October 18, 2022 | BBC marks 100 years facing questions about its future

The corporation, officially founded on October 18, 1922, has a special place in Britain's broadcasting landscape.

On November 14, 1922, the clipped tones of the BBC's director of programmes, Arthur Burrows, crackled across the airwaves.

"This is 2LO, Marconi House, London calling," he announced, and with that, public service broadcasting in Britain was born.

One hundred years on, the British Broadcasting Corporation is a global media giant. But its centenary comes at a time of drastic budget cuts that have raised questions about its future.

The corporation, officially founded on October 18, 1922, has a special place in Britain's broadcasting landscape.

“The BBC is us,” said Jean Seaton, professor of media history at the University of Westminster in London, and the corporation’s official historian.

“It remains despite the attacks of this government an expression of us, unlike Netflix, which is an expression of the world,” she told AFP.

“The BBC is an expression of our sense of humour, interests or values. It belongs to us.”