Whatever has happened to Radio Four FM?

[awemawson]

The other day I tuned in to listen to the news and seemed only to get pop music, today again I tuned in for the 1 PM news and got an awful cacophony of throbbing sound that I suspect was meant for Radio 1.

I know that the BBC have lost the plot but have they actually got rid of Radio Four?

 

[skotl]

Only just turned off Radio 4 1pm news on DAB so I guess the FM frequencies have change

 

[James1979]

I only listen on DAB and it’s like normal radio 4

 

[merryman]

Just had Fook on before dinner time so FM was working here. The trendy London centics who control the BBC may just have been trying to go for the youf audience when you put your radio on.

 

[My Old Landy]

According to Google:
Radio 4 can be found on the following channels, frequencies:

• DAB Listed as "BBC Radio 4", "BBC R4", or "Radio 4"
• FM 92 - 95 FM, 103-105 FM.
• LW 198 Long Wave.

 

[Kayos]

The radio in my VW Caddy changed from Radio 4 to Radio 1 xtra the other morning, I thought my ears had been assaulted

I have DAB in the caddy, I use Alexa in the L200 but I always listen to LW at home, on a vintage radio

 

[awemawson]

Although we are only 50 miles from London we cannot receive DAB here !

 

[johnik]

Although we are only 50 miles from London we cannot receive DAB here !

i can get DAB down here in darkest Somerset on my kitchen radio, my passion wagon has only got FM, there is nothing worth listening to on there, the CD player has cried enough so i just sing to myself as i go along now.

 

[Pete.]

They have done the same with Absolute Radio, no longer on FM only DAB and online, the FM frequency now hosts Greatest Hits radio which is not bad but not nearly as good as Absolute. Damned annoying given that my van doesn't have DAB.

 

[Misterg]

I know that the BBC have lost the plot but have they actually got rid of Radio Four?

Radio 4 FM reception has been fine up here on 103.6MHz all week. (Can't listen on DAB as I have 2 or 3 radios on at the same time and the time lag on DAB is different between them).

Someone started up a pirate station near you?

 

[voipio]

Same here. Radio 4 has gone from its "usual" slot. Seems to have been replaced with BBC Cymru, or something. Still good on LW, though, but we're a bit in the sticks so local noise levels aren't too bad at the moment. Not even a whisper of any DAB signals here!

 

[James1979]

Although we are only 50 miles from London we cannot receive DAB here !

Eh?! That’s pretty poor. We only get BBC Scotland and Radio 2 on fm so if it wasn’t for DAB I wouldn’t listen.

used to listen to Caroline or Gold till they went to DAB but they aren’t on our DAB transmitter

 

[awemawson]

We are in a bit of a hollow - just a very gentle valley - but DAB and TV signals go right over our heads - have to use satellite for TV. There is a repeater aerial in the village but that's just over the brow of another rise (to small to call it a hill!)

 

[ronan]

If you have an tablet or phone, you can use the Tunein radio app. Thats what i have in the shed, an old ipad and can listen to radio 4 xtra all the time.

TuneIn | Free Internet Radio | Live News, Sports, Music, Audiobooks, and Podcasts

Listen to free internet radio, news, sports, music, audiobooks, and podcasts. Stream live CNN, FOX News Radio, and MSNBC. Plus 100,000 AM/FM radio stations featuring music, news, and local sports talk.

tunein.com

 

[awemawson]

I just tried it again and it seems sensible R4 type content !

Oh - major "full disclosure" thing - I forgot to say this is / was Radio Four being played via Internet on my iPhone - probably pretty relevant !

 

[optima21]

think they started looking int switching the fm transmitters off a while ag, when that happens I'll have to upgrade to a smartphone so that I can listen to the radio over the net. until then I'll listen to fm radio on my old phone.

Digital radio in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Blobber]

I'm not a fan of DAB seems to drop in and out a lot, hate the lag as well, being a ludite it seems a step backwards!

 

[Red'n'Black]

Don't know if this is related but I had a weird one driving to work a few years ago, R4 suddenly replaced by pop music and all the DJ chat was in Italian. The station ident said 'Subasio', I googled it when I got home and it's a station in Milan. FM normally only goes 30 miles or so, this was coming from over a thousand! Apparently this happens sometimes, tropospheric ducting it's called. Thought I was losing my marbles at first!

 

[pedrobedro]

I'll have to try the long wave just out of curiosity. I have an old tv/radio/cassette thing with a 4" black and white screen which has brilliant radio reception on all FM stations.

 

[brightspark]

I'm not a fan of DAB seems to drop in and out a lot, hate the lag as well, being a ludite it seems a step backwards!

not a problem round our way .the van radio never looses signal .the portable one goes off now and then if its in someones gaff but just shift it round a bit and its ok the rest of the time . generaly have it on absolute 80 s