Editing BBC Local Radio (section)

==Transmission==
All of the BBC Local Radio stations broadcast on [[FM broadcasting|FM]], [[Digital radio in the United Kingdom|digital radio]], [[Freeview (UK)|Freeview]] and [[BBC Sounds]] in their respective areas across England, but BBC Radio London is also available on [[Sky UK]], [[Freesat]] and [[Virgin Media]].

Also, until the start of the 1990s, all BBC stations used to broadcast on [[medium wave]] although initially, the BBC's local stations were broadcast only on VHF. The start of the 1990s saw new stations, once again, launching only on FM and in 1992 and 1993, six MW transmitters - [[BBC Radio Tees|BBC Radio Cleveland]], [[BBC Radio Northampton]], [[BBC Radio Oxford]], [[BBC GLR]], [[BBC GMR]] and one of [[BBC Radio Nottingham]] and [[BBC Radio WM]]'s transmitters - were switched off<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbceng.info/Information/eid/press-releases/Engineering_Press_Releases_part1_23Mar1994_to_20Mar1989.pdf|title=BBC Engineering Press Release|date=27 November 1991}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amfm.org.uk/amfmnews/amfm17.html|title=AM/FM Online Edition #17: November 1993|website=www.amfm.org.uk|accessdate=4 December 2020}}</ref> although three, including BBC GLR's MW frequency, were re-allocated for use by commercial radio. In 1996, the MW frequencies of [[BBC Radio Leicester]] and BBC WM were handed over to the [[BBC Asian Network]].

MW transmitter closures began again in 2012, initially as a five-week trial to find out if listeners would miss or complain about the lack of [[AM broadcasting|AM]] services.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2012/08/bbc-local-radio-starts-switching-off-am/|title=BBC local radio starts switching off AM|date=19 August 2012|accessdate=4 December 2020}}</ref> Two of the four transmitters partaking in the trial - BBC Radio Nottingham's MW transmitter and [[BBC Radio Kent]]'s relay at [[Rusthall]] near [[Tunbridge Wells]] - remained off-air after the BBC said that the trial switch-off attracted very few complaints from listeners.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://radiotoday.co.uk/2012/10/mw-switch-off-remains-at-bbc-local-radio/|title=MW switch-off remains at BBC Local Radio|publisher=Radio Today|date=2 October 2012|accessdate=5 October 2012}}</ref> In 2018, the MW transmissions of BBC Radios [[BBC Radio Sussex|Sussex]], [[BBC Radio Surrey|Surrey]], [[BBC Radio Humberside|Humberside]], [[BBC Radio Wiltshire|Wiltshire]], Nottingham, Kent and [[BBC Radio Lincolnshire|Lincolnshire]] ended and MW coverage for Radios Devon, Lancashire and Essex was reduced. Altogether, thirteen MW transmitters were switched off.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clifton |first=Kieran |date=10 August 2017 |title=Changes to some BBC local radio medium wave services |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/entries/46b21269-723b-4cfd-b8f3-fc735d09d0a3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230920200344/https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/entries/46b21269-723b-4cfd-b8f3-fc735d09d0a3 |archive-date=Sep 20, 2023 |website=BBC Blogs - About the BBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.a516digital.com/2017/08/bbc-starts-medium-wave-switch-off.html|title=BBC Starts MW Switch-off|publisher=a516digital |date=12 August 2017|accessdate=22 September 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170922194728/http://www.a516digital.com/2017/08/bbc-starts-medium-wave-switch-off.html |archive-date= Sep 22, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2018/01/bbc-confirms-local-radio-medium-wave-closures/|title=BBC confirms local radio medium wave closures|date=1 January 2018|accessdate=4 December 2020 |website=RadioToday |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210128152800/https://radiotoday.co.uk/2018/01/bbc-confirms-local-radio-medium-wave-closures/ |archive-date= Jan 28, 2021 }}</ref> In 2020, the MW transmissions of [[BBC Radio Cornwall]], [[BBC Radio Newcastle]], [[BBC Radio Merseyside]], [[BBC Radio Solent]], [[BBC Three Counties Radio]] and [[BBC Radio York]] ended, [[BBC Radio Cumbria]] stopped broadcasting on MW in [[Whitehaven]] and [[BBC Radio Norfolk]]'s [[Norwich]] MW transmitter went silent.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.frequencyfinder.org.uk/updates_fa.html|title= FM and AM radio updates|website=Frequency Finder |accessdate=4 December 2020}}</ref> In 2021, a further eight BBC Local Radio stations - [[BBC Essex]], [[BBC Radio Cambridgeshire]], [[BBC Radio Devon]], [[BBC Radio Leeds]], [[BBC Radio Sheffield]], [[BBC Hereford & Worcester]], [[BBC Radio Stoke]] and [[BBC Radio Lancashire]] - stopped broadcasting on MW.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2021/04/ten-more-stations-turn-off-medium-wave-services/ |website=RadioToday |title=Ten more stations turn off Medium Wave services|date=14 April 2021|accessdate=19 April 2021}}</ref> As of May 2024, only [[BBC Radio Cumbria]] (in North Cumbria and South Cumbria), [[BBC Radio Derby]], [[BBC Radio Gloucestershire]], [[BBC Radio Guernsey]], [[BBC Radio Jersey]], [[BBC Radio Norfolk]] (in [[West Norfolk, England|West Norfolk]]) and [[BBC Radio Somerset]], still broadcast on MW.

Due to sports rights broadcasting restrictions, some commentaries are not available on BBC Sounds. In this instance, an alternative national programme will usually be broadcast on Saturday afternoons.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 8, 2021 |title=Local BBC Radio show Squad Goals returns on BBC Sounds |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2021/08/local-bbc-radio-show-squad-goals-returns-on-bbc-sounds/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113082232/https://radiotoday.co.uk/2021/08/local-bbc-radio-show-squad-goals-returns-on-bbc-sounds/ |archive-date=Nov 13, 2023 |website=RadioToday}}</ref>  Overnight events are replaced by a looping message explaining this is broadcast.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}