{"id":66395,"date":"2026-06-18T03:41:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T07:41:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=66395"},"modified":"2026-06-18T03:41:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T07:41:54","slug":"bbc-begins-phased-closure-of-radio-5-live-am-transmitters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/06\/bbc-begins-phased-closure-of-radio-5-live-am-transmitters\/","title":{"rendered":"BBC Begins Phased Closure of Radio 5 Live AM Transmitters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Eddystone-830-7-Dial-Closeup.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-26906\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Eddystone-830-7-Dial-Closeup.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"848\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Eddystone-830-7-Dial-Closeup.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Eddystone-830-7-Dial-Closeup-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Eddystone-830-7-Dial-Closeup-768x509.jpg 768w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Eddystone-830-7-Dial-Closeup-1024x678.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Eddystone-830-7-Dial-Closeup-624x413.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/a>Many thanks to <em>SWLing Post<\/em> contributor Majid Hussain, who notes that the BBC is beginning the phased closure of some of its BBC Radio 5 Live AM transmitters.<\/p>\n<p>According to RadioToday, the first two AM transmitters are scheduled to close at the end of July 2026, marking the start of a wider reduction in the network&#8217;s mediumwave coverage. The move reflects the BBC&#8217;s continued transition toward FM, DAB, television, and online platforms, while maintaining nationwide access to Radio 5 Live through other distribution methods.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/radiotoday.co.uk\/2026\/06\/bbc-starts-closing-bbc-radio-5-live-am-transmitters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">You can read the full story here<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"DNZ6pgM0Pp\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/radiotoday.co.uk\/2026\/06\/bbc-starts-closing-bbc-radio-5-live-am-transmitters\/\">BBC starts closing BBC Radio 5 Live AM transmitters<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cBBC starts closing BBC Radio 5 Live AM transmitters\u201d \u2014 RadioToday\" src=\"https:\/\/radiotoday.co.uk\/2026\/06\/bbc-starts-closing-bbc-radio-5-live-am-transmitters\/embed\/#?secret=QGyU98Ccwi#?secret=DNZ6pgM0Pp\" data-secret=\"DNZ6pgM0Pp\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Majid Hussain, who notes that the BBC is beginning the phased closure of some of its BBC Radio 5 Live AM transmitters. According to RadioToday, the first two AM transmitters are scheduled to close at the end of July 2026, marking the start of a wider reduction in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[373,433,3],"tags":[104,11136],"class_list":["post-66395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-am","category-mediumwave","category-news","tag-bbc","tag-majid-hussain"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-hgT","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":29845,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/12\/bbc-local-mediumwave-closures-in-2018\/","url_meta":{"origin":66395,"position":0},"title":"BBC Local: Mediumwave Closures in 2018","author":"Thomas","date":"December 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: BBC) We are closing a number of BBC Local Radio\u2019s medium wave transmitters in January 2018. This will not affect listeners who use FM, digital radio, digital TV, or the internet to listen. Why is the BBC switching off these transmitters? We know how much our listeners value BBC\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/AM-Dial-Digital-Grundig-Mediumwave-MW.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/AM-Dial-Digital-Grundig-Mediumwave-MW.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/AM-Dial-Digital-Grundig-Mediumwave-MW.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27556,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/bbc-to-shut-down-13-medium-wave-transmitters\/","url_meta":{"origin":66395,"position":1},"title":"BBC to shut down 13 medium wave transmitters","author":"Thomas","date":"August 14, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Radio Today UK) Ten BBC local radio stations will lose at least one AM transmitter in January 2018 as part of the BBC\u2019s Delivering Quality First plan. BBC Radio Sussex, Surrey, Humberside, Wiltshire, Nottingham, Kent, and Lincolnshire will no longer be accessible on medium wave, whilst BBC Radio Devon,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Radio-Dial-2-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Radio-Dial-2-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Radio-Dial-2-1024x576.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":41579,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/more-bbc-mediumwave-closures\/","url_meta":{"origin":66395,"position":2},"title":"More BBC Mediumwave Closures","author":"Thomas","date":"January 13, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source BBC Blog via Mike Terry) By Kieran Clifton Director, BBC Distribution & Business Development In my\u00a0blog posted in the summer of 2017, I explained the BBC\u2019s plans for local radio and the reasons for the closure of some of our medium wave transmitters - which happened in January last\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Mediumwave&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Mediumwave","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/mediumwave\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Panasonic-RF-2200-Dial-Angle-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Panasonic-RF-2200-Dial-Angle-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Panasonic-RF-2200-Dial-Angle-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Panasonic-RF-2200-Dial-Angle-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":66460,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/06\/the-end-of-bbc-longwave-news-and-the-final-off-air-recording\/","url_meta":{"origin":66395,"position":3},"title":"The End of BBC Longwave: News and the Final Off-Air Recording","author":"Thomas","date":"June 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor David Iurescia, who shares this BBC article about the end of an era in British broadcasting: the BBC has permanently switched off its longwave Radio 4 service after nearly a century on the air. The closure marks the end of longwave broadcasting in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Longwave&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Longwave","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/longwave\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Droitwichtransmitter.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Droitwichtransmitter.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Droitwichtransmitter.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Droitwichtransmitter.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Droitwichtransmitter.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Droitwichtransmitter.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29394,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/11\/bbc-mw-stations-in-lincolnshire-and-nottingham-to-close\/","url_meta":{"origin":66395,"position":4},"title":"BBC MW stations in Lincolnshire and Nottingham to close","author":"Thomas","date":"November 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Southgate ARC) More BBC AM transmitters to close On the British DX Club (BDXC) Yahoo Group\u00a0Nick Buxton\u00a0reports that BBC AM stations in Lincolnshire and Nottingham are to close In his post Nick says: In an e-mail reply today (29\/11) from Andy Roche, BBC R. Lincolnshire's Acting Programme Editor, he\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/AM-Dial-Digital-Grundig-Mediumwave-MW-lg-1024x623.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/AM-Dial-Digital-Grundig-Mediumwave-MW-lg-1024x623.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/AM-Dial-Digital-Grundig-Mediumwave-MW-lg-1024x623.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":60238,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/07\/medium-waves-sunset-in-europe\/","url_meta":{"origin":66395,"position":5},"title":"&#8220;Medium wave\u2019s sunset in Europe&#8221;","author":"Thomas","date":"July 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alan, who shares the following article from Red Tech: Medium wave\u2019s sunset in Europe (Red Tech) GENEVA \u2014 European medium-wave transmitters are going silent. On April 1, the BBC shut down the nine transmitters that had previously brought BBC Radio 4 in AM to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/WHKY-AM-Towers-Transmitter-Site.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/WHKY-AM-Towers-Transmitter-Site.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/WHKY-AM-Towers-Transmitter-Site.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/WHKY-AM-Towers-Transmitter-Site.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/WHKY-AM-Towers-Transmitter-Site.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66395"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66396,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66395\/revisions\/66396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}