1960s Mass Media & Leisure Activities

Question 1

Growth of Mass Media/Hugh Greene at BBC

Answer 1

• 1961-1971: TVs in the home rose from 75% to 91%
• 1960-1969: Hugh Greene was Director-General of the BBC
• Introduced new, exciting programmes, e.g. Z Cars (satirical), The Wednesday Play, involved alcoholism, homelessness, nudity, ‘offensive language’
• April 1964: BBC 2 was launched
• July 1967: BBC 2 became the first channel to regularly broadcast coloured programmes
• 1964: ‘The Sun’ launched, kept printed media in business, tabloids, replaced the Daily Herald
• ‘Pirate’ radio station, ‘Radio Caroline’, began to broadcast, soon made illegal with the Marine Broadcasting Act
• BBC launched Radio 1 (pop music radio)

Question 2

Growth of Leisure Activities

Answer 2

• 1969: TV accounted for 23% of leisure time
• DIY and gardening became popular hobbies
• Cooking, needlework and knitting were still encouraged with newer gadgets
• Live events suffered in viewers, e.g. theatre, sports games/football
• Mass tourism increased
• 1964: Britannia Airways founded, provided exotic holidays local, e.g. Spain, Malta, Bulgaria
• Largely still middle-class
• 2 weeks in Spain costed as little as £20
• 30% of overseas packages taken to Spain
• 1966-1971: number of package holidays taken increased from 4% to 8.4%
• Travel abroad also encouraged Britain to use more continental flavours in their dishes

Question 3

Growth of Scientific Developments

Answer 3

• Wilson’s ‘White Heat of Technology’ to modernise Britain
• Increased spending on non-military scientific developments
• Development of the Concorde aircraft
• Medical developments: better x-ray equipment, hearing aids, anti-bacterial drugs
• Growth of plastics:
• Use of polythene to insulate electrical equipment, wrap/contain food
• PVC used for clothing, jewellery, miniskirts, handbags, boots, etc
• Early computers, recognition of their potential