Greatest Hits Radio 1170 Swansea.
The station (Swansea Sound from September 1974 until September 2020) is currently playing a loop advising listeners that their normal programming “can no longer be heard on this frequency”, and to listen via DAB, Smart Speaker etc. Normal programming was heard at 0400 on 26th July, but the loop was being broadcast from 2100 on the same day. I see that the Wikipedia entry says “An End of Service Message will be broadcast from the Winch Wen Site beginning 26/07/2022 for one week, and the 1170KHz service will be switched off W/C 01/08/2022”
All other GHR MW that I can hear at this QTH are carrying their normal programmes today. As it is the only GHR station that I can find that’s closing, I wonder if the MW licence conditions (inherited from Swansea Sound) are too expensive/onerous for Bauer to meet? As far as I am aware 1170 is the only GHR MW transmitter in Wales and one can conclude that it is the only GHR outlet that requires Welsh language programming as part of its licence conditions. The Gareth Hurford show at 2200 is presented entirely in Welsh. Was that the last opportunity to hear the Welsh language on MW? It may be that there is some Welsh broadcast from Trelew on MW, I don’t know.
It’s also interesting that in this case (as with some other GHR outlets) there is option to retune to an FM station because there is none. Ex-Swansea Sound’s FM 96.4 does not carry GHR. All of the BBC Local Radio stations that closed last year left MW but continued analogue broadcasting on FM – although how audible the FM was in some areas was open to question. In the case of GHR 1170, it is MW to digital only.
Andrew to mwcircle iog (2022-07-28)