The BBC has suggested that its Radio 4 Longwave service will not be shut down at the end of this month, as had been feared. Whilst the Radio Teleswitching Service (RTS) broadcast alongside the channel on 198 kHz LW is being phased out over the summer, Radio 4 Longwave will continue to broadcast until an ‘impact review’ is carried out. Until recently, it had been assumed that both services would end together on 30th June, as had been reported in some online news articles.
The news is music to the ears of longwave listeners and supporters, many of whom signed a 5000-strong petition to keep the platform, handed in to the BBC last week. It is not clear whether the BBC had always intended to carry out an ‘impact assessment’ before shutting down longwave, or whether unexpected pressure from the public have caused a change of tack. A public consultation, and a rigorous examination of how many listeners there are to Radio 4 Longwave, were key recommendations of the recent report Still Speaking to the Nations, published by the Campaign to Keep Longwave and seen by the BBC.
The corporation has previously assumed that listenership is ‘low’ on longwave, and that few people would be affected by a switch-off. It may be that messages from rural and international listeners, and those concerned about national security, have caused a change of policy. As has been pointed out, the BBC has a duty to serve all parts of the United Kingdom, and some areas are very poorly served by FM and digital signals.
In personal correspondence seen by the Campaign to Keep Longwave, a BBC representative stated, ‘we have not made a firm decision as to when we will close the Radio 4 LW service’. With reference to the end of separate programmes on longwave from March 2024 (including the end of Test Match Special on analogue radio), he added, ‘these changes will inform an impact assessment we will undertake later this year, after which a final decision on closing Radio 4 LW will be made.’ In a marked contrast to recent correspondence from the BBC, the representative also admitted, ‘I accept Radio 4 LW is a useful platform’.
At present, it remains unclear how long the reprieve on Radio 4 Longwave will last, or whether the BBC will shelve plans to axe the service amid mounting pressure to do so. The energy-efficiency, resilience and wide reach of longwave have all been lauded by supporters, and listeners in Ukraine have testified to the importance of the only BBC broadcast that reaches a European continent once again afflicted by war.
Listeners may have noticed that the power output of the signal from the main Droitwich transmitter has been reduced slightly in recent weeks. This is because of reduced interference from other signals in the LW band, and allows the Droitwich signal to reach the same area with lower energy costs. As well as making longwave even more efficient when compared to other platforms, this means that the running costs for longwave are also lower for the BBC, and that the valves used in the transmitter are likely to last longer. All of this bodes well for the continuation of the service, given that the main reason given for ending it was to cut operating and maintenance costs.
The petition to keep Longwave is still open and receiving signatures. The BBC has not yet responded to a request to comment on when the ‘impact assessment’ for closing Radio 4 Longwave is likely to take place.
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