Broadcast Twelve was an English record label, manufactured by the Vocalion Gramophone Company. It was notable for fitting on to a 10” record what other companies needed a 12” record for, hence the name. Its catalogues included a great variety of items, from dance bands to classical vocalists and orchestral recordings. (The related Broadcast label was 8” in size, with a playing time equivalent to a standard 10” record.)

These “Long Playing Records” are generally well recorded, but the small groove pitch and small labels mean that sound quality deteriorates towards the end of each side. They tend also to be prone to whistling noises at the end of each side, often across a range of frequencies, making it hard to remove these sounds.

I have quite a number of Broadcast Twelve records, particularly of such English singers as Frank Titterton (sometimes pseudonymously as Frank Webster and Francesco Vada, sometimes anonymously as on the Gilbert and Sullivan highlights series), Thea Philips and Roy Henderson. Pianist Maurice Cole also recorded for the label, and a number of orchestral recordings were released with unnamed conductors.