Keep Longwave

The campaign to maintain our radio heritage

BBC plans to abandon its Longwave listeners as early as June

Published by

t_thornes

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BBC Radio 4 Longwave will come off the air in the early hours of Saturday 27th June, the BBC has announced – three months sooner than was previously anticipated. The move represents a final abandonment of the BBC’s longest-standing listener base, after just over 100 years of national coverage on longwave.

News of the shutdown date was uploaded to the BBC’s website on Monday 11th May.

Since the closure of longwave was mooted in March 2023, an international campaign has been underway to save it. More than 7500 supporters have so far signed a petition to keep Radio 4 Longwave, and 25 MPs have signed an Early Day Motion calling for its closure to be discussed in parliament. This is in addition to several more MPs writing to the BBC and to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to raise awareness of the issue. Furthermore, our report Still Speaking to the Nations was handed to the BBC in June 2025, detailing a wide variety of reasons for retaining longwave and including tens of listener comments testifying to why the service is so important.

However, this campaign has fallen on deaf ears, and the BBC continues to push ahead with the closure of its oldest and most widely accessible platform, which can be heard nationwide and across much of Europe. In doing so, the BBC has signalled its disregard for listeners in rural areas under-served by other transmissions, listeners at sea and listeners abroad – including in Ukraine and Russia, where the longwave signal is uniquely able to penetrate without risk of censorship.

Unfortunately, the BBC has not yet responded to our report, or shared publically an ‘impact assessment’ that was supposedly being carried out in 2025 regarding the closure of longwave. Instead, the corporation continues to provide free advertising to purveyors of very energy-hungry ‘smart speakers’ and to push digital ways of listening, many of which are not accessible to much of longwave’s current listenership. The BBC’s interim Director-General, Rhodri Talfan Davies, has been contacted for comment and has not yet responded.

The Campaign to Keep Longwave continues to urge supporters to contact the BBC and to contact your MP to make your views known. We may have now only a matter of weeks to save this vital service.

27 responses to “BBC plans to abandon its Longwave listeners as early as June”

  1. Grammaticus Avatar
    Grammaticus

    Incredibly sad 😦

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    1. Lyndon Robert Bolshaw Avatar
      Lyndon Robert Bolshaw

      Well I Guess Its All Cost, lets face it if you 45 ish you never grew up with a transistor radio by your side, you lived with a mobile or later a Smart phone in your Hand ! So who listening to it ! I will miss this & a sad day. Yes Its important for Military because if internet goes off this can still transmit ! but internet was designed for less possibility of destruction.

      Recall a Electronics project to make a LW radio in a Matchbox… How times change..

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  2. Rhys Thomas Avatar
    Rhys Thomas

    I’ve contacted my MP, who’s not responded. I’ve had my comments read out on Radio 4’s “Feedback”.

    I shall miss Radio 4 on Longwave in the car. FM may sound better, but frankly AM for speech programmes is just perfect, and it doesn’t fade or drop out.

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  3. Jensen Avatar
    Jensen

    l will be very sad to see BBC long wave close down. I have listened to the BBC long wave for over 50 years both in the UK and abroad. Certainly an end of an era.

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    1. Ian Hosker Avatar
      Ian Hosker

      SAD

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  4. Mark Lee Avatar
    Mark Lee

    It’s extraordinary that the BBC and the government (and the military) don’t value the LW for its reach into Ukraine, nevermind the rest of europe.

    Such ‘soft power’ has economic as well as cultural benefits.

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  5. inspiring26db9e4d72 Avatar
    inspiring26db9e4d72

    bbc bosses should do what the public want not what they want, they’re employed by us ,so as far as I’m concerned they’re sacked.

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    1. Paul Petty Avatar
      Paul Petty

      The Swiss are maintaining their mast at Beromünster as a “Monument” to it’s importance to free speech in WW2. It actually operated at the lower frequency end of medium wave but had a similar range and status. I suspect they also view it as a valuable contingency. How long before the Droitwich site is bulldozed for housing etc? To be able to maintain communication with the population of the whole country and half of Europe from a single maintainable structure has got to be a national asset worth keeping!

