BBC Radio 4

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{{Infobox Radio Station 

| name = BBC Radio 4
| image = Image:R4logo.jpg 
| area = UK - National FM, LW,MW & DAB
| airdate = September 30 1967
| frequency = FM - 92 MHz - 95 MHz
LW - 198 kHz 
MW - various
| format = News & Speech
| owner = BBC
| website = www.bbc.co.uk/radio4

}}

BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It is broadcast on 92 - 95 MHz FM (95.8 MHz in central Scotland, 96 MHz in Greater Belfast , and 103-104.5 MHz in parts of Wales) and 198 kHz longwave (Medium wave in some areas; e.g. 720 kHz in London and Northern Ireland); and via DAB, satellite (FM is broadcast on Sky channel 0104 and LW is broadcast on Sky channel 0143), selected Cable television providers, Freeview channel 704 and the Internet. It superseded the BBC Home Service, in 1967.

Radio 4 is the second most popular British domestic radio station after Radio 2, and was awarded "UK Radio Station of the Year" at the 2004 Sony Radio Academy Awards for the second year running. [1] With a budget of £69 million (2004/5), it is the BBC's most expensive national radio network and is considered by some to be the corporation's flagship channel. There is no UK commercial network comparable. Music and sport are the only fields that fall outside the station's remit. There are occasional concerts and ball-by-ball commentaries of most test matches played by England cricket are broadcast on long wave. Because the long-wave service can be received clearly at sea in the vicinity of the British Isles, Radio 4 also carries regular weather forecasts for shipping and gale warnings.

Contents

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History

See the main article BBC Home Service

The BBC Home Service was the original name for Radio 4 and was on the air from 1939 until 30 September 1967 it had regional variations and was broadcast on medium wave with a network of VHF FM transmitters being added from 1955. Radio 4 began on 30 September 1967, when the BBC renamed its domestic radio stations.

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Programmes and schedules

The Radio 4 Website Schedule Page shows the running order for the day. Radio 4 splits from the World Service at 0529, with a brief introduction from the early shift continuity announcer, before the 5-minute "Radio 4 UK Theme" (composed by Fritz Spiegl). This music will go in April 2006 after 33 years [2]. The theme is followed at 0535 by the shipping forecast, weather reports from coastal stations for 0400GMT and inshore waters forecasts. On weekdays, the Today programme runs from 0600 to 0900. On, or after the hour, a news bulletin is broadcast - this is sometimes a 2-minute summary, a longer piece as part of a current affairs programme, or at 6pm and midnight a 30-minute broadcast (15-minute weekends). At 1200, FM has a 4-minute bulletin whilst Longwave has the headlines and then the Shipping Forecast; for the same reason, longwave leaves the PM Programme on weekdays at 1754. There is a news programme or bulletin (depending on the day) at 2200, then the Midnight News at 0000, followed by (on weekdays) a repeat of Book of the Week. The tune "Sailing By" is then played until 0048, when the Late Shipping Forecast is broadcast. Radio 4 ends with the national anthem, "God Save The Queen" and the World Service takes over from 0100 until 0529.

Many Radio 4 programmes are pre-recorded, whilst others are live. Continuity is managed from Broadcasting House whilst news bulletins (including the hourly summaries and longer programmes such as the "Six O' Clock News" and "Midnight News") and news programmes (such as Today, The World at One, PM, etc.) are based at the BBC News Centre at Television Centre in White City. They were moved there in 1998 when the News Centre was opened to house both radio and TV news. News is due to return to Broadcasting House in 2008.

The Greenwich Time Signal (known as "the pips") is broadcast hourly, and is often broadcast over the programme.

On DAB, the channel has a secondary channel which makes the longwave Yesterday in Parliament and the Daily Service and their rival programmes on FM available.

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Current schedule

From April 2006 Radio 4 will open at 0520 with a shipping forecast, at 0530 there will be a news bulletin. The present schedule will begin 0545. The UK theme will be dropped.

Weekdays

Currently

0529 Split from BBC World Service
0530 "Radio 4 UK Theme"
0535 News Headlines
0536 Shipping Forecast
0543 Prayer for the Day
0545 Farming Today

From 24th April 2006, this will be replaced by:

0520 Split from BBC World Service
0521 Shipping Forecast with extended Inshore Waters forecast
0530 News Breifing (with paper review, sport and business updates)
0543 Prayer for the Day
0545 Farming Today

At 6am, both schedules continue

0600 Today, with News at 0600, 0700 and 0800, summaries at 0630, 0730 and 0830, paper reviews at 0640 and 0740, weather at 0605, 0657, 0757, business at 0615, 0720 and 0840 and sports desk at 0625, 0725 and 0825
0900 News
0902 Debate programmes (including Start the Week and In Our Time)
0945 (FM) Book of the Week
0945 (LW) Daily Service
1000 News
1002 Woman's Hour
1045 Woman's Hour Drama
1100 News
1102 Various programmes — often one-offs
1130 Drama/Comedy programme slot
1200 (FM) News
1200 (LW) News Headlines
1201 (LW) Shipping Forecast
1204 You and Yours
1257 Weather
1300 The World at One (with news at 1301)
1330 Quiz/Puzzle programme slot
1400 News
1402 The Archers
1415 The Afternoon Play
1500 News
1502 Live Debate/phone-in programmes
1530 Afternoon Reading
1545 Short programme slot
1600 News
1602 Discussion/debate programmes
1630 Discussion/debate programmes
1700 PM (with news at 1701, headlines at 1715 and 1745 and a summary at 1730)
1754 (LW) Shipping Forecast
1757 (FM) Weather
1757 (LW) Weather; programme trails
1800 Six O' Clock News
1830 Comedy (including Just A Minute, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, The Now Show, etc.)
1900 News
1902 The Archers
1915 Front Row (arts programme)
1945 Woman's Hour Drama (repeat of 1045)
2000 News
2002 Debate/discussion programme
2030 Factual programmes
2100 News
2102 Science-related programmes
2130 Debate programmes (shortened repeat of 0902)
2159 Weather
2200 The World Tonight (with news at 2201)
2245 Book at Bedtime
2300 News
2302 Comedy (Tues / Wed / Thu), Factual programmes (Mon / Fri)
2330 Today in Parliament (when parliament is not sitting, replaced by other factual programmes)
0000 Midnight News (with paper review at 0027)
0030 Weather
0032 Book of the Week (repeat of 0945)
0045 "Sailing By"
0048 Shipping Forecast
0059 National Anthem
0100 Closedown; as BBC World Service

This is the 'generalised' schedule — there are some exceptions for special programmes or events.

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Current programmes

Many programmes are from Radio 4's Listen Again page, although RealNetworks' RealPlayer is required (the BBC has arranged for this to be free to UK listeners by following links from the BBC website).

The BBC Radio 4 website groups programmes into various genres:

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News and current affairs

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Arts and drama

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Religion and ethics

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Comedy and quizzes

Serious quizzes
Panel games
Sketch shows
Sitcoms
Comedy dramas
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Conversations

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Factual

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Science

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Miscellaneous

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Former programmes

Many programmes from the Radio 4 archives can now be heard on BBC 7.

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Radio 4 announcers and newsreaders

Announcers link programmes, read adverts for programmes and read the Shipping Forecast. Newsreaders read hourly summaries and longer bulletins.

Senior Announcers

Newsreaders

Newsreaders / Continuity Announcers

Newsreaders (non-Today programme) / Continuity Announcers

Continuity Announcers

Former staff

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See also

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External links

Template:BBC Radiode:BBC Radio 4 fr:BBC Radio 4

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