{"id":8333,"date":"2014-04-11T08:39:24","date_gmt":"2014-04-11T12:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=8333"},"modified":"2014-04-11T08:39:24","modified_gmt":"2014-04-11T12:39:24","slug":"and-now-the-shipping-forecast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/04\/and-now-the-shipping-forecast\/","title":{"rendered":"And now, the Shipping Forecast…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"shipping-forecast-locations\"<\/a><\/p>\n

When I lived in the UK, I would often fall asleep and\/or wake up to the Shipping Forecast:<\/em>\u00a0a BBC Radio broadcast of weather reports and forecasts for the seas around the coasts of the British Isles.<\/p>\n

Though I had, of course, no real need of the Forecast,<\/em> on many occasions it lured me like the voice of a hypnotic siren (especially, I must admit, when read by a woman).\u00a0When I moved back to the US in 2003, I missed hearing the Forecast<\/em> on the radio, but thankfully one can listen to it at Radio 4 online<\/a>. Although the online stream lacks the delectable sonic texture of long wave radio, the Forecast<\/em> still has the power can still reel in its listeners.<\/p>\n

Last December, I followed a brilliant<\/em> series on NPR<\/em> which highlighted the BBC Shipping Forecast<\/em>. \u00a0I intended to publish it here on the SWLing Post<\/em> at the time, but somehow lost it in the shuffle of a busy travel season.\u00a0Fortunately, NPR<\/a>\u00a0has archived audio from the series online. I love their introduction:<\/p>\n

“It is a bizarre nightly ritual that is deeply embedded in the British way of life.<\/p>\n

You switch off the TV, lock up the house, slip into bed, turn on your radio, and begin to listen to a mantra, delivered by a soothing, soporific voice.<\/p>\n

“Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire, Forties, Cromarty, Forth, Tyne, Dogger ….” says the voice.<\/p>\n

You are aware \u2014 vaguely \u2014 that these delicious words are names, and that those names refer to big blocks of sea around your island nation, stretching all the way up to Iceland and down to North Africa.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

The BBC’s beloved\u00a0Shipping Forecas<\/a>t bulletin covers 31 sea areas, the names of which have inspired poets, artists and singers and become embedded into the national psyche.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Your mind begins to swoop across the landscape, sleepily checking the shorelines, from the gray waters of the English Channel to the steely turbulence of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

Somewhere, deep in your memory, stir echoes of British history \u2014 of invasions from across the sea by Vikings, Romans and Normans; of battles with Napoleon’s galleons and Hitler’s U-boats.<\/p>\n

Finally, as the\u00a0BBC’s Shipping Forecast<\/a>\u00a0bulletin draws to a close, you nod off, complacent in the knowledge that whatever storms are blasting away on the oceans out there, you’re in your pajamas, sensibly tucked up at home”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You can listen to the series on\u00a0NPR<\/a>, or via the embedded player below:
\n<\/object><\/p>\n

