The year 1946 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.
Events
20 January – British composer Sir Granville Bantock writes to fellow composer Rutland Boughton, criticising the BBC Music Department's attitude towards some newer composers.[1]
15 July – The Elizalde brothers together with Bertrand Silen, establish Metropolitan Broadcasting Corporation, and at the same time KZRH returns to the air, broadcasting from the Insular Building, Binondo, Manila, Philippines.
5 September – In BerlinRundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor (RIAS, "Broadcasting in the American Sector") begins mediumwave transmissions. The station, established by the US occupation authorities, had begun its activities on 7 February as the wire-broadcasting service DIAS (Drahtfunk im amerikanischen Sektor).
29 September – The BBC Third Programme is launched in the UK as a cultural channel.
3 November – In Italy, RAI reorganizes its stations into two new national networks, the Rete Rossa and the Rete Azzurra.
4 March – Bob Elson on Board the Century debuts on Mutual.[4]
24 March – BBC Home Service radio in the United Kingdom broadcasts Alistair Cooke's first American Letter. As Letter from America, this programme will continue until a few weeks before Cooke's death in 2004.
5 October – KERA, Dallas, Texas, begins broadcasting.[5]
7 October – The BBC Light Programme in the U.K. transmits the first episode of the daily magazine programme Woman's Hour (initially presented by Alan Ivimey), which will still be running 75 years later, and of the daily adventure serial Dick Barton – Special Agent.
16 October – Philco Radio Time starring Bing Crosby makes its debut on the ABC network, with Bob Hope appearing as Bing's first guest; the show is recorded using large wax transcription disks.[6] In 1947, the Crosby show will introduce taped broadcasting to primetime network radio.[6]
27 November – WBET Brockton, Massachusetts signs on the air with a high school football game on 990 kHz. WBET would later take over fellow Brockton station WBKA's license and frequency of 1450 kHz.
^Evans, Paul; Doyle, Peter (2009). The 1940s Home. Oxford: Shire Publications. ISBN978-0-7478-0736-0.
^ abcdefCox, Jim (2008). This Day in Network Radio: A Daily Calendar of Births, Debuts, Cancellations and Other Events in Broadcasting History. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN978-0-7864-3848-8.