Richard Baker (journalist)

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Richard Douglas James Baker (born June 15, 1925 in Willesden , London - † November 17, 2018 in Oxford ) was a British news anchor and radio presenter who worked for the BBC from 1954 to 1982 . BBC Director General Tony Hall described him as the face of news for millions . A contemporary of Kenneth Kendall and Robert Dougall , he was the first broadcaster for BBC Television News in 1954 and did so until 1982.

Training and military service

Baker was born in 1925 to Albert Baker, a plasterer, and his wife Jane Isabel (née Baxter) in Willesden, North London. He attended Kilburn Grammar School (wiki: Queens Park Community School) and subsequently studied history and modern languages at Peterhouse College, University of Cambridge . With the outbreak of the Second World War , he had to interrupt his studies. Baker served from 1943 to 1946 in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves (RNR) on a mine defense vehicle that protected the northern sea convoys with which militarily important goods were transported from Great Britain and the USA to the Soviet Union. For his services he was awarded the Arctic Star by the United Kingdom and the Ushakov Medal by the former Soviet Union .

Broadcasting career

At the end of the war he returned to Cambridge and initially completed his studies (see above). He then tried his hand at first as an actor at the Dolphin Theater (later: Her Majesty's Theater) in Brighton and also as a teacher. In 1950 he applied to the BBC and then presented classical music on BBC's Third Program (Radio 3). His calm, determined voice caught the attention of the BBC's program planners, and on July 5, 1954, Baker was the first speaker to deliver the BBC news on television. From 1948 until then (1954) the BBC had broadcast news in the format “Television Newsreel” (wiki) in the form of documentary films (which were similar to the “Wochenschau” in the opening programs of German cinemas). However, viewers could initially only hear Richard Baker's voice, but not see him on the screen: “We were not allowed to appear on the screen for months because it was feared that we could interfere with the transmission of the news with inappropriate facial expressions. Instead, the audience saw images of the (spoken) news. ” (Richard Baker) It was not until 1955 that the news anchors appeared on the screen so that the audience could see them, and from 1957 Richard Baker, Kenneth Kendall and Robert Dougall were the“ faces ” BBC TV News. Baker then presented BBC TV news bulletin for the next 28 years until 1982. He then continued to work for the radio and hosted “Start The Week” and “Your Hundred Best Tunes” for 17 years until 2007.

Private

Richard Baker married Margaret Martin on June 2, 1961 in London. Both were in their mid-thirties at the time, but had known each other since childhood, as their mothers were friends. The couple had two sons; Andrew, who later worked for The Daily Telegraph , and James, who later became television director at Red Arrow Studios .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ BBC - Inside the BBC: Tony Hall, Director-General
  2. ↑ The Guardian November 18, 2018: Richard Baker obituary
  3. ↑ WikiTree: Richard Douglas James Baker
  4. ↑ The Telegraph November 17, 2018: Newsreader Richard Baker who introduced first BBC news bulletin dies aged 93
  5. ^ The Herald (Scotland) November 18, 2018: Obituary: Richard Baker, broadcaster and popular newsreader
  6. ^ The rigorous training of the Western Approaches Command
  7. ↑ The Guardian November 18, 2018: Richard Baker obituary
  8. ↑ BBC November 17, 2018: Former BBC newsreader Richard Baker dies aged 93
  9. ↑ YouTube: BBC Television Newsreel 1951 (example)
  10. ↑ BBC July 5, 2014: BBC Television News celebrates 60 years
  11. ↑ BBC November 17, 2018: Obituary: Richard Baker
  12. ↑ BBC July 2, 2004: Richard Baker: The birth of TV news
  13. ↑ The Telegraph November 17, 2018: Newsreader Richard Baker who introduced first BBC news bulletin dies aged 93
  14. ↑ The Guardian November 18, 2018: Richard Baker obituary
  15. ↑ Express / UK April 25, 2016: Where are they now? BBC newsreader Richard Baker
  16. ↑ The Telegraph November 17, 2018: Newsreader Richard Baker who introduced first BBC news bulletin dies aged 93
  17. ^ The Telegraph June 29, 2015: The man who invented the art of television newsreading
personal data
SURNAME Baker, Richard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Baker, Richard Douglas James (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British news anchor and radio presenter
DATE OF BIRTH June 15, 1925
PLACE OF BIRTH Willesden , London
DATE OF DEATH 17th November 2018
Place of death Oxford