BBC Radio Wales
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BBC Radio Wales is the BBC's national radio station broadcasting to Wales in the English language. Operated by BBC Wales, it began in 1978 following the demise of the old "Radio 4 Wales" (previously the Welsh Home Service) when BBC Radio 4 became a national network and moved from medium wave to long wave.
Transmission
For many years Radio Wales was broadcast only on medium wave; the BBC considered that because the Welsh language network BBC Radio Cymru was the only network using that language, it merited a higher quality of transmission. However since 1999 Radio Wales has been acquiring its own FM network, starting in areas like Newport and Wrexham where the Welsh language has the fewest speakers.
BBC Radio Wales is also broadcast on DAB Digital Radio and on satellite.
Programmes
Current programmes include Good Morning Wales, Roy Noble's morning show, The Afternoon Show with Alan Thompson some days and Owen Money on other days, Good Evening Wales, Studio X, a show covering current rock/pop music, Jamie Owen's late morning show, Adam Walton's new music show (covering new Welsh music on Sunday nights) and Chris Needs' Garden which broadcasts every weeknight evening.
Sport
Radio Wales' sports output include Sportstime which broadcasts Saturdays from 2-6:30pm presented by Oliver Hides and Midweek Sport which is transmitted every Tuesday night from 7-10pm hosted by Rob Phillips, they feature local FM commentary of Cardiff City in the south-east of Wales, Swansea City in the south west and Wrexham in the north of Wales with the presenters going through a running commentary on everything that is happening in the day's play on MW. Sportstime is also aired on days if there is other sport happening throughout the week, usually on MW only.
Radio Gwent and Radio Clwyd opt-outs
After a number of experiments with temporary special-event stations in various parts of Wales, two long-standing opt-out stations were established: Radio Gwent, based in Newport, on the air between April 1983 and March 1991, and Mold-based Radio Clwyd which was broadcast between October 1981 and October 1993. Both of these stations operated at peak times only, and carried Radio Wales at other times. Following the closure of Radio Clwyd, local bulletins for north-east Wales continued until 2002, staff having moved from Mold to Wrexham in the summer of 1998.
The loss of Radio Clwyd and the subsequent local bulletins was resented by some listeners in north-east Wales, who felt that the main Radio Wales programming concentrated too much on Cardiff and the South Wales valleys. On 21 January 2003 their complaint was raised in the House of Commons [link] [link].
External links
| BBC National Regional radio stations | |
|---|---|
| BBC Wales: BBC Radio Wales • BBC Radio Cymru |
|
| BBC Scotland: BBC Radio Scotland • BBC Radio nan Gàidheal |
| Opt-outs: BBC Radio Shetland • BBC Radio Orkney • Highlands and Islands • North East • South West • Borders | |
| BBC Northern Ireland: BBC Radio Ulster • BBC Radio Foyle |
| BBC Radio stations |
|---|
| FM/AM: Radio 1 | Radio 2 | Radio 3 | Radio 4 | Radio Five Live |
| Digital: 6 Music | BBC 7 | 1Xtra | Five Live Sports Extra | Asian Network |
| Nations: Radio Scotland | Radio nan Gaidheal | Radio Wales | Radio Cymru | Radio Ulster | Radio Foyle |
| English Regions: BBC Local Radio |
| International: BBC World Service |
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