Good Bye BBC World Service on 648 kHz

BBC World Service on medium wave 648 kHz will soon be history. As the BBC announced on 26 January 2011, the broadcasts are to be discontinued in March due to reduced funding. Further drastic cuts such as the closure of several language services, reduction of shortwave broadcasting and the loss of 650 jobs were also announced. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2011/01_january/26/wor... for more information.

The World Service served Western Europe on 648 kHz for decades. The video shows reception of the Orford Ness 500 kW transmitter at my home in Northwest Germany on 26 January 2011, using my Roadstar TRA-2350P portable world band receiver.

Having been a dedicated BBC listener for 25 years, I sadly say Good Bye to one of my favourite stations.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• bbc
• world
• service
• medium
• wave
• mw
• am
• 648
• khz
• cuts
• closedown
• switchoff
• radio
• reception
• dx
• dxing
• mittelwelle
• empfang
• abschaltung
• 648 kHz
• roadstar
• tra-2350p
• redsun
• rp2000
• weltempfänger
• band
• receiver

[mutezone]

Closure of BBC World Service on 648 kHz will be on the 27th of March 2011.

[senderjaeger]

@mutezone Thanks for the info. That matches with what I've read elsewhere.

[dx91PL]

I never thought that BBC WS leaves their medium wave frequency 648 kHz. It's really sad news...

[senderjaeger]

@dx91PL I must admit that I feared so for some time due to experience (their policy of cuts began in 1999 with the closure of the German service and continued step by step by step...). And now the unthinkabnle becomes true. It's so sad...

[pesnyaozemle]

I agree. I saw off BBC Japanese programme 20 years ago. Now they announced they will abolish the programmes of Hindi, Vietnamese and so on.

[senderjaeger]

@pesnyaozemle I was a keen listener of their renowned German service and it was a shock when they ceased it in 1999. Then they cut back English broadcasts on SW to North America, Australasia and Europe and now they cripple the service almost altogether. It's really sad...

[EsaiasP]

Sad, sad, sad! I listened to BBC WS on 648 kHZ everyday while driving to work. Location: Luxembourg. Local radio stations here are rubbish. I guess I have to purchase one of those smart phones with unlimited Internet access and connect it to my car radio.

[allstarsnorks2]

@mutezone. That's a day after my birthday.

[passengerplanetearth]

fell asleep to the World Service last night as usual, woke up this morning (27/3/2011) to an empty hiss :-(

RIP BBCWS, you had a good innings, that's for sure.

[Saraswatifan]

Can't we buy the frequency or the feed and support it with commercial advertising? I bet we could keep the World Service and even make money on it. Anyone interested?

[IK0RNT]

I've just known something terrible! I'm gonna miss one of my favourite broadcasting when I'll be driving the car. I was really RELYING on that emission!!! :-( I was even thinking of improving the reception with the car radio...