Today marks the 50th anniversary of LBC, one of the first two commercial radio stations in the UK. Along with Capital, which launched just two weeks later, LBC pioneered the concept of independent commercial radio in a country that had only known radio from the BBC up until that point. The launch of LBC was made possible by the Sound Broadcasting Act of 1972, which established the legal framework for commercial radio for the first time in the UK.
Memorable programmes included Bob Holness and Douglas Cameron’s breakfast show "AM" which ran for ten years from 1975 while LBC’s late night phone-in show "Nightline" was fronted by a host of well-known names including Robin Houston, Monty Modlyn, Jeremy Beadle and Tommy Boyd. Before rolling TV news, LBC built a reputation for breaking major stories.