LONDON — Ten BBC local radio stations will lose at least one AM transmitter this coming January as part of the BBC’s Delivering Quality First plan.
BBC Radio Devon, Radio Lancashire and BBC Essex will be heard on fewer frequencies; BBC Radio Sussex, Surrey, Humberside, Wiltshire, Nottingham, Kent, and Lincolnshire will no longer be accessible on medium wave at all, according to radiotoday.co.uk.
The BBC has turned off a number of medium-wave transmitters over the past few years and after audience feedback (or lack thereof) made the decision to turn off 13 more MW transmitters. “We conducted detailed assessments of the coverage of each BBC local radio station on FM, MW and DAB. Following this process, we trialled the switch-off of a number of medium-wave transmitters and asked for audience feedback. Taken together, the audience feedback and the coverage data have informed which medium wave transmitters are unlikely to represent value for money in the longer term,” said Kieran Clifton, Director, BBC Distribution & Business Development, quoted in the same article.
The BBC says it knows the shut-downs will have an impact on some listeners but encourages them to listen on FM, DAB, Freeview or online instead. (Radiomagonline)