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Marking the end of Radio 4 Long Wave from Droitwich in September 2026

Hugh Breidenbach

What programme will mark this closedown?

The BBC broadcasts Radio 4 on Long Wave from Droitwich Transmitting Station, which is owned and operated by Arqiva.

Plans for ending Long Wave broadcasts have been announced and postponed. Online sources suggest that a final date has been announced as September 2026.

I cannot find an authoritative source to confirm this.

  1. If you go in person to find a point of contact at Broadcasting House, you will merely get directed to a “WhatsApp” mailbox that is not monitored.

I am a volunteer for the IET Local Network Germany, where R4 LW has been a lifeline to ex-pats. I have also conducted a very basic experiment to measure radio reception in Berlin, with assistance and advice from amateur radio experts. This is detailed in the links below.

Nostalgia aside, BBC Radio 4 Long Wave has served UK business, culture, and defence, from maritime broadcasts to national contingency communication.  A programme to duly commemorate the closedown ought to be in the pipeline.  A number of people would like to contribute to it.

The professional engineering institution most closely linked with the BBC is the IET.  Can anyone recommend a BBC contact please?

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    As far as I am aware, the current intention is to shut-down medium wave (MW) broadcasting in the UK by 2027 and I would imagine the same timeframe may apply to long wave (LW) broadcasting too.

    Searching online, I found the following link (in German) that gives the very specific date of 26 September 2026 for the shut-down of BBC Radio 4 LW on 198 kHz, which would be consistent with the the intention for a complete shut-down by 2027.

    https://www.radioeins.de/programm/sendungen/medienmagazin/radio_news/beitraege/2021/bbc_langwelle.html

    That said, I have lost count of how many dates for the shut-down of BBC Radio 4 LW have came and went over the past few years! Confused

    The article mentions the Lisnagarvey Transmitting Station in Northern Ireland, which now has only two out of its original five MW stations remaining on air, showing the MW shut-down is well underway.

    When BBC Radio Ulster on 1341 kHz from Lisnagarvey was shut-down in 2021, I don't think there was anything special to mark the occaision - as far as I know, the programming stopped and was replaced with a recorded annoucement for a few weeks, before the transmitter was finally switched off.

    - Ross

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  • 0

    As far as I am aware, the current intention is to shut-down medium wave (MW) broadcasting in the UK by 2027 and I would imagine the same timeframe may apply to long wave (LW) broadcasting too.

    Searching online, I found the following link (in German) that gives the very specific date of 26 September 2026 for the shut-down of BBC Radio 4 LW on 198 kHz, which would be consistent with the the intention for a complete shut-down by 2027.

    https://www.radioeins.de/programm/sendungen/medienmagazin/radio_news/beitraege/2021/bbc_langwelle.html

    That said, I have lost count of how many dates for the shut-down of BBC Radio 4 LW have came and went over the past few years! Confused

    The article mentions the Lisnagarvey Transmitting Station in Northern Ireland, which now has only two out of its original five MW stations remaining on air, showing the MW shut-down is well underway.

    When BBC Radio Ulster on 1341 kHz from Lisnagarvey was shut-down in 2021, I don't think there was anything special to mark the occaision - as far as I know, the programming stopped and was replaced with a recorded annoucement for a few weeks, before the transmitter was finally switched off.

    - Ross

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