The BBC uses bank holiday to slip out major announcement about the future of Radio 4 LW and the Shipping Forecast.
Listeners of Radio 4’s Long Wave service will from today hear announcements with information about the change.
In the interim, separate schedules for FM and LW will cease, with a single Radio 4 schedule going out on all platforms before BBC Radio 4 LW ends altogether. The famous shipping forecast will also face a reduction in broadcasts, reflecting changes in technology available to seafarers.
▶️ BBC Long Wave changes:
- Cricket: Test Match Special will be broadcast on Radio 4 LW for the final time this summer. Listeners will need to switch to BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra (DAB, digital TV and BBC Sounds).
- Politics: The extended morning edition of Yesterday in Parliament will continue on Radio 4 LW until March 2024, but it will migrate to Radio 4 Extra (DAB, digital TV, BBC Sounds). The shorter edition of Yesterday in Parliament will continue as now within the Today programme on all Radio 4 outlets.
- Daily Service: This will also continue on Radio 4 LW until March 2024 and will migrate to Radio 4 Extra. (DAB, digital TV, BBC Sounds).
- Shipping Forecast: From March 2024, it will be reduced from four times a day to twice daily (weekdays) and three times a day (weekends). These forecasts will go out on Radio 4’s FM/DAB and online platforms. But boat owners will also be able to listen to the forecast on the frequencies of HM Coastguard. Details of the frequencies are found in the Maritime Safety Leaflet, published at gov.uk.
What happens next?
Following the migration of current Long Wave services to other stations and platforms and the introduction of a single Radio 4 schedule, Radio 4 LW will be turned off completely.
The exact date of this switch-off in 2024 has yet to be confirmed, but it is expected to be no earlier than 31st March. This is when the contract to deliver the radio teleswitch, broadcast with Radio 4’s signal to older Economy 7 meters ends.
Broadcast infrastructure company Arqiva currently manages the broadcast of the BBC on 198kHz from transmitter sites at Droitwich, Westerglen and Burghead. As such, the matter will be part of the contractual arrangement between the two parties.
In addition to being available on 198kHz Long Wave, BBC Radio 4 LW is also distributed on Sky, Freesat and Virgin Media. These will also cease next year. On satellite, this is expected to occur after BBC radio migrates to the DVB-S2 broadcast standard.
Long Wave radio has only ever existed in some parts of the world. During the last decade there has been a steady reduction of stations broadcasting on the waveband, with Ireland’s RTÉ closing Long Wave broadcasts earlier this year.
It’s not the first time the BBC has used holiday periods to release news about cuts to its service. In December, it slipped out an announcement about cuts to the BBC News Channel at the start of the New Year weekend. To its credit, the BBC says the timing of the announcement will give listeners plenty of time to prepare.
BBC Radio 4 Extra
For Yesterday in Parliament (extended edition) and Daily Service from March 2024:
- Digital Radio: DAB VHF channel 12B
- Online/Smart Speakers: BBC Sounds
- TV: Freeview and Freesat channel 708. Sky satellite channel 0126 and Virgin Media UK channel 910.
BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
For Cricket:
- Digital Radio: DAB VHF channel 12B
- Online/Smart Speakers: BBC Sounds
- TV: Freeview and Freesat channel 706. Sky satellite channel 0131 and Virgin Media UK channel 908.
Marc Thornham
[image: Droitwich transmitting station from the M5, Google Street View, April 2023]
last updated: 20:32