One of the few female executives at the BBC in the 1950s and 1960s was Grace Wyndham Goldie. A blue plaque honors a BBC executive who popularized politics and current events on television.
At St. Mary Abbot’s Court in Kensington, where she resided for more than 50 years, the plaque was unveiled.
Deborah Turness, the CEO of BBC News, referred to Ms. Goldie as a “genuine pioneer” who had recognized the promise of television while it was still viewed as a novel.
She had a 30-year career during which she watched the first trial television broadcast at Alexandra Palace in 1936, was in charge of the first televised election coverage, and managed shows including Panorama, which debuted in 1953.
Ms. Goldie joined the company in 1935 as a radio drama and entertainment critic for their monthly magazine The Listener. After her retirement in 1965, she continued to contribute by offering advice on BBC preservation policy.
In addition to being a woman in a field dominated by men, Ms. Turness said Ms. Goldie “was a true pioneer” because she “immediately recognized the promise of a radical new technology: television.”
“We’re all following in Grace’s footsteps when it comes to reporting the news on TV and on all other media. As the BBC celebrates its centennial, it’site appropriate that this plaque will recognize her contribution to the history of television, she remarked.
More female-focused Plaques
Out of more than 980 blue plaques, only 14 percent honor women, including Ms. Goldie’s.
English Heritage is urging people to nominate more female historical figures because the program depends on citizen nominations.
“The very first televised election broadcast was almost entirely Grace Wyndham Goldie’s concept and, while the swingometer and giant maps have advanced with technology swingmodometerlf has not changed,” said Anna Eavis, English Heritage curatorial director and secretary of the Blue Plaques Panel.
“Though her name may not be as well known as it ought to be, her legacy is there in every current affairs program, and I hope that this well-deserved plaque will encourage bystanders to learn more about her,” the plaque reads.
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