BBC 198 KHz LW To End?

[Charlie_Dont_Surf]

Embedded in this article on the BBC Radio 4's shipping forecast is the nugget that the latest cuts are to close longwave 198 KHz.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/jun/03/shipping-forecast-radio-4-long-wave-broadcast

Yet the announcement that Radio 4’s long wave signal will be shut down as part of the BBC’s latest cuts has left many wondering how the country’s fishing fleet will cope without access to the four-times-a-day updates.

The BBC plans to end dedicated programming on its Radio 4 long wave frequency next year, which could mean the loss of two of the current four shipping broadcast updates.

but then later it appears to contradicts itself:

The long wave signal – which has been threatened before and currently relies on a small supply of metre-high historic glass valves to keep broadcasting – will survive for a few more years.

No surprise but some clarity comes from an industry website:

https://rxtvinfo.com/2022/multiple-bbc-channels-to-close

The content is embedded in javascript and I can't copy and paste it easily but the gist appears to be that Radio 4 will go off 198 at some point in the near future and then that transmitter may stay on after that, but the programming on 198 isn't described here, if it known at this time.

Of course, 198 has been threatened with closure many times in the past. LW DXers might want to try to QSL them this coming northern hemisphere winter just to be sure anyway.

[Ray Lalleu]

That story of the last few outdated valves is nonsense.
There are lots of second hand all solid state transmitters, each one with a 400 kW carrier output. The Europe 1 site had at least 5 of them, with only 5 years in use before being discarded.
And those modern units are far more power efficient than the old valve units.

The TX operator could easily modernize the Droitwich site, but surely, the BBC doesn't want to sign a new contract for enough years to justify the upgrade.

And why no one ever mentions the 2 sync relays in Scotland ?

[~SIGINT~]

Doom and gloom. It certainly would be a shame to loose all those services proposed by the service cuts. I frequently listen to the long wave (LW) service (198 kHz) via the University of Twente Wide-band WebSDR. The plans appear to be rather radical for an institution which has been predominent on the air-waves sine 1922.

Bellow are snippets of the RX:TV article.

CBBC, BBC Four and Radio 4 Extra won't close immediately, but are due to be scrapped before the current BBC Charter and licence fee deal ends in 2027, but no earlier than 2025. Content will then move online.

Similarly, the BBC plans to stop broadcasting a separate schedule for BBC Radio 4 Longwave ahead of a full withdrawal from 198kHz in the coming years. Radio 4 content will continue on its other frequencies and digital/online outlets.

With the changes, the BBC wants to drive more users to the iPlayer and BBC Sounds. It currently reaches less than 50% of its viewers through the iPlayer, but wants to hit 75%.

Radio 4 LW closure
The UK is one of the last places in the world to still have a long wave radio service, with the waveband becoming quieter as foreign services cease to broadcast.

BBC Radio 5 Live Medium Wave closure
BBC Radio 5 Live's frequencies on 693 and 909 kHz will fall silent by December 2027, in line with a proposed industry wide exit from medium wave broadcasting.

[Molvania Poacher]

They've been banging the drum about those rare valves for some time now:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/oct/09/bbc-radio4-long-wave-goodbye

[Charlie_Dont_Surf]

The TX operator could easily modernize the Droitwich site, but surely, the BBC doesn't want to sign a new contract for enough years to justify the upgrade.

That is really what is at issue. With a tenuous position in LW, they aren't going to spend any money on even a used transmitter, even though the cost of electricity will certainly be even higher over the coming months and years.