Radio: To Each Its Own

The British Broadcasting Corp. is not, as it appears to many Americans, a socialistic, state-operated trust. Britons call BBC a public corporation. It has a monopoly on all broadcasting in Britain, and allows no commercials on the air.

Every British radio owner pays an annual fee of £1. BBC operates on only three wave lengths: the "Light" (mostly variety shows and dance music), the "Home" (slightly heavier fare), and the "Third Program" (strictly cultural). Thousands of listeners add to BBC revenues by buying BBC publications. Radio Times, a sort of fan magazine and weekly listing of programs, has a 6,000,000 circulation; The...