BBC Radio has been broadcasting on longwave for nearly a century, covering most of the UK and northern Europe from a single transmitter in Droitwich for 89 years. This radio frequency uniquely travels practically unimpeded across the country and provides a vital radio link in areas where reception of other signals and internet coverage is poor. Because only one transmitter is needed, the cost of providing this service is tiny. Not everyone is able to access digital or internet radio and longwave remains the most reliable way of receiving the BBC in any place at any time. It is also much better for the environment, as longwave receivers require far less power than digital radios, computers and mobile phones.

Recently, the BBC announced plans to end all longwave transmissions later in 2025, less than a year after the 90th anniversary of the Droitwich transmitter and in the centenary year of longwave transmissions beginning from Daventry in 1925. We call upon the BBC to cancel these plans to scrap Radio 4 longwave, and to continue to provide this essential and historic radio lifeline for as long as possible.