Rediffusion
of Broomhill Road, Wandsworth, London, SW18 and Carlton House, Lower Regent Street, London, SW1. Telephone: Whitehall 0221-6. Cables: "Stanrelays, London"
1928 Private company formed.
1933 Became a public company as Broadcast Relay Service Ltd
1939 See Aircraft Industry Suppliers
1945 Rediffusion, a subsidiary of Broadcast Relay Service Ltd, organised a demonstration of Redifon radio heating, a development from wartime technology for peaceful uses[1]
1947 Listed Exhibitor - British Industries Fair. Manufacturers of Rediffusion All-Purpose sound amplification Services. Factory Installations supplied complete with selected recorded programmes. Broadcast Reception Service for Hotels, Offices, with Staff Location systems. All installations on complete maintenance basis. (Olympia, Ground Floor, Stand No. 1527 and 1529) [2]
1947 British Industries Fair Advert for Radio Communication Equipment, All-purpose Sound Amplification Services for Factories, Hotels, etc.; Redifon Radio Heating Plant and other Electronic Equipment; Direct Wire System of Broadcast Reception. (Music and Radio Section). [3]
1947 BET acquired a substantial minority interest in Broadcast Relay Service Ltd, which traded as Rediffusion, which distributed radio and television signals though wired relay networks.
1951 First wired television system introduced in Margate[4]
1954 Rediffusion Vision Service established
1955 Rediffusion joined forces with Associated Newspapers, a subsidiary of Daily Mail and General Trust, to form Associated-Rediffusion, and won the coveted London weekday ITV broadcast franchise. They began broadcasting on 22 September.
1957 Company name changed.
1961 Parent of 67 operating subsidiaries. Employs 10,000 persons. Manufacturers of transmitting, receiving, amplifying and control apparatus, radio-communications and electronic equipment, flight simulators, navigational aids, induction heaters and plastics products for industry. [5] [6]
1967 BET acquired a controlling interest in Rediffusion
1978 Rediffusion was one of 6 television rental companies examined by the Price Commission[7]
1983 BET acquired the remaining 36% of Rediffusions equity.
1984 Granada acquired the television rental business of Rediffusion Group which led to a doubling in the number of rental shops that Granada operated[8]
1985 The Rediffusion television factories at Bishop Auckland, Billingham and Rochdale were expected to run out of work by the end of the year when the agreement to supply BET came to an end; the research facility at Chessington would also be affected[9]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Times, Sep 21, 1945
- ↑ 1947 British Industries Fair p57
- ↑ 1947 British Industries Fair Advert 379; and p229
- ↑ The Times, Jul 19, 1951
- ↑ 1961 Guide to Key British Enterprises
- ↑ 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE
- ↑ The Times Sept. 21, 1978
- ↑ The Times Nov. 10, 1987
- ↑ The Times Sept. 9, 1985
- [1] Wikipedia