BBC makes power saving by keeping BBC Two off air during daytime

The cuts to BBC Two trade test transmissions in January 1975 were motivated in part by the need to save energy.

The impact on the public was minimal although the trade suffered inconvenience.

But a year earlier, a national emergency led to much more serious cuts to broadcasting.

From 17th December 1973 until early February 1974, all three channels had to close down by 10.30pm.

In practice, the closedown times were staggered to avoid the risk of a power surge.

The BBC’s networks closed at 10.20pm some nights – ITV curtailed News at Ten on the others.

The early closedown caused broadcasters nightmares.

Late evening programmes either had to be abandoned completely or rescheduled in earlier slots.

Some BBC programmes which were due to be shown at 9.25pm, such as certain editions of Play for Today, had to be dropped as they would not be finished by 10.30pm.

The loss of late evening advertising was a blow to ITV.

The row over the early closedowns was explored in an article in The Stage – the newspaper of the entertainment industry – in January 1974.

Shutdown saving a million units a day

The question whether the saving of electricity by the early closedown of television was worthwhile was raised by Mr Peter Shore (Lab, Stepney) in a question in Parliament to Mr Peter Emery, Under Secretary of State for Industry.

Mr Shore wanted to know what estimate had been made of the amount of electricity saved by the restrictions on programmes. He also asked what percentage this represented of normal electricity consumption at the relevant time.

Mr Emery said he estimated that the saving of electricity arising from the switching off of television sets at 10.30pm amounted to one million units a day, which was equivalent to two per cent of the normal usage during the last 1.5 hours of the day.

“In the present critical situation it is important that every possible saving of electricity should be found.” Mr Emery added, “and I urge everyone to exercise the utmost economy in its use.”

This was followed by a letter written by Mr John Grant, Labour’s chief spokesman on broadcasting, to the Prime Minister, Mr Edward Heath, in which he complained that there had been no attempt to explain to the public the reasons for the restrictions on late evening television rather than imposing a similar ban during daytime hours. This had caused “some surprise in broadcasting circles and some bewilderment in the country generally.”

Mr Grant declared in his letter to the Prime Minister that there was a widespread belief that the timing of these cuts had been aimed “to create maximum psychological impact as part of an overall campaign by the Government to turn public opinion against the trade unions even though this may involve an unnecessary degree of hardship of discomfort for the public.”

The Stage (January 1975)

The power saving directly involved seemed modest.

Did the cut have more to do with sending the nation to bed early – turning off lights and fires as well as television sets?

The obvious point was made: why not go for a daytime shutdown instead?

In fact, BBC Two made a big energy saving before the corporation was ordered to save power.

BBC Two transmitters were kept shut all day when possible. The morning showing of Play School was moved to BBC One.

This almost certainly saved far more power directly than the early closedowns.

Meanwhile – despite the need to save fuel – BBC One was free to show the test card all morning as usual during the school holidays.

It would be interesting to know if consideration was given to an enforced daytime closedown.

Nothing before lunchtime and from 2pm – 4pm?

Other services deemed essential to national life were exempted from the major power restrictions and the Three Day Week.

These included newspapers and radio broadcasters.

Yet even in 1973, some did not seem to consider television essential in the same way.

Apparently Prime Minister Ted Heath did not have a set.

Not surprisingly, this restriction was very unpopular with the public as well as the broadcasters.

The election campaign in February 1974 led to it being lifted. This was supposedly to ensure election broadcasting was not curtailed. It sounds suspiciously like a handy cover story.

The BBC kept on with its voluntary restrictions on BBC Two power until the Three Day Week ended after Labour’s election victory.

So after such genuine hardship, it’s hardly surprising that cuts to BBC Two’s trade tests were reimposed a year later by a cash-strapped corporation.