BBC announce closure of 5 Live AM and R4 longwave

Dom the chemist

I know this won't mean a lot to Irish boards users as Ireland pretty much gave up AM in 1989 but to many UK anoraks, confirmation from the BBC that these big beasts are officially leaving AM is like ones youngest daughter moving out. https://radiotoday.co.uk/2022/05/bbc-radio-5-live-to-lose-am-network-and-radio-4-to-cease-long-wave-service/

Declan A Walsh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058247547/bbc-announce-closure-of-5-live-am-and-r4-longwave

That statement about Ireland pretty much giving up AM in 1989 is not true - not then anyway. That was the year that Co. Meath-based Atlantic 252 was launched on longwave, and RTE partially owned it. That station was quite popular around Ireland for a few years. I even heard it played in some shops in its first year or so. By the time it was closed, both Irish audiences and UK audiences (its real target audience) had moved on.

RTE got rid of its MW transmitters some years ago without too much protest and has been edging closer to getting rid of its longwave transmitter (formerly used by Atlantic 252), its last AM link.

As regards 5 Live AM and Radio 4 longwave, there will be some Irish (some of whom would be on Boards) that will be put out by not being able to pick up these stations, for sports and current affairs. They are available on car radios with both AM options (MW and LW) and can be picked up with varying reception, depending on where you are. Not as big, of course, as the potential kick back in the UK.

Infoanon

Plenty of listeners to 5 live AM for sports coverage especially amongst older listeners.

The closure of BBC 5Live AM service by December '27 has been widely known for a while.

Radio 4 LW is more complicated - bit like 252 LW here , the 198LW transmitter is on it last legs and the Arquiva contract is likely to be allowed to lapse - then the fun will begin !

The DAB network in the UK is particularly popular but expect a lot of emphasis on the service in the coming years

ford fiesta

of course this news matters to Irish users

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119119959#Comment_119119959

Yes,as there are plenty of listeners here who listen to 5 Live on MW in good reception areas!

ZaK23-54

In fairness to the BBC - you can now download BBC Sounds in Ireland and click on to BBC Radio 5 Live where all football live commentaries are now available in ROI...they are no longer restricted.

Great to have top games commentated by the likes of John Murray, Conor Mc Namara, Pat Nevin Chris Waddle etc

Dom the chemist

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119118986#Comment_119118986

Yes, my statement about 1989 was probably way too wide, but I think the fact that all the legal independent local stations were FM only from day one of their licence really spead up Ireland's transition from MW.

tinytobe

I think this decision was long overdue. I always had the feeling, another crisis, another budget squeeze, and it happens.

Are exact dates known when the MW signal of BBC Radio 5 and the LW signal of BBC Radio 4 will be turned off?

Also, how long would TalkSport and Absolute Radio continue on MW? I'd give them another year after the BBC shuts down the AM signal, and they will go as well. The RTE on 252 will also be next soon, I take it.

It's sad for Ireland, though as in terms of newscasts, the BBC offers a good alternative of reporting.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119123721#Comment_119123721

BBC R5 and R5 Extra football commentaries are blocked online outside the UK as is TMS on R4. Certain football commentaries (Saturday 3pm and Sunday 4.30pm KOs) are available on the BBC World Service though. Of course if you have a sat dish pointing at 28.2E all the BBC radio stations are available as well as availability via DTT or DAB/AM reception from NI if you're near enough to the border.

waywill1966

Talksport are blocked as well except for the Irish opt out on Saturday!

tinytobe

Apparently there is a petittion:

https://www.change.org/p/keep-bbc-radio-4-longwave?redirect=false

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121031239#Comment_121031239

Pointless, and getting proportionally even less support than the 252 petition did.

Its also inaccurate in claiming that 198 has a single transmission site - 198 has three sites.

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121032225#Comment_121032225

I know, not only Droitwich, Burghead and Westerglen as well, and then there is a 4th one in the Dartford tunnel, I believe.

dxhound2005

I wouldn't see any need to close down the Dartford Tunnel transmitter, which is only 4 watts. None of the arguments about cost or availablity of spare parts would apply there. Virgin on 1215 were listed as being in the tunnel as well. It would probably need someone to drive there to find out if it is still on.

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121032729#Comment_121032729

It would surprise me very much if 1215 was still on air in the Dartford Tunnel.

tinytobe

Is the BBC Radio 4 LW signal weaker now? It seems they have reduced transmission power in Droitwich?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121434970#Comment_121434970

Allegedly the power from the main Tx is now down from 500 kW to 250 kW. I'm not noticing that much of a difference other than a slightly higher noise floor when I'm listening to the Today Show in the morning.

