Radio Pictorial

Radio Pictorial

Radio Pictorial was a weekly magazine first published on 19th January 1934 with the last issue appearing on 8th September 1939. The magazine was published by Bernard Jones Publications Ltd and provided readers with features about radio stars of the day - from the BBC and the various commercial stations beaming programmes from Europe. More significantly it contained detailed programme listings for the commercial stations - something which was not available elsewhere (apart from the Sunday Referee and after its closure, the Daily Worker).

Radio Pictorial explained its purpose in the first issue - .

“ Here we are - RADIO PICTORIAL – the first number of an entirely new publication produced by the most up-to-date of all picture printing processes and by the finest photo-gravure equipment in Great Britain.

RADIO PICTORIAL – full of personalities and full of pictures; on every page something about the people who work behind the microphone. A great invisible world that talks to you from countless stations, a world that has existed, so far, for your ears alone – is now made visible for your eyes to dwell upon and to add pleasure to your listening.

RADIO PICTORIAL will show you, week by week, the people who sing and play and talk to you. It will bring a whole new world of interest to your fireside. The life-stories of the artists ... the happenings behind the mike ... that immense and ceaseless activity through the whole world which fills the ether with music and messages ... these will give you, week by week, in a unique, pictorial setting. Always remembering that your own B.B.C. – the most highly-organised broadcasting service in the world – is your big favourite.

RADIO PICTORIAL will bring B.B.C. artists and speakers to life in its pages as well as dealing with the leading microphone personalities who star at the major broadcasters on the Continent.”

A selection of Radio Pictorial covers