Leonard Plugge (pictured) was an early entrepreneur in which field?

Leonard Frank Plugge (1889-1981) was an Englishman of Belgian descent. Although he reached the rank of captain in the military and had a spell as a Member of Parliament, he is best remembered a the founder of the commercial radio station Radio Normandy (also spelt Normandie). It was predominantly an English language channel but also broadcast material from countries as diverse as Italy, Spain, and Slovenia.

Although radio had been available for quite a few years by then, the founding of Radio Normandy (based in the town of Fécamp, in Normandy) in 1931 still marked a radical new departure for the media.

Although the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was widely respected, it was also regarded as somewhat staid and puritanical under the aegis of its first Director General, Lord Reith. Sundays were an especial bugbear for many people, as the religious Lord Reith only tended to approve of church services and solemn music on the Sabbath.

Plugge had no such qualms and played dance music and other such light entertainment on Sundays! For a period of time, Radio Normandy had higher listening figures in the parts of the UK where it could be received than the BBC - though it is worth noting that several subsequent BBC employees, most notably Roy Plomley, long-term presenter of the iconic "Desert Island Discs" began their careers there.

Some believe that the phrase "to plug", meaning to push or promote a product, comes from Plugge's name, but this is contentious.