[airwaves]

http://radiotoday.co.uk/2012/08/bbc-...tching-off-am/

I wonder if there will be any complaints from listeners during the trial...

[wavy-davy]

I think Radio Merseyside still has a very high percentage listening on AM, especially in areas like North Wales and Anglesey where Scousers like to retire.

Somehow I can't see their listeners going along with this..

[SouthCity]

Originally Posted by wavy-davy

I think Radio Merseyside still has a very high percentage listening on AM, especially in areas like North Wales and Anglesey where Scousers like to retire.

Somehow I can't see their listeners going along with this..

I think they might have to live with it, the alternative is to find the savings from programming which means more lost jobs.

I assume that when Everton, Liverpool & Tranmere are all playing at 3pm on a Saturday they use FM, DAB and online for the separate commentaries.

Some BBC locals on DAB went down to 80k mono for a short period before the Olympics, which suggests that the BBC may be looking at an 80k/48k split of their allocation to accommodate sports commentaries in future.

[David_Ayling]

radio kent some times put its sports output on MW but they also put it out on DAB & online. radio kent are no longer pluging 774khz on air. when tell you where to find the sport. they now only say about find it online & DAB & FM for main programes

[LeeBoy19]

Originally Posted by SouthCity

I think they might have to live with it, the alternative is to find the savings from programming which means more lost jobs.

I assume that when Everton, Liverpool & Tranmere are all playing at 3pm on a Saturday they use FM, DAB and online for the separate commentaries.

Some BBC locals on DAB went down to 80k mono for a short period before the Olympics, which suggests that the BBC may be looking at an 80k/48k split of their allocation to accommodate sports commentaries in future.

Not sure if they do but Radio Humberside frequently use DAB, AM and FM to cover Grimsby Town, Scunthorpe & Hull City when all playing at the same time.

[Yordel]

Originally Posted by SouthCity

I assume that when Everton, Liverpool & Tranmere are all playing at 3pm on a Saturday they use FM, DAB and online for the separate commentaries.

Not sure they can put any football commentaries online

[MikeBr]

Originally Posted by Yordel

Not sure they can put any football commentaries online

They can use online for Blue Square Premier commentaries which is perhaps what BBC Radio Humberside sometimes do with the Grimsby commentary.

Luton Town commentary is always on 630 and online. IIRC Stevenage was often online only when they were in the Blue Square Premier.

As you say I believe it's different for Football League and Premier League?

[Jim_AFCB]

Yes, there is a separate contract for Prem and Football League commentaries which are only available online through the clubs' official websites.

[MikeBr]

The BBC statement on the medium wave switch off trial is at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/mwtrial/

[superbike999]

Originally Posted by Yordel

Not sure they can put any football commentaries online

They often put football commentaries on line. In the past week I have listened to BBC Radio Humberside and BBC Radio Cambridgeshire for Southport away matches in Blue Square Premier. Listened on Roberts 83i internet stream and also on computer. The is sometimes a problem where the Beeb block matches on internet radios to prevent non UK listeners tuning in. If you view the link below, it will show you the recent and forthcoming matches:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/13629210

[RadioRob]

Explanatory loop on Kent 774.

Usual game here at home of find the source of the electronic noise that's making MW reception tricky.

[Yordel]

Originally Posted by superbike999

They often put football commentaries on line. In the past week I have listened to BBC Radio Humberside and BBC Radio Cambridgeshire for Southport away matches in Blue Square Premier. Listened on Roberts 83i internet stream and also on computer. The is sometimes a problem where the Beeb block matches on internet radios to prevent non UK listeners tuning in. If you view the link below, it will show you the recent and forthcoming matches:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/13629210

Ooops, knew it wouldn't be the case for non-league football

[RadioRob]

i suppose the question's got to be asked even if the answer is certain. If these frequencies are released from BBC use, will they be made available for commercial/community use?

[eugenespeed]

Up here they have the home game on MW and the away game on FM (or it could be the other way round) for when both Newcastle and Sunderland are playing. (Gateshead are usually relegated to online).

