Extending the Aerial: Uncovering Histories of Teletext and Telesoftware in Britain

Beyond their roles of broadcasting programmed content into the homes of people around the country, Britain’s British Broadcasting Corporation and Independent Television stations delivered additional content via home television sets. This article will explore the history of British teletext and telesoftware in the broader context of microprocessing developments during the late 1970s and early 1980s through a media archaeological framework of the terminology and traits. Situating these developments in the industrial and political climates of the 1970s, the article will outline an alternative history of networks through the aerial, as the ‘hidden lines’ of information become exposed once again.