BBC Somerset Sound

Encyclopedia : B : BB : BBC : BBC Somerset Sound

BBC Somerset Sound is the BBC Local Radio service for the historic English county of Somerset.

Launched on April 11, 1988, it broadcasts from its new studios in Park Street, Taunton on 1566AM, as well as taking programmes from Radio Bristol, the station that previously had broadcast on BBC Somerset Sound's earlier ill-fated pre-2002 1323MW frequency.

The 1566MW transmitter is relatively weak, and all of BBC Somerset Sound's programmes can only be heard in high quality if you listen via Real Player on the station's website: [bbc.co.uk/somerset].

The BBC began broadcasts on FM in 1955, yet 50 years later, BBC Somerset Sound can only be received as a whole on MW. That said, plans are in place to move to FM in 2006 as part of the station's expansion.

Andrew Wilson, head of regional and local programmes for BBC West, told the Wells Journal in February 2006: "We hope to get the present service on to FM in the autumn [of 2006], but a fuller Radio Somerset service may not happen for a couple of years. I will be working hard to make it happen quickly."

The BBC's [Annual Report and Accounts for 2005/2006] stated: "The BBC is committed to extending its network of local radio stations to a limited number of underserved areas, and BBC management is carrying out preparatory work for new stations in Somerset, Dorset and Cheshire."

DAB for the station is expected to be launched within the next five years.

External links

BBC Local Radio stations
BBC Radio Berkshire	BBC Radio Bristol	BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
BBC Radio Cleveland	BBC Radio Cornwall	BBC Coventry & Warwickshire
BBC Radio Cumbria	BBC Radio Derby	BBC Radio Devon
BBC Essex	BBC Radio Gloucestershire	BBC Radio Manchester
BBC Radio Guernsey	BBC Hereford and Worcester	BBC Radio Humberside
BBC Radio Jersey	BBC Radio Kent	BBC Radio Lancashire
BBC Radio Leeds	BBC Radio Leicester	BBC Radio Lincolnshire
BBC London 94.9	BBC Radio Merseyside	BBC Radio Newcastle
BBC Radio Norfolk	BBC Radio Northampton	BBC Radio Nottingham
BBC Radio Oxford	BBC Radio Sheffield	BBC Radio Shropshire
BBC Radio Solent	BBC Somerset Sound	BBC Southern Counties Radio
BBC Radio Stoke	BBC Radio Suffolk	BBC Radio Swindon
BBC Three Counties Radio	BBC WM	BBC Radio Wiltshire
BBC Radio York

Former BBC Local Radio stations
BBC Radio Brighton	BBC Radio Bedfordshire	BBC Radio Durham
BBC GLR	BBC GMR	BBC Radio London

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.