Network

From IPS-Compendium

Network (Colours): A system used within the ‘overseas’ services. When 200 Oxford Street was opened, the Green Network with its continuity for the English language Overseas Service and Red for Australasia and the Americas together with Purple and Brown (Arabic) , Blue, Yellow, Orange were European Service ones; Green (the General Overseas Service - now World Service), Purple, the North American, Latin American and Caribbean, Red the Far Eastern, Brown exclusively the Arabic Service. Various “stripe” networks were also created during the war. Blue and Grey Stars were two networks specifically to rebroadcast programmes in “Russian” (Georgian, Armenian etc) language transmissions from the Voice of America during the height of the Cold War, picked up by Tatsfield and line fed to Bush House. They each had a small studio which was operated by a Studio Manager who made the required announcements.

Jamming often defeated these relays, despite Tatsfield’s efforts with several receivers tuned to the various frequencies employed by VoA and the relays were replaced by American music programmes from 16” “transcription” discs from the studios in the basement of the SE Wing of Bush House, after suitable apology concerning “adverse radio conditions across the Atlantic”! The networks were automatically switched to appropriate lines feeding the various SW transmitter sites - Daventry, Wooferton, Rampisham, Skelton, etc. See News Prelude.