United Kingdom

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BBC Media Centre
Published: 11:30 am, 29 May 2023
Updated: 11:24 am, 28 May 2023

BBC Radio 4 begins information campaign to transition listeners from Long Wave.
The BBC has begun an information campaign to help transition listeners of Radio 4 Long Wave (LW) to alternative BBC platforms.

This follows the announcement in May 2022 that the BBC is to stop scheduling separate content for Radio 4 LW in anticipation of the closure of the LW platform, owned and operated by a third party, which is coming to the end of its life as a technology.

Radio 4 LW is starting to run targeted on air trails from today, giving listeners plenty of advance notice of the coming changes.

All programmes on Radio 4 LW – Shipping Forecast, Daily Service, Yesterday in Parliament and Test Match Special – will continue to be available on other BBC platforms.

Digital listening has grown significantly over the past decade as the range of alternatives has become easier to switch to, and listeners are increasingly accessing content elsewhere on the BBC. The audiences for Radio 4 LW are small, but we know there are some who still tune in on LW for their favourite programmes.

The BBC is working with key organisations so that specific audiences will be notified how they can switch to other BBC platforms to hear programmes between now and the end of Radio 4 LW separate scheduling in March 2024.

The Shipping Forecast will cease to be broadcast four times a day, and will instead be available via the Radio 4 FM simulcast twice a day (weekdays) and three times a day (weekends) as well as on DAB and BBC Sounds.

It will also continue to be broadcast via HM Coastguard’s channels. Whilst modern technology and new methods means the Shipping Forecast is no longer integral to mariners, the BBC has been working closely with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Met Office to ensure seafarers have adequate advance notice of the changes taking place next year and can prepare accordingly.

The Daily Service and the longer version of Yesterday in Parliament will also continue on LW until March 2024 and will then be available on BBC Radio 4 Extra and BBC Sounds.

Yesterday in Parliament will still be broadcast on the Today programme on Radio 4 FM/DAB.

Test Match Special is already available uninterrupted on Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds where listeners will continue to be able to access it digitally. All scheduled cricket matches on Radio 4 LW will still be broadcast this summer, for the final time. Radio 4 LW listeners will be reminded where they can hear the cricket across the BBC going forward.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/articles/2023/bbc-radio-4-long-wave-transition

Mike Terry to Longwaveradiolistening iog (2023-05-29)

United States

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My Town Media flipped two stations to Variety Hits as “Bob-FM” this weekend.
90s based Rock “Z107.5” 1550 KRZD/107.5 K298CI Springfield MO and “Radio X 103.5” KWXD Asbury MO both made the move to Kroeger Media’s “Bob-FM” brand on Friday.
In Springfield the flip places KRZD in direct competition with SummitMedia’s “106.7 The River” KRVI, while KWXD goes up against Carthage Broadcasting Company’s “95.1 Mike-FM” KMXL in Joplin MO/Pittsburg KS.
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/252565/bob-fm-debuts-in-springfield-joplin/

Lance Venta, RadioInsight (2023-05-28)

Spain

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This weekend COPE Castellón is observed on 1056 kHz with 50 Hz and 100 Hz hum.  After dark the resulting 3 kHz heterodyne can be heard far beyond the station’s service area.

David W. (2023-05-28)

Czechia

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Liblice update.
The output on 639 kHz will be 20 kW, like the Zbraslav transmission it will replace.
In addition Country Radio will also be transmit from Ceske Budejovice with 5 kW on 954 kHz, by the transmitter so far used for a DRM test. This per
https://www.lupa.cz/aktuality/country-radio-vyuzije-am-kmitocet-v-ceskych-budejovicich/

And the rumour mill describes the transmitter they brought to Liblice as a rig that came from Germany and has been obtained for scrap metal value. Which could be taken as a paraphrase for the ex-Topolna transmitter which indeed is the ex-261 kHz 1996 til 2000 transmitter from Burg. In this case it would, however, be a modification of a TRAM-L into a mediumwave TRAM. Thus I would not jump to conclusions here too quickly.

Kai Ludwig to WOR iog (2023-05-27)

Greece

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Greek pirate Radio Ekfrasi 1431.
1431 Radio Ekfrasi 26/5  1631 with nice old songs the presenter has a very nice radio voice. For around 20 minutes he only advised for dedications and salutations to  his listeners  Songs were quite good until 1635 then lowered the music quality to ‘heavier’ folk songs but after 1655  he returned to good songs.  

