I’m in the midst of a good Agatha Christie thriller, The ABC Murders.
It doesn’t give anything away to mention that this is a story about a serial killer who writes letters to Poirot, to announce each murder in advance.
Of course, Hercule reports to the police, each letter as it comes in, and the information is released to the press. The articles about the murders are long on sensation and short on facts—in the tabloids, at least—and with the hue and cry, there is great pressure on Poirot and the cops to catch the perp.
But my point here is that Agatha (at 90+ pages into the story) says not a word about any radio reportage. Didn’t BBC Radio offer news programs in the 1930’s? That’s my question. If yes, BBC would almost certainly provide fair and balanced coverage, just like my favorite news outlet :rolleyes: says it does.
By the way…
my recently acquired book is a Mass Market Paperback, which has nothing to do with the cover being ripped off. It’s just smaller than the average paperback. In fact, you’ll be thrilled to learn that "This Pocket Book edition includes every word contained in the original, higher-priced edition. It is printed from brand-new plates made from completely reset, clear, easy-to-read type…"
“Within a year [i.e. 1923] the BBC had broadcast plays, concerts of popular and classical music, talks and variety programmes from its first home in Savoy Hill. But the powerful newspaper industry successfully kept the BBC out of the news business. Bulletins were prepared by the news agencies, and could only be broadcast after 7pm – so as not to upset newspaper sales.”