Keep BBC Medium-wave
The Issue
Keep up to date with this campaign at www.keepmediumwave.co.uk
The BBC's medium-wave broadcasts on Radio 5, Radio Wales and Radio Scotland are a vital lifeline, especially in rural areas. With the recent termination of longwave broadcasting, medium-wave has become the only way of receiving AM radio, and the only means of hearing the radio at all in some places. AM broadcasts are more reliable than digital, internet and FM transmissions - all of which are likely to fail during a power cut - and can reach corners of the UK that other signals cannot. Furthermore, since they rely on relatively few transmitters to cover the entire country, AM broadcasts are much more efficient than more modern alternatives.
AM radio is also an important back-up for the whole country during emergencies. Indeed, in the United States a bill was recently past requiring new cars to still be able to receive AM transmissions for this very reason. Now that the national longwave service has closed, we would like to see the BBC committed to retaining at least one regular medium-wave service in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure that access to AM is there when it is needed, a service that should endure even if FM is switched off. We would also like to see the frequencies of Radio 5, Radio Wales and Radio Scotland occasionally mentioned on-air, as was the case in the past, so that the public is aware of how to access them during power cuts and when internet and digital communications fail.
Were longwave broadcasts still on the air, it would not necessarily be so imperative to keep the BBC's medium-wave services. With longwave gone, they remain the only means of reaching almost the entire country reliably. Unlike in the longwave case, medium-wave does not rely upon valves and its continuation in the coming years and decades will not require the re-engineering of transmitters. We therefore call upon the UK government to enact as part of its Radio Review an obligation for the BBC to continue medium-wave broadcasts, and call upon the BBC to safeguard and celebrate this vital service.
Please sign our petition to keep medium-wave, and safeguard nationwide news and information for the future.
52
The Issue
Keep up to date with this campaign at www.keepmediumwave.co.uk
The BBC's medium-wave broadcasts on Radio 5, Radio Wales and Radio Scotland are a vital lifeline, especially in rural areas. With the recent termination of longwave broadcasting, medium-wave has become the only way of receiving AM radio, and the only means of hearing the radio at all in some places. AM broadcasts are more reliable than digital, internet and FM transmissions - all of which are likely to fail during a power cut - and can reach corners of the UK that other signals cannot. Furthermore, since they rely on relatively few transmitters to cover the entire country, AM broadcasts are much more efficient than more modern alternatives.
AM radio is also an important back-up for the whole country during emergencies. Indeed, in the United States a bill was recently past requiring new cars to still be able to receive AM transmissions for this very reason. Now that the national longwave service has closed, we would like to see the BBC committed to retaining at least one regular medium-wave service in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure that access to AM is there when it is needed, a service that should endure even if FM is switched off. We would also like to see the frequencies of Radio 5, Radio Wales and Radio Scotland occasionally mentioned on-air, as was the case in the past, so that the public is aware of how to access them during power cuts and when internet and digital communications fail.
Were longwave broadcasts still on the air, it would not necessarily be so imperative to keep the BBC's medium-wave services. With longwave gone, they remain the only means of reaching almost the entire country reliably. Unlike in the longwave case, medium-wave does not rely upon valves and its continuation in the coming years and decades will not require the re-engineering of transmitters. We therefore call upon the UK government to enact as part of its Radio Review an obligation for the BBC to continue medium-wave broadcasts, and call upon the BBC to safeguard and celebrate this vital service.
Please sign our petition to keep medium-wave, and safeguard nationwide news and information for the future.
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Petition created on 3 July 2026