BBC Nationwide (1978) Radio Frequencies Change

On This Day 1978: BBC Radio frequencies changed. Nationwide explained the changes, with a little help from a giant novelty radio and a scout.
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Source : BBC Archive
▶ / 3551030458269351
Origine Bitrate:
Restoration: YES (UPSCALE1080p, PAN, EQ, Amplitude Ehanced, dB+- 320 kbps)
Reconstruction: NO (face A to B or other)
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[@Nick-xi9lm]

I can remember the run up to this. It was announced a lot on radio 1, letting people know of frequency changes. They should have put radio 1 on radio 4 fm' frequencies as well. after all, its mainly speech & no music on 4. We had to wait until 1988 for FM in my neck of the woods. 4 ended up with LW as well.

[@DougPaulley]

That scout looks entirely comfortable and happy standing there.

[@johnking5174]

Kids back then were really scared of TV and intimidated. Today it is the opposite

[@hmbpnz]

Radio nerd looking at awe from across the pond. This was so weird and so awesome all at the same time.

[@johnking5174]

Where across the pond are you at?

[@Liofa73]

I remember those little stickers on my grandmother's radio.

[@MrClingclong]

What a nice bunch of people the BBC employed those days! Glyn Worsnip was a very talented presenter, way too funny and clever most of the time. Sadly, taken too soon, and John Dunn is also much missed by me and others. John used to do the drivetime show on Radio 2 and he often interviewed authors on the show. So many times I would add that book to my shopping list for the weekend! Happy days indeed.

[@PaddyWV]

......and it won't be long before Radio 4 disappears from Long Wave. Sad times.

[@kataka64]

Gosh! All those transmitters!

[@christopherhulse8385]

Lovely Moira Stewart ❤

[@andrewbashford9786]

I remember getting some stickers in the post from the BBC just like they were using on Nationwide to stick on your dial ..to mark the new positions of Radios 1 2 3 and 4. 📻🎶

[@capri2673]

I remember seeing those on a radio. :)

[@mikemallen9378]

I still have some unused ones !

[@robalexander8065]

Nice upload.Glynn's "DJ voice" was hilarious, loved David "Kid" Jensen's reaction. The delicious moment when he said (of the difficulty of driving the desk) it was "kid's stuff"!!

[@JoannaGoodyear1978]

Love this❤Brings back so many memories xx

[@MrWEWE5]

5:53 - I finally recognized him. David Allen “Kid” Jensen once did the news on Superstation WTBS Atlanta in 1980, in between his career on BBC.

[@johntomlinson6849]

Remember this very well!!!

[@gerrynicol3951]

A remember this being broadcast i was 18 years of age.

[@daros194]

Radio 2 should have been relayed on BBC local radio after 8pm and Radio 1 on VHF 88-91 from 8pm onwards.

[@arthurvasey]

Radio 2 was relayed on BBC local radio from 7 pm around now - there was no night-time Radio 1, but the Radio 1 frequency, as it was then, broadcast Radio 2 between 7 and 10 - usually on Wednesdays, Radio 2 carried sport on long wave and the music programming was broadcast on FM and also broadcast on Radio 1 on 247 - following the frequency changes, it was not uncommon to hear two different stations on medium wave identifying themselves as Radio 2 and there was no Radio 1 at night time, as such - a bit strange hearing folk and country music and jazz and Friday Night Is Music Night on Radio 1 and the chart rundown on Radio 2 - shortly after that, the two networks were able to broadcast their own schedules - although the FM frequency was largely the domain of Radio 2, with Radio 1 only occasionally being allowed to broadcast on it - today, of course, both stations are on FM and no simulcasting!

[@duncanholding7636]

Somethings stick in the memory. Haven't seen this for 45 years but still remember Moira Stuart's slight fluff

[@manugram_official2514]

Genial

[@scottpeacock5492]

BBC Radio Frequencies changes of 1978 did not improvement reception on Medium Wave between 1053/1089 khz for Radio 1, just made the reception poor as more stations cramp into the bandwith by the 1980's. Thanks to DAB/FM you don't have that problem.

[@Sheffield_Steve]

It didn't make sense for R3, they ended up with the worst frequency.

[@radioman951]

​@@Sheffield_SteveBecause even then most people listened to Radio 3 on FM 247 / 1215 was always awful after dark due to interference, whether it was Radio 1, Radio 3, Virgin or Absolute.

[@sambda]

I've got some of the BBC reception maps and 247 wasn't even considered officially receivable in a lot of north East Anglia (centered around Ely). Cambridge had a local relay on 251m, though. Other blackspots for 247m were mid-Wales, a lot of north-west England, mid-Scotland, the west of Northern Ireland, and most of Devon. I'd estimate that about 50% of the UK could not officially get it.

[@stevenoneill7166]

@scottpeacock5492 very true indeed. Radio 1's new location, at the time, was OK in daytime but still very poor at night

[@stevenoneill7166]

​@radioman951 I lived on Teesside in North-East England & even in the daytime, Radio 1 reception on 247 AM was abysmal. Prior to 1978, I didn't have an FM radio & could only hear it's programmes without interference when they were broadcast on Radio 2's 1500 LW signal

[@pauliedweasel]

What about the incontinent?

[@stevenoneill7166]

On reflection, the biggest change back then should've been on FM, with Radio 1 between 88.1-90.2, Radio 2 between 90.3-92.4 & Radio 3 between 92.5-94.6. Even RTE in Ireland eventually did this with their 3 radio networks. Radio 4 could've broadcast largely on 200 LW & the various AM relays it were allocated as coverage was 98% in daytime & 91% at night. Some of it's programming (e.g :- The Archers, Baker's Dozen, Desert Island Discs etc) could've been simulcast on Radios 2 or 3 along with educational programming. Local & Regional services could've broadcast on AM as, at that time, they were mainly in mono. Of course typical BBC snobbery prevented this & listeners (especially Radio 1) ended up with a sub-standard compromise for the best part of another decade

[@johnking5174]

The Archers simply didn't suit Radio 2, so that would never have even been thought of

[@johnking5174]

Did commercial radio have any changes in 1978? Such as Capital in London, or any other of their "Independent Local Radio"?

[@stevenoneill7166]

@johnking5174 the ILR stations made minor alterations to their AM frequencies, typically by just 1 or 2 kHz. My local ILR station, Radio Tees, moved slightly from 1169 to 1170 kHz although, in metres, it was still on 257

[@johnking5174]

@@stevenoneill7166 Thank you

[@InternetWatch365]

Its frequency programming.

[@johnking5174]

All of that fuss wouldn't happen now in 2023 - life has moved on, technology has meant a large chunk of people listen to radio online.

[@Liofa73]

I'd be willing to bet that most people still listen on the radio, DAB or DAB+ in the UK.

[@2steppa3]

@@Liofa73 And FM is still massive and preferable.

[@sambda]

They've changed TV frequencies endless times over the last 20 years or so, and there's been no help there.

[@johnking5174]

@@2steppa3 FM especially in cars. As a DAB radio in a car is often useless. Like television, the digital signal needs a lot more to keep the station on air, whereas FM can degrade a bit and you can still listen.

[@2steppa3]

@@johnking5174 Exactly, DAB is mostly there or not there, and even if its in between you get choppiness or the old bubbling mud effect. My station has a DAB TX located away from our main base studio (and FM service) and the signal is gone 6 miles from here, whereas with FM I guarantee it would be receivable at the same power level. So we can't off-air monitor our own DAB service!