[London Lite]

10 years or so ago, there used to be a DAB station for London's French community called French Radio London.

It was a good idea, provide a Londoncentric French language service for French ex-pats and those visiting the capital, but I don't think they factored in that most if not all French radio stations from the national PSBs to the likes of Europe 1, 2 and RTL and even the small regional commercial stations can all be heard in the UK with no geoblocking.

It's not like it was 20 years ago when my French grandmother would listen to RTL on long wave.

[Stooky Bill]

There's 3 real reasons 198 LW still exists - switching electricity meters, the shipping forecast and British people abroad who want to listen to Radio 4. 

Is the final point a genuine reason, or just an inadvertent bonus for expats? The BBC doesn’t have any obligation to provide its domestic services to people outside the country. Plus wouldn’t the vast majority of British people abroad have been listening online for many years now anyway?

Less of a reason now, though I don't know how much they geoblock Radio 4. I imagine the majority of its listeners these days are either cricket fans or abroad.... or both. 

However back in the early 90s there was a big campaign by British immigrants abroad when it was threatened. 

During the Gulf War they split Radio 4 and put rolling news 'Scud FM' on FM. This gave them the taste for rolling news the BBC wanted to start a new rolling news radio station. The original plan was for it to go onto 198 LW. However there was such an uproar about it that it replaced Radio 5 instead. Radio 4 LW had been a sacred cow since

[James2001]

The first one is the only thing that's keeping it going and that doesn't actually need to have any radio broadcast alongside it. The equivalent French system stopped broadcasting a few years ago but kept the data transmission

Can't help but think if they need to keep the transmitters on air for the data broadcast, they may as well keep the radio station alongside it.

[Stooky Bill]

The first one is the only thing that's keeping it going and that doesn't actually need to have any radio broadcast alongside it. The equivalent French system stopped broadcasting a few years ago but kept the data transmission

Can't help but think if they need to keep the transmitters on air for the data broadcast, they may as well keep the radio station alongside it.

If the transmitter is only transmitting data, and no BBC radio then the BBC won't be paying for it, those whose data it is will be. 

Although I think the power demands of just transmitting the data is a lot less than audio, it's just a carrier, it might also well be that it wouldn't be transmitting 24/7

[James2001]

Apparently the French data broadcast on 162kHz is at 800kw (which is actually more than all three Radio 4 longwave transmitters combined), which is probably the same as when it was broadcasting France Inter, so it doesn't seem like data alone uses a lower power signal.

If it's not going to cost any less to run the transmitters with just data, and the data is vital, maybe there should be some agreement over spitting costs between the different agencies.

[Stooky Bill]

Apparently the French data broadcast on 162kHz is at 800kw (which is actually more than all three Radio 4 longwave transmitters combined), which is probably the same as when it was broadcasting France Inter, so it doesn't seem like data alone uses a lower power signal.

If it's not going to cost any less to run the transmitters with just data, and the data is vital, maybe there should be some agreement over spitting costs between the different agencies.

But the point is that it's not the BBCs transmitter. If they stop using it but the electricity companies still need to then the only answer is to rent it from Arqiva and take on the full cost of transmitting it

It will cost less... well it'll cost the BBC less. It'll cost the electricity companies more but they're not exactly short on money

[Dadeki]

The following Absolute Radio transmitters closed on 23 Jan

Gloucester 1197
Brighton 1197
Washford 1215
Droitwich 1215
Boston 1242

The rest remain on air for now.

Today’s medium wave closure
23 Jan 2023 Gloucester 1197 kHz in addition to yesterday’s list

24 Jan 2023
1170 kHz GHR Teeside
1197 kHz Absolute Radio Bournemouth
1197 kHz Absolute Radio Oxford
1215 kHz Absolute Radio Westerglen
1215 kHz Absolute Radio Postwick
1233 kHz Absolute Radio Northampton
1233 kHz Absolute Radio Msningtree
1242 kHz Absolute Radio Teeside
1278 kHz GHR Bradford

There are only 8 transmitters still on air carrying a retune loop for Absolute Radio now. These are:
1197 kHz Nottingham (Trowell)
1215 kHz Moorside Edge
1215 kHz Lusnagarvey
1215 kHz Newcastle (Wrrkerton)
1215 kHz Fareham
1215 kHz Brookman’s Park
1242 kHz Sideway
1260 kHz Lydd

Today’s medium wave closures +25 Jan 2023 – all Absolute Radio

Fareham 1215 kHz
Brookmans Park 1215 kHz
Wrekerton 1215 kHz
Moorside Edge 1215 kHz
Sideway 1242 kHz

Only 3 now remain on air. These are

Trowell 1197 kHz
Lusnagarvey 1215 kHz
Lydd 1260 kHz

Absolute Radio
1197 – Nottingham/Trowell Moor is off-air this morning.

Nick Button to mwcircle iog (2023-01-26)

Source: mediumwave.info

January 2023 – Ydun's Medium Wave Info
10 posts published by mw during January 2023
  Source: mediumwave.info

[Dadeki]

Just a brief post to say that the final transmitter at Lisnagarvey has now been switched off. The end of an era, for sure.

[BBI45]

radiotoday.co.uk 

Bauer could be fined for turning off Absolute Radio’s AM service – RadioToday
Ofcom is considering giving Bauer a financial penalty for ending its national AM…
  Source: radiotoday.co.uk

[Spencer]

radiotoday.co.uk 

I would imagine they knew this would be a possibility, but figured the cost of running the transmitters for the rest of the licence period would outweigh any fine.