This is BBC Newcastle of course.

I say this because it would be a pain in the neck if they lost AM. There's DAB, which I have personally, but how many others do?

[Fader Start]

Considering another upshot of DQF was that BBC Local Radio should reduce its spend on sports rights, sports splits will become a moot (as well as mute) point.

[Gerry1]

I'm surprised that Radio Kent is a trial area.

Its DAB coverage is dire, very poor in the west because the long-promised transmitter at Kemsing still hasn't materialised, and it's totally non-existent towards the Channel coast because we mustn't annoy the French.

www.localdigitalradio.co.uk/KentTX.jpg

In fact, West Kent's coverage will be poorer than that shown because the powerful new Wrotham TXs on 11B and 11D punch a hole locally in Kent's weak coverage on 11C.

The switchoff means Radio Kent has now completely lost the ability to do a simple FM/MWsplit, let alone a three-way FM/MW/DAB split.

Still, if 1602 is really unplugged it'll be good news for Radio Waddenzee / Radio Seagull !

[RadioRob]

Similarly if 774 goes off we can all listen out for Radio 390 again

[Martin Phillp]

Radio Kent's main West Kent tx on 1035 was closed years ago and handed over to commercial radio in London as 96.7 FM was seen as having sufficient coverage from Wrotham.

1602 is really for SW Kent, including Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.

774's coverage area has FM relays for Shepway, although it leaves Thanet with patchy 104.2 coverage or DAB.

[airwaves]

Originally Posted by Gerry1

I'm surprised that Radio Kent is a trial area.

Its DAB coverage is dire, very poor in the west because the long-promised transmitter at Kemsing still hasn't materialised, and it's totally non-existent towards the Channel coast because we mustn't annoy the French.

From what I understand this is no longer the case with regard to France. We are just waiting for the build out of transmitters to improve coverage across the whole county.

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/bin...t_DAB_V1_0.pdf

[TUC]

Was the trial announced well un advance or have the BBC just announced it at the same time as doing it? Clearly if a commercial station wanted to trial switching off an AM simulcast (not that there"s many examples of this these days) it would need OFCOM consent.

[happyradio]

Radio Nottingham putting out the loop announcement on 1584 which serves north Notts. Their 1521 transmitter closed two or three years ago. Looking on the bright side, I may now be able to receive MAR if they are still using 1584.
When BBC local radio started it was not going to be on AM, so they have got there in the end.

[kev]

Originally Posted by happyradio

Radio Nottingham putting out the loop announcement on 1584 which serves north Notts. Their 1521 transmitter closed two or three years ago.

It's been longer than that - it's not been in use for the whole time I've been in Nottingham which means at least 12 years.

Originally Posted by RadioRob

i suppose the question's got to be asked even if the answer is certain. If these frequencies are released from BBC use, will they be made available for commercial/community use?

Considering BBC Radio Nottingham's Nottingham frequency has remained unused (being removed from the BBC for commercial radio use) for well over a decade due to a lack of demand I very much doubt they will ever be used for analogue commercial radio. There is an outside possibility of community radio - but I can't see why anyone would bother especially in cities where the interference levels are high.

[R300]

BBC Radio Lincolnshire - yes they went back to their old name the other month - have a loop playing on 1368mw that for some strange and maybe retro reason is also calling itself 219 metres, just like in the very old days. The loop is telling people to retune to 94.9 or 104.7.

[Iworkinradio]

Originally Posted by RadioRob

i suppose the question's got to be asked even if the answer is certain. If these frequencies are released from BBC use, will they be made available for commercial/community use?

648 khz remains silent since the world service disappeared doesn't it?

[hanssolo]

Originally Posted by RadioRob

i suppose the question's got to be asked even if the answer is certain. If these frequencies are released from BBC use, will they be made available for commercial/community use?

3 London stations which got AM licences have yet to get on air!
http://radiotoday.co.uk/round2/