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  6. John Wheatcroft Avatar
    John Wheatcroft

    Funny to think that to cover the whole country you only need 3 AM transmitters. to achieve the same thing on FM you need about 250. Anyone who knows anything about the physics of radio waves will tell you that. Before we start talking about he lack of valves for those transmitters, the BBC bought up the entire stock there were about a dozen. How difficult would it be to manufacture these valves again. I had heard it mooted that there are companies that could and most likely would do it. It would most certainly be a “special order” though.

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  7. Ian Hosker Avatar
    Ian Hosker

    Can the BBC not contact the Allouis LW 162 khz transmitter personal and transmitter radio 4 on there ?

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  8. Ian Hosker Avatar
    Ian Hosker

    How about the BBC contacting the French authorities who operate the LW 162 khz transmitter in Allouis, France, as it still broadcasts a silent signal, most of England should receive it okay. Just a thought.

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  9. Andrew Rutter Avatar
    Andrew Rutter

    I’ve sent a letter to my MP who represents the constituency that has Droitwich Transmitter within it! With the turmoil in the Government at present I’ll be surprised if the DCMS have it at the top of their lists of ‘things to do.’ But we can hope!

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  10. Paul Gregory Avatar
    Paul Gregory

    In such a volatile world of today, it’s unfortunate to forfeit the stability of BBC LW service. Someday in the not-to-distant future, someone will propose a brilliant concept: a reliable censure-free platform where necessary information reaches UK rural, mariner and European publics, all to the benefit of British “soft power”.

    Sigh….

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  11. russellbinns Avatar
    russellbinns

    This is reminiscent of the Beeching cuts. A piece of world-heritage that has witnessed some of humanity’s greatest moments over the last century, thrown away for short-term economic arguments. I have contacted my MP and written twice to the BBC. Spread the word everyone – so at least you don’t regret being a silent spectator to history in years to come!

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  12. Barry Young Avatar
    Barry Young

    I wrote to my MP, Feral Clark who said ” Be assured that I will continue to bear your thoughts in mind ” but it was up to the BBC.

    I’ll be sad to see LW go, especially since my main radio is LW / MW only as is the one in my car. No more rRadio 4 for me.

    Barry Young

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  13. David Isbister Avatar
    David Isbister

    A few points:

    Smart Speakers: What happens to your Smart Speaker (today) when the internet goes down? My internet frequently drops out. Now imagine how the internet might function in a conflict situation.

    FM and DAB: What is the cost of maintaining and operating the huge number of FM and DAB transmitters throughout the UK? Compare these costs with those associated with the three long wave transmitters. The answer might be surprising, especially when taking into consideration years of under-funding of the LW transmitters.

    Politicians: I wrote to my MP to ask for her support in the Early Day Motion. I got a polite reply directing me to the Minister for Culture, Media and Sport. In other words, the Government position is that it is a fait accompli.

    BBC: I even contacted the BBC through one of their listener surveys (a year, or so) and gave them a precis of why I thought it prudent to maintain LW transmissions. They they didn’t reply. No surprise there.

    Technology: I have built loads of long wave receivers in my lifetime, the first when I was fourteen, the most recent when I was 71. The transmitted signal is relatively powerful and propagates as a ground wave. Even the most simplest of technologies can effectively yield a viable receiver. Try building a DAB receiver!

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  14. Shaton ford Avatar
    Shaton ford

    I drive to work at 4/5am.. channel 4 is a real link to news, events, what is going on in the world….it will be a hideous loss for me personally.

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  15. Samuel kirkbride Avatar
    Samuel kirkbride

    How incredibly ignorant those at the BBC, for over a year when they announce how to receive the BBC the long wave option has not been mentioned as though it’s some dirty little secret – or more likely to discourage new listeners . The bright boys at the BBC see long wave as not ‘modern’ enough for them to be associated with it, irrespective of how important this frequency is to many English speaking people in their daily lives. Shortage of the correct type of high power valves? Good grief BBC, you used to be at the forefront of broadcasting technology, come on just convert the electronics!!

