Television and Radio

Abstract

Even in the brief period between the 1966 election and its predecessor, broadcasting had had time to change and develop. For the first time the proportion of the population in homes equipped with television had risen to over 90%, leaving television only fractionally short of the universal coverage of radio. Current affairs broadcasting continued its steady increase in output and importance. With the introduction of a largely revised structure of programmes, the BBC was now devoting about 10% of its evening output to politics. The new situation was well exemplified when Sir Alec Douglas-Home was replaced by Mr. Edward Heath. Both the outgoing and incoming Conservative leaders spent entire evenings journeying from studio to studio to explain their positions for the different networks, and during the contest itself Mr. Heath staged a picnic in a seaside carpark, while Mr. Maudling produced a family game of football for the benefit of the cameras. Clearly television was having its impact on political ritual.