The Long Wave Goodbye - the end of BBC Radio 4 198kHz/1515m

After over 90 years, the BBC is ending transmissions on long wave. The final broadcast of the National Anthem signalled the end of Radio 4 programming on 198kHz/1515m at 1am BST today (27th June) and over the next couple of days an announcement is being played advising listeners of all the other means at their disposal of listening to the station.

I daresay most of them know! I'm mainly a digital audio and smart speaker listener these days, but it always gave me pleasure to switch on an old Hacker, Defiant or Ever Ready and hear the mellow sound of radio broadcasting the way it had been in generations past.

The Droitwich transmitter in the English West Midlands started its full BBC National programming on 200kHz/1500m in 1934. During the war years it was part of the BBC 'Home Service' and in 1945 was allocated to the 'Light Programme', playing the popular music of the day. And so it continued until 1978, when the frequency reverted to the re-named 'Home Service', by this stage known as Radio 4 after a big revamp of BBC radio in 1967 which included the introduction of - gosh! - a pop station. In 1988 the frequency was tweaked. All the time, though. FM was picking up listeners. In recent times, digital audio, smart speakers and all the rest were also draining the relevance away from the long wave service. The technology was old, problems of renewing critical components surfaced and the ever-present budgetary constraints of the BBC hastened its inevitable demise.

So, farewell, then! I've already mentioned the last thing they played on Radio 4 long wave. But-What was the first thing they played on its predecessor National Programme? I'm pleased to say it was this - 'The Merrymakers' overture by Eric Coates, he of 'Dam Busters' fame. It's as nice a way to remember a national institution that I can think of.

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