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  16. Alwyn Seeds Avatar
    Alwyn Seeds

    I have written to my MP, Labour in a marginal seat. He refused to sign the early day motion, said it was a matter for the BBC and trotted out the usual nonsense line about being unable to keep the transmitters operating due to a lack of spare valves. Econoco rebuild such valves, as a matter of routine. There are plenty of solid-state Long Wave transmitters available if transmitter replacement to save energy is required.

    This is yet another example of how people in power ignore those who pay for their decisions.

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  17. Yvonne Gosme-Stuart Avatar
    Yvonne Gosme-Stuart

    Another facet of “soft power” is the ability of Radio 4 to vastly reinforce the feeling of “Britishness” felt by British expats who listen to it.

    That’s a lot of ambassadors in many different countries and a great asset which the UK ignores at its peril.

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  18. Mike Frsser Avatar
    Mike Frsser

    long wave is for communication, VHF, for local information. One longwave transmitter will cover hundreds of square miles, a VHF, just a few. Where are the economics in such a decision?

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  19. Peter Vaughan Avatar
    Peter Vaughan

    I’m really sad to learn this! LW has good coverage across most of Britain, better than FM. Especially away from towns and sources of interference, reception is decent. I have several radios that I listen to Radio 4 on LW – many without VHF. As for DAB, in the car, it’s dropout after dropout!

    The heritage value is important, too – news items of gravity seem more fitting to be heard through the medium of trusty AM radio.

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  20. Jonathan Lundy Avatar
    Jonathan Lundy

    One thing for you all to note – it is not the BBC that own or operate the transmission sites. It is Arqiva. They, and they alone, are the ones who have decided that it is no longer feasible for them to maintain the sites. The BBC will have no option here – sure, they could say “We’d like this to continue please”, but why risk a failure of some kind, potentially damaging not only the LW equipment, but also other equipment on the sites, and also damaging the reputation of the BBC and Arqiva at the same time? Arqiva, despite what people may think, will have sufficient technical bodies available to determine the right time to retire any site, including the LW sites.

    It is entirely possible that new valves could be made – the skills are certainly available. However, the cost to Arqiva and, in-turn, the BBC would likely be large due to it being a special order. This filters down to the licence-fee payer, many of whom no longer use Long Wave (indeed, many under 40 many not be aware of what it is – if teenagers can’t tune and identify Radio 1 on an FM radio, they certainly won’t have a clue about LW). Given the larger and larger amounts of people no longer paying the licence fee, it’s not justifiable under any sense of the word to be able to keep the service going. Where does the money come from? Cuts to BBC News? Cuts to children’s programs? Cuts to Radio 3 and 4? All these things, and many more, are of use to the public. Long-wave, is just one form of transmission, used for one service only.

    Thus, the cost, even for projecting soft power, is too great compared to the likely returns (and there’s no way to know just how many, if any, people are listening in Ukraine, Russia etc.) As for those listening in France and continental Europe, many of them may well have to do without, or use the BBC app, satellite, or other methods to get their Radio 4 fix. Frankly, if you live in continental Europe and yet still use the BBC’s services, you should also be paying the licence fee linked to your U.K. address – else-wise you are part of the problem. And if you no longer have a U.K. address, then you have no right to expect to use many of the BBC’s services, website excepted – you moved to a different country, integrate, learn the language, learn the culture, use their public service media where available. After all, the service is not aimed at those listeners in continental Europe and should not be kept going just so that someone having their breakfast in a French village can tune to ‘Today’.

    In addition, with the electricity companies making headway (albeit slowly) in replacing meters that use the associated data signal, there will be less financial incentive soon for anyone to continue to provide the service for the dwindling numbers of listeners – assuming that it is correct that the electricity companies are picking up a large amount, if not all, of the tab.

    Whilst it is sad to see it go, there are very very few people who do not have internet access of some kind, who also do not live in an FM area, and who do not have a satellite dish, mobile phone, or other method of receiving Radio 4 (after all, this is the only service affected by the closure of Long Wave). Though I don’t doubt there will be a handful who are in the above situation and have no other alternative, I suspect that people of this nature are very much determined to be ‘off-grid’. Even the originator of this website must have internet access – as such, they have an alternative method to access Radio 4.

