Is 1215 going to get another format or just go silent?
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Absolute UK Shutting down AM
- Thread starter SomeRadioGuy
- Start date
With respect to a BBC shut down, another aspect of this is if and when any international frequency coordination would be updated.
Here in the US-
I wonder if there was a scenario in which Cuba and the US would have protected each other's AM band facilities consistently? In the absence of diplomatic relations, I suppose the answer is no. One consideration is in the US, programming formats are not considered when regulating technical facilities. I suppose if 710 and 1140 in Miami broadcasted music formats, everything would have been fine.
Here in the US-
I wonder if there was a scenario in which Cuba and the US would have protected each other's AM band facilities consistently? In the absence of diplomatic relations, I suppose the answer is no. One consideration is in the US, programming formats are not considered when regulating technical facilities. I suppose if 710 and 1140 in Miami broadcasted music formats, everything would have been fine.
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Best indication is it's going silent.
We simply don't know yet whether Ofcom will decide to put out a call for a new operator for the 1215 signals. I would assume that whoever owns the transmission network (Arqiva?) would be happy to have a new operator. And since it's one of only three independent national radio franchisees along with Talksport (693/909) and Classic FM, I expect there might still be some interest in the signals.
Having all U.S. AM stations go directional to not send any toward Cuba has been a longstanding demand. It was even articulated during the Obama administration's overtures toward normalizing relations.
Maybe Brother Stair's organization has some money laying around.
Thanks
Not exactly. The NARBA treaty, negotiated in the later 1930's and implemented in 1941, regulated the US, Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, The Bahamas and, initially, Jamaica. Each nation got 1-A and 1-B clear channels, regional and local channels were allocated and power limits established. Stations on shared channels were to be directional to protect existing stations at the time of assignment.
Cuba abrogated the treaty and set up its own system, including high power 30 to 120 kw Russian transmitters (and one supposed 300 kw unit I believe was a pair of 120's). Further, any station in the US broadcasting content Cuba did not like was "jammed" by putting many stations on the same frequency across the 800 mile-wide island.
In recent years, the old Russian transmitters dating from the 60's and 70's has been replaced by China with new solid state gear using diplexed, triplexed and multiplexed towers at shared transmitter sites all across Cuba. There are around 230 total AM stations there now.
Because of the high-power non-NARBA complying AMs in Cuba, quite a few US stations have gotten FCC approval to increase power to counter interference from those operations. Such approval is "temporary" but obviously will last as long as AM is viable in either nation.
The Obama negotiation was more focused on Radio MartĂ, not US commercial AM stations which are not the subject of most of Cuba's "issues" with US AM radio stations.
Is there any ethnic group large enough and spread across all of the UK to warrant a national service in, let's say, Farsi or Arabic?
The only ethnic radio services broadcast nationally are the BBC's Asian Network and Sunrise Radio, a South Asian station mostly playing Bollywood and bhangra music on AM in London and nationwide DAB. While "mainstream" radio has mostly become networked, ethnic (especially South Asian) radio has largely stayed local.
Stations like Sabras Radio in Leicester, Sunrise Radio FM (no connection to the national one) in Bradford, Asian Sound Radio in Manchester and a few in London (Lyca Radio, Panjab Radio, Desi Radio) have kept their own local programming and continue to serve their local communities. Most broadcast in a mix of languages - lots of English, with some Urdu and some Panjabi language programming.
In any case, if any station, ethnic or otherwise, wanted to start broadcasting nationally in the UK in 2023, there's space available on national DAB at a lower cost than the price of running and maintaining that aged national AM network.
There have been some discussions around whether Ofcom legally have to re-advertise the license once it is turned in by Absolute. The three independent national radio licenses are set out in law: one on FM broadcasting "non-pop music" (licensed to Classic FM); one on AM required to be mainly speech (Talk Radio, which became Talk Sport) and a second AM license with no legal limits on the programming type (Virgin Radio, which became Absolute).
Because the Broadcasting Act 1990 mandated what was then the Radio Authority (now Ofcom) to license three independent national radio services, there is some debate as to whether they're going to be legally compelled to ask for bids. Of course, if nobody bids, there's nothing much they can do about it - but without a change in the law (which would have to go through Parliament, who... let's say, have other priorities) then by some readings, they do at least have to go through the motions of soliciting bids.
One small advantage of holding an INR license is that the licensee becomes a "must-carry" on national DAB, space has to be made available for them - but this capacity is also available on commercial terms, so the license becomes quite unattractive in the UK broadcasting market in 2023.
Absolute Radio on 1215 played "AM Radio" by Everclear after the message on Wednesday, January 18 at 2:00 am GMT.
I'm on the Merthyr Tydfil, UK SDR listening to 1215, I'm hearing a echo
But I'm was on the Amersham SDR closer to London, No Echo
But I'm was on the Amersham SDR closer to London, No Echo
The echo is (or rather, was) a problem for a long time - it's also an issue on the 1089/1053 network, but not on 909/693 as the BBC still care a bit more about these things.
As for 1215, programming apparently ends tonight at 23:50 UK local time. I've heard that there may be a tribute or send-off of some kind for the final ten minutes, but not from a source I'd consider reliable. The "barkers" have been toned down a bit, and now there is just a short link into a radio-themed song, rather than the two long announcements followed by 60" or so of music, so it's a fun chance to hear some classic radio-related songs in AM quality. Presumably the station figures that everyone who needed to hear the message has now retuned to a different platform, and so those left listening are listening for fun and out of interest in radio!
I listened to the last 30 minutes of Absolute Radio on 1215 kHz via the UTwente SDR in The Netherlands. As promised the final ten minutes (at 2350 UTC) was a retrospective of the history of broadcasting on 1214/1215, going back to the BBC Light Programme, then BBC Radio One, BBC Radio Three, Virgin Radio, and Absolute Radio. The final goodbye came seconds before 0000 UTC with a thanks to the listeners and to 1215 mediumwave.
At 0000 after a few seconds of silence a redirect loop started, giving all the options for listening to Absolute Radio going forward. I believe this will run through Sunday, January 23.
At 0000 after a few seconds of silence a redirect loop started, giving all the options for listening to Absolute Radio going forward. I believe this will run through Sunday, January 23.
A very classy end to a long-running and historical frequency that has played host at various times to a lot of the greats of British broadcasting.
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