It's probably more accurate to state that long wave specific programming such as Test Match Special is ending on R4 next March rather than saying the LW frequency itself is closing. Don't think there's been a date announced for that yet.

Well this year was the last year that TMS coverage was available on LW. No word as of yet on a further extension to the Radio Teleswitch Service but that's not to say that it definitely won't be granted before March.

The Radio 4 MW relays are almost certainly going to close at the minimum. I suspect that most of the remaining local and regional services on AM will bow out around the same time. I reckon plenty of low-power and/or standalone 5 Live transmitters will be taken out of service. Maybe not the Start Point one. Talk Sport will probably do likewise.

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121437485#Comment_121437485

I would guess for Radio Teleswitch Service one LW transmitter would be enough. And the MW transmitters of Radio 4 would have to go as well soon.

Radio 5 and Talk Sport no longer on MW would be a problem in Ireland, as sports coverage is blocked outside of the UK due to rights restrictions.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121440052#Comment_121440052

Talksport has an Irish version online which has Premier League rights for Saturday in the RoI. Also the BBC World Service has a 3pm game on a Saturday and 4.30 on a Sunday. Normally these are the same games as on Five Live.

Five Live, Five Live Extra and Talksport also FTA via satellite too.

Sunday 31st March will be the last day of LW specific programming on R4. The LW frequency itself continues in use providing a teleswitching function for the energy industry. May shutdown sometime in 2025 according to RX TV.

https://rxtvinfo.com/2024/end-of-an-era-for-bbc-despite-long-wave-reprieve/

The R4 MW transmitters will be finishing up on 15th April. The LW transmitters will stay on the air for the time being.

Problems with analogue radio | Help receiving TV and radio (bbc.co.uk)

Antenna

Some in ROI will be sorry to see these MW transmitters go.

On a car radio without LW (but having MW with reasonable reception) it was possible to hear BBC R4 on MW to an extent in ROI (beyond any reliable BBC R4 FM range)

720 kHz from Lisnagarvey in NI and to a much smaller extent the 774 from Enniskillen

and around the south coast of Ireland it could be heard on 756

@Antenna

Agreed @Antenna 720 was so handy in and around Dublin.

I suspect a good few of the remaining local services on AM too won't be on the air for much longer, same goes for a lot of the R5 Live standalone transmitters...

dxhound2005

The Radio 4 MW frequencies are now running the closedown loop.

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121939423#Comment_121939423

I've always had issues receiving the 720 in the Dublin area, especially if I was in a car. I prefer BBC Radio 4 via LW rather than MW, when in Ireland. However BBC R4 also reduced power recently so the signal is noticeably weaker in Ireland.

dxhound2005

The transmitters closed some time on the morning of April 30. Where I am I can hear BBC Radio Cumbria on 756, day and night. And at night BBC Asian Network on 1449.

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122081178#Comment_122081178

I think if it wasn't for Radio Teleswitch Service the 198 would also have been switched off.

crusd

This thread brings back memories of trying to listen to midweek matches in the early 90's on Radio 5 in the west of Ireland with Alan Green and Mike Ingham on commentary swapping halfway through the half. With the quality of reception we got you sometimes had to piece together the snippets coming through to figure out what was going on. It many ways though it was far more enjoyable than streaming every minute of every match on HD

The Continental Op

Recently got a couple of Internet Radios to keep listening to BBC Radio 4.

The Roberts Stream94L and a Pure Elan Connect+. Always been a fan of Roberts Radios and still listening to BBC Radio 4 LW on a 50yo one as I write. However Roberts is now just another trade name and while the Stream94L isn't a bad internet radio you get almost as much for you money for a whole lot less with the Pure Elan Connect +. Anyone looking for a cheap internet radio the Pure Elan Connect+ is worth looking at currently about £70. I don't think the Roberts is worth £200.

Its also hard getting used to the sound of internet radio after years and years of listening to LW radio. At least you don't hear the electric fence clicking on the internet ;-)

waywill1966

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122085301#Comment_122085301

I remember Peter Jones as well from the 70s and 80s,probably my favourite ever radio football commentator.His commentary on BBC radio at the Hillsborough disaster is so memorable!

https://youtu.be/ieVUJZJbeiM

cml387

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122085550#Comment_122085550

It is said he never really recovered emotionally from the experience. He died the following year.

waywill1966

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122092653#Comment_122092653

Yes,heart attack at the boat race in 1990.