    So long long-wave, it’s been a blast!

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  21. Dafydd Jones Avatar
    Dafydd Jones

    It is a shame. There’s no doubt the long wave signal has a long reach. Apparently it can be heard as far as North Africa at night and I can hear Radio algérienne so they must be able to hear Droitwich. I remember how Alger Chaîne 3 used to all but drown out Rte Radio when it was on 252khz.,rendering it all but unlistenable at night. Even the use of a portable communications receceiver with the option of narrow filters didn’t help much,the interference was so bad. It was pointed out,at the time,that it was possible to change the transmitter frequency,which would have undoubtedly required permission from the relevant authority,but RTE were obviously intent on ‘saving money’. I can only assume that was in their interests for the signal to be as unlistenable as possible.! Moving the transmitter to a clear frequency and thus providing the Irish diaspora in the UK with an interference free signal at night thereby giving them less of an excuse to switch the transmitter off. When the end finally came it was pretty brutal! RTE announcing that the transmitter would be switched off in (if memory serves me correctly) in around 2 weeks! Previous attempts by RTE giving the diaspora a few months before cut off having been met with stern resistance. RTE obviously anticipating another campaign decided the best option being to give the diaspora as little time as possible,if any,to mount an effective campaign (ie take the ‘enemy’ by surprise). They also used the energy crisis as an excuse,referring to soaring costs. The end result a couple of thousand,predominantly elderly diaspora cut off from a vital link to the Irish nation. You can access it via Freeview or Freesat they said. But most people want to use a tv to watch tv! Particularly when they’re got the radio on at home most of the day. As to listening on a mobile phone? Possible,yes,but allot of elderly people are not savvy with digital technology and have something called a landline (now being replaced by ‘Digital Voice’ which is,incidentally,as I found out myself,pretty useless in a power cut!). Bearing the Irish example in mind,is it possible that the BBC in their desperation to ‘save money’ are resorting to similar tactics by bringing the Radio 4 Long Wave switch off to June instead of September? Thereby reducing the effectiveness of any last ditch campaign. There are other examples of course. Anyone who has access to a shortwave radio may remember the fiasco of ABC Radio Australia’s switch off of the Shepperton transmitter which used to broadcast Australia’s voice to the world in various languages. I used to listen to their English language transmission from around the late afternoon untiil 10pm ust when they changed frequency & at the peak of summer,a little later,when conditions were right. The same argument’s about outdated technology and energy cost’s were mounted with ABC executives unmoved by a fierce campaign. Needless to say China took over the vacant frequencies. And CGTN can be picked up pretty much all day on shortwave. (The english service blasting on 17490khz around midday!) Interestingly (seeing that the technology is supposedly so expensive,outdated & useless) Radio New Zealand has (fairly) recently spent millions on buying new transmitters,so people in outlying areas & islands without internet access or who just want to use a phone to phone(!) can still stay connected. Nice old fashioned portable radios are still around too. The chinese company Tecsun make some very nice sw/lw/mw/fm communication portables with filters that you can select and are incredibly effective at filtering out interference from adjacent stations. You can buy them on Amazon & ebay. They won’t cost you a fortune & the technology is incredible for the price. (Please note I have no connection with the company!) Anyway,I digress & I hope this post wasn’t too long!! Only a few weeks to go,but to go but a big thankyou to everyone who has contributed to this campaign.

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  22. David Jones Avatar
    David Jones

    Interesting. My reasoned and sensible comment hasn’t been approved as it wasn’t totally supportive of keeping LW running. Disappointing.

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    1. t_thornes Avatar
      t_thornes

      Actually David it was due to our anti-spam precautions; all these comments have to be manually checked and when a lot arrive within a short space of time some can go temporarily by the wayside – especially the longer ones! Apologies and thank you for your helpful comments.

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  23. JP FORMATION Picabea Jorge Avatar
    JP FORMATION Picabea Jorge

    I’m an american, listening to BBC 4 in a basement in Normandy… The “English” way of doing radio was a welcome privilege… it will be greatly missed.

    Cheers from La Ferté-Macé, Normandy.

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