Click here to listen to the Shipping Forecast<\/em> on the BBC Radio 4 website<\/a>. Also, check out the history of the Shipping Forecast<\/em> on Wikipedia<\/a> and from this excellent article by Peter Jefferson in Prospero<\/em> (PDF, page 10)<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I lived in the UK, I would often fall asleep and\/or wake up to the Shipping Forecast:\u00a0a BBC Radio broadcast of weather reports and forecasts for the seas around the coasts of the British Isles. Though I had, of course, no real need of the Forecast, on many occasions it lured me like the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_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}},"categories":[373,8,2436,3,554],"tags":[1347,4123,274,20,2734,2710],"class_list":["post-8333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-am","category-articles","category-longwave","category-news","category-slightly-off-topic","tag-bbc-radio-4","tag-longwave","tag-national-public-radio","tag-npr","tag-shipping-forecast","tag-weather"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-2ap","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14959,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/09\/the-demise-of-longwave-could-lead-to-the-end-of-the-shipping-forecast\/","url_meta":{"origin":8333,"position":0},"title":"The demise of longwave could lead to the end of the Shipping Forecast","author":"Thomas","date":"September 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Erica, who writes: \"I saw this article about the demise of the Shipping Forecast on Radio 4 Longwave and thought readers might be interested: http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/culture\/tvandradio\/bbc\/11892805\/End-of-Shipping-Forecast-on-long-wave-radio-could-leave-sailors-high-and-dry.html I'm not a fan of DAB radio and my bedroom radio aerial has to be positioned just so to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Longwave"","block_context":{"text":"Longwave","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/longwave\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"shipping-forecast-locations","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/shipping-forecast-locations.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/shipping-forecast-locations.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/shipping-forecast-locations.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61113,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/11\/the-shipping-forecast-a-special-1993-filmed-version\/","url_meta":{"origin":8333,"position":1},"title":"The Shipping Forecast: A Special 1993 Filmed Version","author":"Thomas","date":"November 15, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and good friend, BJ Leiderman, who shares the following video on YouTube--a special Shipping Forecast tribute: On 18 December 1993, as part of the Arena Radio Night, BBC Radio 4 and BBC 2 collaborated on a simultaneous broadcast so the shipping forecast \u2013 read\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Longwave"","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\/2014\/03\/shipping-forecast-locations.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/shipping-forecast-locations.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/shipping-forecast-locations.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24142,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/02\/video-history-of-the-shipping-forecast\/","url_meta":{"origin":8333,"position":2},"title":"Video: History of the Shipping Forecast","author":"Thomas","date":"February 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, George, who writes: With all of the recent postings about the Shipping Forecast, I thought I'd share this excellent little video\u00a0produced by the Met Office: https:\/\/youtu.be\/ts7nGURT3Pw Click here to view on YouTube. Thank you, George!","rel":"","context":"In "Longwave"","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\/2014\/03\/shipping-forecast-locations.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/shipping-forecast-locations.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/shipping-forecast-locations.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24144,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/02\/kris-also-forced-the-shipping-forecast-to-repeat-a-broadcast\/","url_meta":{"origin":8333,"position":3},"title":"Kris also forced the Shipping Forecast to repeat a broadcast","author":"Thomas","date":"February 14, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Kris Partridge (G8AUU) who shares the following comment in reply to our post about Dave's experience forcing the Shipping Forecast to repeat a broadcast: Hi Dave, G4OYX, et al Not the only time the Shipping Forecast has had to be repeated for \u2018Operational Error\u2019\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","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\/2017\/02\/The-Shipping-Forecast-Beaufort-Scale-1024x573.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/The-Shipping-Forecast-Beaufort-Scale-1024x573.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/The-Shipping-Forecast-Beaufort-Scale-1024x573.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56938,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/05\/bbc-radio-4-campaign-to-transition-from-long-wave\/","url_meta":{"origin":8333,"position":4},"title":"BBC Radio 4 campaign to transition from long wave","author":"Thomas","date":"May 29, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Chris Greenway, who shares the following article from the BBC: BBC Radio 4 begins information campaign to transition listeners from Long Wave (BBC Media Centre) BBC Radio 4 begins information campaign to transition listeners from Long Wave\u00a0 The BBC has begun an information campaign\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Longwave"","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\/2023\/05\/1280px-Droitwichtransmitter-e1685368184500.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/1280px-Droitwichtransmitter-e1685368184500.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/1280px-Droitwichtransmitter-e1685368184500.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/1280px-Droitwichtransmitter-e1685368184500.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9808,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/05\/today-choppy-seas-for-the-shipping-forecast\/","url_meta":{"origin":8333,"position":5},"title":"Today: Choppy seas for the Shipping Forecast","author":"Thomas","date":"May 30, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Since the dawn of time, there is, there was, and there always has been...the Shipping Forecast. We set our clocks by it. Despite\u00a0the complexities of our planet--war, famine, daytime television--the Shipping Forecast has been there for us. \u00a0Our steady friend amid the choppy seas of life. Our rock of Gibraltar...our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Peeters_Sea_storm","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Peeters_Sea_storm.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Peeters_Sea_storm.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Peeters_Sea_storm.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Peeters_Sea_storm.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8333","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=8333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8333\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}