Radio Today
27 June 2026BBC Radio 4 Long Wave has been switched off, prompting calls to protect the Wychbold transmitter masts.
The two 700ft structures near Droitwich carried the BBC’s long wave signal across the UK for decades and are visible from the M5.
As expected, the 198 LW service was being turned off this weekend, and it ended programming after the shipping forecast and the national anthem last night.
Local history experts and the Twentieth Century Society have begun a campaign for the masts to be listed, citing their historic, engineering and technological significance.
The site began broadcasting in September 1934 after Droitwich was chosen for its central location.
The BBC said the closure followed the ageing of the long wave equipment and the move of most listening to FM, DAB and online platforms. The site is owned by Arqiva.
https://radiotoday.co.uk/2026/06/long-wave-ends-but-mast-campaign-begins/