2×15 khz wide signal with 55+SNR signal  -75/-130db floor  

I stopped the SDR and continued  to listen via a portable Tecsun radio (signal 40/25) just in case  he advised any more personal info till the end of the program.  He didn’t notice any info.

Zacharias Liangas to mwcircle iog (2023-05-27)

United States

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Stations Sales of Week 5/26

Taylor Made Broadcasting Network sells AC 100.9 KGLC and Country 910 KVIS Miami OK to Michael Landis’ Land Go Radio Group for $100,000. Land Go owns “SoMo Sports Radio” 1560 WMBH/101.3 K268CP Joplin and Oldies 101.3 KHST Lamar MO. Taylor Made retains Country 99.3 KGVE Grove OK.

Joshua Smith’s Yankee Kingdom Media Corp. will acquire Country 101.3 WYKR-FM Haverhill NH and Christian 1100 WTWN/105.1 W286DE Wells River VT from Puffer Broadcasting for $125,000. Smith will also acquire the station’s tower properties from Puffer’s Mill Street Enterprises in a separate deal. Smith recently served.

Dos Media buys Spanish CHR “La Selecta” 1050 WVXX/103.3 W277DF Norfolk VA from Hindlin Broadcasting for $850,000. Dos Media has been operating WVXX via Time Brokerage Agreement since March 2021.
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/252511/station-sales-week-of-5-26/

Lance Venta, RadioInsight (2023-05-26)

United States

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Well, WRSB Brockport NY has shifted from 1590 to 1600 in the last week or so. This is the station whose tower I can see from my porch. I could barely hear the signal at night on 1590 and that seems to be the case with 1600, too. In fact, there is a wicked blob on 1600 at 0200 UTC, which can only be WRSB, I think. See if you can hear the blob, too. Who knows? It may change your life, but probably won’t. 

Jim Renfrew, Clarendon NY to irca iog (2023-05-27)

Spain

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Next Sunday Spain will celebrate municipal and regional elections.
RNE will have special local/regional programming:

UTC
0804, 0904 & 1004: 2 min. of regional info.
1850-1900: Regional
1955-2000: Regional
2025-2030: Local
0030*-…: 20 min. of Regional/Local info. This break does not have a fixed start time.
RNE-Castilla y León will do 10 min Regional, 10 min. Local. Other regions may make a different time sharing.

73! Mauricio Molano, Salamanca Spain (2023-05-26)

Japan

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Only 1 AM station in Japanese Kanto area have decided to stop AM from February 2024.
According to May 21 issue of “Tokyo Simbun”, only 1 AM station in Kanto area have decided to stop AM from February 2024.

Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications permits AM commercial radio stations to stop AM on a trial bases for maximum 2 years from February  2024, if they request in November 2023, when all the AM radio stations renew licenses.

As for Kanto area (Tokyo and surrounded 6 prefectures), only 1 AM station out of 6 decided to stop AM.

Tokyo: Nippon Hoso (Kisarazu 1242kHz/Tokyo Sky Tree 93.0MHz), Bunka Hoso (Kawaguchi 1134kHz/Tokyo Sky Tree 91.6MHz), TBS Radio (Toda 954kHz/Tokyo Sky Tree 90.5MHz) do not stop AM, because 1) each station has only one AM transmitter site, 2) FM from Tokyo Sky Tree (634m) cannot cover the northern Kanto areas.

Kanagawa: Radio Nippon (Kawasaki 1422kHz/Odawara 1485kHz/Yokohama-Tsurumi 92.4MHz) is considering not stop AM because most of the listeners are old aged who prefer to listen on AM.

Tochigi: Tochigi Hoso (Utsunomiya 1530kHz/Nasu 864kHz/Ashikaga 1062kHz/Utsunomiya 94.1MHz/Ashikaga 91.1MHz/3 relays 93.4MHz）does not decided yet. Cause for concern is the low penetration of the FM radios receivable above 90MHz (Japanese old FM radio is covering only 76-90MHz).

Ibaragi: Ibaragi Hoso (Mito 1197kHz/2 relays 1458kHz/Tsukuba 88.1MHz/Hitachi 88.1MHz/Moriya 88.1MHz/Mito 94.6MHz) decided to stop AM because 100W FM transmitter in Tsukuba (located at the top of Mt.Hokyo 461m) can cover much wider areas than AM. 88.1MHz can be received by old FM radios for 76-90MHz.

Original article is https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/251392.

Takahito Akabayashi, Tokyo, Japan to WOR iog (2023-05-24)