BBC has called time on long wave radio transmission
This will not only spell the end of Test Match Special but will also leave the owners of millions of vehicles that remain equipped with analogue radios, unable to tune in. It will also spell the end of the longwave shipping forecast leaving seafarers who do not have access to digital radio no longer able to hear it. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the shipping forecast was an important service, providing safety information to mariners as well as being a valued institution.

The end of longwave transmission is one of a series of changes announced by Tim Davie, the Director General, as part of plans to turn the BBC into a "digital-first public service media organisation". He said the BBC "must evolve and fast" in response to the changing landscape. We are moving decisively to a largely on-demand world and too many resources are focused on broadcast and not online". He says the plans will save the BBC £500 million over the coming years which will be invested into digital programming. A total of 1,000 jobs will go across the publicly funded BBC. Probably more funding will go the high salaries of presenters and senior management too!


Test Match Special
TMS is a British institution and the end of longwave transmission will spell the end of Test Match Special for a dedicated audience of listeners who still tune in to the programme via BBC longwave.

The decision to end Test Match Special on longwave was met with dismay by Henry Blofeld, a TMS commentator for 45 years until his retirement in 2017. He said "anything that restricts the coverage of TMS and the number of people going to listen to it is extremely sad". Sir Geoffery Boycott, a former England captain, said "if it's not broken, don't fix it. It's a dreadful thing, but they have no idea on running the Beeb" adding the BBC bosses wouldn't get a job in the real world.