Does look like the Wrexham and Chester AM licence is doing well with a licence renewal (from being on NWales DAB) and had a fantastic Rajar of a 391.9 % increase in y to y listening.

But further analysis of http://radiotoday.co.uk/rajar/
shows back in q1 2009 only had 6k listeners (and just missed being closed by Fru Hazlett of GCAP who wanted to shut AM and DAB).
Figures as Gold rose to 30k, but dropped back to 14k q1 2014.
The large Rajar increase after this when Gold changed to Smooth, may be listeners picking up Smooth on FM from NW England and digital platforms.
Rajar do not publish AM figures, but I suspect AM listening is now less than 20% for this licence, and when DAB is fully rolled out in N Wales and the probably expensive 1260 AM transmitter site maintenance contract runs out, Global will close Smooth 1260 AM long before the licence expires 2027?.

A report today on France Inter says that medium wave will close by the end of this year and longwave by the end of 2016. I can't quite tell from the translation if this is now definite or a proposal still not finally confirmed.
http://www.franceinter.fr/depeche-a-...nt-de-tensions

Seems pretty definitive that it's going to happen; if it were just a proposal and only might be happening, 'permettra' and 'sera' would be 'permettrait' and 'serait' respectively. With 4000+ angry employees on the warpath, MW and LW are low-hanging fruit as far as RF's management are concerned.

It was already clear that de Dutch public broadcaster NPO was going to end their last AM 747 kHz broadcasts on 1 September. NPO Radio 5 was the only NPO station still on AM, they will remain on DAB+ and online.

It has now also become clear that Radio Maria (a catholic station, essentially a national franchise as part of the international Radio Maria stations) will end their AM broadcasts (675 kHz) early September. They had already reduced transmitter power from 57 kW to 25 kW but electricity and maintenance cost for the mast are too high to keep it on air. The owner, KPN Broadcast, now wants to decommission the mast altogether. They will remain on DAB+ and online. Mediamagazine.nl: Radio Maria stopt uitzendingen via middengolf

There are rumours that Radio 538 have reduced their existing transmitter power (on 891 kHz) down to 2 kW. Their license permits them to use 22 kW. They used that frequency to cover parts of the country where they had no FM coverage but considering they now have nationwide DAB+ coverage they likely don't see the need to invest in their AM frequency.

The Dutch Department for Economic Affairs has recently stated that many existing AM license holders have signalled they don't plan on extending their license when they expire in 2017. This has prompted the department to consider turning the AM in a hobby band for low power AM (LPAM) transmissions for non-commercial use.

There's an announcement on their website. Google translates seems to say that broadcasts will end August 31?
http://www.radiomaria.nl/?p=2709

For many years Hilversum III and then Radio 10 Gold provided an alternative to the dreary over-the-air UK offerings, especially in the car.

It's just a shame that 675 ended up as an outlet for religious propaganda. At least that will soon be disappearing, although sadly not from DAB !

"Na 1 september" means after 1 September. That suggests that 1 September is the last day of their broadcast. Not sure if they meant to write after 31 August...

They still do - over the internet. I use a mobile phone with a small FM transmitter and can hear those (and many others in FM stereo quality. The only downside is occasional dropouts due to mobile coverage issues.

And cost of the data exceeding the petrol...

What was on Hilversum III? When did that stop broadcasting?

It went through a number of rebrands (Hilversum III, Radio 3, Radio 3FM) and is now called 3FM. It's the Dutch version of BBC Radio 1.

Thank you. It seems this launched nearly 2 years before Radio 1.

hoi,

Launching on 11 October 1965, NPO 3FM was created as Hilversum 3 (later Radio 3) by the Minister for Culture and Social Recreation, Maarten Vrolijk, to counterbalance the popular new offshore stations such as Radio Veronica.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NPO_3FM

Yes, 891 used to be a good s9 here all day but that's now dropped to very weak audio now I heard reports that the reduced power was due to tx maintanence but I doubt that now!

From Google translate
http://www.lalettre.pro/Radio-France...-OM_a8031.html

Looks like Frañce inter on FM has problems near some borders so some lower cost DAB relays will be needed?
One comment is some clocks use the AM transmission, so this will need to be sorted.

I don't think the licence renewal could have been claimed from the simulcast on North Wales multiplex - I think it was more likely to have been from the co-owned Heart on the Liverpool multiplex.

Actually no, I have a very good (SIM only) deal with unlimited data

hoi,

some nice sounds from the AM

675 AM:
end of radio 3 (1-2-1993)
http://radio-tv-nederland.nl/radio/e...io3-am-675.mp3

radio 10 gold start (febr. 1994)
http://radio-tv-nederland.nl/radio/r...old-am-675.mp3

radio arrow classic rock start (1/6/2003)
http://radio-tv-nederland.nl/radio/einde10fmopAM675.mp3

1332AM:
radio nationaal start(5-5-2000)
http://radio-tv-nederland.nl/radio/a...-%20am1332.mp3

1395AM:
end of radio 10 gold 1395(29-7-2004)
http://radio-tv-nederland.nl/radio/r...0am%201395.mp3

1008AM:
start radio 10 gold(1-6-2004)
http://radio-tv-nederland.nl/radio/r...gold1008am.mp3

end radio 10 gold (31-8-2007)
http://radio-tv-nederland.nl/radio/U...r%20AM1008.mp3

Bad news from France:


http://mediumwave.info/news.html

I currently get unlimited data from Three at £20 per month but I've been told this may end at some point. Currently, they do unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, and unlimited data for £27 per month.

Three are the only company providing unlimited data (not sure if T mobile still exist or are providing it). Three's cheapest unlimited data tariff is £16 per month and there's a pay as you go add on at £15.

Internet radio really is great and the quality is miles better than DAB. Coverage is also far better, although there are a few black spots around here.

I really am quite surprised at the France Inter news. The Allouis Long Wave transmissions were not just the only way to get blanket coverage of France, but they were seen as an important means of French influence over their immediate neighbours and for the French Language. I thought French Long Wave would be one of the last to go.

But the situation at Radio France seems pretty desperate.

Wonder if this will influence Europe 1 as to whether they continue on long wave?

FM and mobile data covers most of France and DAB+ is being looked at by Radio France for some areas.

Is Manx Radio still broadcasting on AM? I couldn't pick it up in Manchester yesterday. ..

Yes, it's on a directional roughly N-S antenna pattern which affects reception in the North West.
http://www.manxradio.com/about-us/listen-to-us/

If you check their schedules there are some AM only programmes.

To be fair, Manchester is a fair way from the Isle of Man, but I got nothing, not even a faint signal in the crackle.