UK Radio Wavelength Changes 1978 

Yes, they did have a lot to be proud of. Their heritage was still broadly their guiding light. They are still not outclassed by any other broadcaster, but they seem to have forgotten their heritage. It's not entirely their fault, but it's sad.

If you were only 4 months old at the time, how would you know the BBC had plenty to be proud of? You clearly weren’t old enough to remember.

@@stickytapenrust6869 I don't know how he knew, but he was right.

247 will forever be associated with the Light Programme in my mind.

@@JohnLeeming23 Ah yes, it was The Light Programme in my early years, along with 1500m.

275/285 and stereo VHF!

The BBC used to be a bit snob back then and didn't give poor Radio 1 much priority. It would have totally helped if they had given R4's FM network to R1 for sure, although R1 would have taken the Open University programming to compensate. We'll never know! :P

@@DoctorLemon R4 on MW as a speech station would have worked perfectly, high power transmitters to cover the whole country. The US got it right with music on FM and talk on AM.

The BBC radio FM frequencies were all over the place up until the 1990s. Radio 1 and 2 didn't have their own FM frequencies until about 1988 or 1989. Also, Radio 4 didn't get to parts of Scotland and Wales until the 1990s. Then, even into the 1990s, Radio 5 was only on Medium Wave, broadcasting on the Radio 2 MW frequency. Also, when Radio 1 did get their own FM frequency, they were desperate to get rid of their Medium Wave frequencies. The BBC were a bit disorganised when it came to radio (and even television, as they didn't have a proper daytime service on BBC 1 until 1986, whereas ITV by then had a daytime service for nearly 15 years and were about 2 years away from 24 hour broadcasting)

@@europa2000man Radio 2 had an FM frequency (the one they're still on today) right from the off in 1967. Radio 1 used to 'borrow' it for their weekend daytime shows. Also Radio 5 was only ever meant to broadcast on MW from it's inception in 1990. The Broadcasting Act of a couple of years before stopped stations simulcasting the same content on different frequencies so R2 was forced to give up it's MW frequencies which were then allocated to R5. This was also the reason that R1's MW frequencies eventually became Talk Sport (when they finally got permanent FM frequencies in the early 90s) and R3's MW frequency became Virgin Radio. It was also the reason that all the commercial ILR stations started up Gold stations on their MW frequencies to stop simulcasting.

Some of their comedies, drama and panel games will have benefited from being in stereo - a lot of the time, the indicator light or whatever form it took on your stereo system was often turned off! As to Radio 1 - that needed to be in stereo from launch - as it was, it shared its FM frequency with Radio 2 - except that Radio 2 monopolised it most of the time - some programming was on both networks at the same time in the early years - in these days of DAB and online radio, almost any station can be heard in stereo - including those whose only way of listening on analogue radio is - was, as of January this year - relegated to medium wave frequencies - today, if you want to hear such stations, you will have to search the FM dial and change your listening patterns or listen online!