,184,659,109],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4570"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1892"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4570"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4570\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4580,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4570\/revisions\/4580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
In September 1956, the Dorset County Chronicle reflected on the relationship between technology and the media. They reported:<\/p>\n
\u201cSome years ago it was a great event to see in one\u2019s daily newspaper a picture taken the day before in a foreign country. Underneath would appear the words \u2013 \u2018This is a radio photo.\u2019 But now [the] public and newspapers accepted such pictures as a matter of course. The public expects to find important foreign news pictures in its paper the next morning, and it does.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Bridport Road in Dorchester, April 1948. D-3369\/2\/2b<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Dorset was directly connected to this new radio technology. Following the construction of a radio \u2018beam\u2019 on Bridport Road in 1925, Dorchester\u2019s very own radio station was established. \u201cDorchester radio station was one of the first to experiment with this new system,<\/em>\u201d claimed the Dorset County Chronicle. Wirelessly transmitting a photograph (or a negative) from one place to another meant transferring the negative into \u201ctwo frequencies<\/em>\u201d that were black and white. Between the two were the \u201csemi-tones<\/em>\u201d (DCC). From there, an anonymous magazine clipping suggests, the system \u201cconcentrated radiated energy into a narrow beam<\/em>\u201d such as the one constructed on Bridport Road. The receiving equipment would then interpret the frequencies back into a negative to be used, for example, in local newspapers (DCC).<\/p>\n
After interviewing Mr. Richards (the Manager Engineer\u2019s Deputy), the Dorset County Chronicle discussed advancements in radio technology, particularly the transition from manual to automatic transmission. The article writes that \u201ca machine will translate a combination of signals into a letter, and print that letter. If it doesn\u2019t understand the signals it is receiving it will send a message back to the other end, and there will be a correction immediately<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Ivor Thomas, Technical Officer, checking a transmitter in the lower hall of the station\u201d in the Dorset County Chronicle. D-3369\/3\/1<\/a> .<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Dorset locals were directly connected to this developing technology. As a local employer, the station recruited \u201clocal labour, including youths from grammar schools who [\u2026] gained their G.C.E. with emphasis on maths and physics<\/em>\u201d, offering candidates training programs within the technician trade (DCC). According to writer Peter Austen, at its peak between the 1950s and mid-1960s, \u201cup to 130 people were employed<\/em>\u201d by the station.<\/p>\n
The upper photo is captioned \u201cEarly Post Office days at the station: a staff group taken in the mid-1950s\u201d. The photo below this is captioned \u201cThe last staff group picture taken at Dorchester during happier days \u2013 at the Christmas party, 1977\u201d. Both images are published in an unnamed magazine clipping. The article was written by a Peter Austen. D-3369\/3\/1<\/a> .<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Ownership of the radio station changed over the years. Austen\u2019s article informs readers that the radio station was originally run by the \u2018Marconi Company\u2019 before it was acquired by \u2018Cable & Wireless\u2019 in 1934. After acquiring the assets of \u2018Cable & Wireless\u2019, the Post Office came to own the station sixteen years later in 1950. The Post Office\u2019s ownership of the station in the 1950s also saw the station\u2019s greatest staffing numbers.<\/p>\n
Being one of four transmitting stations across the country (DCC), Dorchester radio station had international significance. Austen highlights that \u201cthe station\u2019s original service was to New York, followed soon after by a route to South America.<\/em>\u201d By the end of 1928, the station had radio connections as far as Japan and Egypt. Dorchester radio station also had a role in domestic services. Government and commercial traffic, as well as private messages and news pictures, were transmitted from the station (DCC).<\/p>\n
The end of an era<\/u><\/h3>\n
As many readers may have recognised, there are now no radio beams dominating the landscape of Bridport Road.<\/p>\n
D-3369\/2\/1<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n After fifty-two years of service, Dorchester radio station closed. The radio station had been preparing for its closure after Ongar Radio in Essex was chosen for re-equipping over Dorchester (Austen).<\/p>\n
According to Austen\u2019s article, the last of the \u2018beam\u2019 aerials had been taken down by 1966. He continues, \u201c\u2026since 1971, apart from Press services for Associated Press, all the transmitters have been used for long-range maritime telegraphy services.<\/em>\u201d Whilst the dismantling of the forty-nine masts continued to employ some of the station\u2019s staff, other Dorchester staff were transferred to sites elsewhere.<\/p>\n
It is strange to think that the beams once described as \u201cstark against Dorchester\u2019s skyline<\/em>\u201d or as impressive \u201cgiants<\/em>\u201d (DCC) are now no more. Poundbury, which now surrounds Bridport Road, did not begin construction until sixty-eight years (over half a century!) after the construction of the first radio beam. Here, Dorchester offers an example of how much a local landscape can change within someone\u2019s lifetime.<\/p>\n
Although now in the past, Dorchester radio station\u2019s role in the transfer of information and images both domestically and internationally demonstrates the importance of Dorset to radio and its history.<\/p>\n
Sources<\/u><\/h3>\n
UNESCO World Radio Day: https:\/\/www.unesco.org\/en\/days\/world-radio?hub=66636<\/a><\/p>\n
\u201cDorchester Radio Station \u2013 Radio Photo Pioneer\u201d. Dorset County Chronicle, Thursday 13th<\/sup> September 1956. D-3369\/3\/1<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter 52 years ~ Dorchester Radio closes\u201d. Unknown magazine clipping of an article by Peter Austen. D-3369\/3\/1<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\u201cRadio Masts, Dorchester Radio Station\u201d. April 1948. D-3369\/2\/2b<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\u201cRadio Masts, Dorchester Radio Station\u201d. Circa 20th<\/sup> century. D-3369\/2\/1<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What is World Radio Day? Earlier this month, the 13th February marked \u2018World Radio Day\u2019. First designated by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in 2011, this international day celebrates radio as \u201cone of the most dependable and widely utilized forms of media in the world\u201d (UNESCO). World Radio Day celebrates radio\u2019s ability… Read more World Radio Day: Remembering Dorchester Radio Station<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1892,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[82,17,184,659,109],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4570"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1892"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4570"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4570\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4580,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4570\/revisions\/4580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}