United Kingdom

United Kingdom DID Numbers, Mobile Numbers, Toll-Free Numbers

Until 1964, almost a decade after Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock” had introduced a new musical era to British youth, pop music fans found few stations to set their dial to. Apart from the record-company-sponsored, evenings-only broadcasts of Radio Luxembourg, pop was represented essentially by two weekend shows on the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC’s) Light Programme: Saturday Club and Sunday morning’s Easy Beat. Both were presented by the avuncular Brian Matthew and blighted by a bewilderingly broad musical base and an imbalance between studio sessions and recorded music. The restriction on records played was a result of the “needle time” agreement with record companies; prompted by the Musicians’ Union, some of whose members were employed by the BBC as live performers, the agreement limited the amount of recorded music that could be played each day.