BBC Radio Cornwall
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Broadcast area | Cornwall |
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Frequency | 95.2 FM (east Cornwall) 96.0 FM (Isles of Scilly) 103.9 FM (west Cornwall) DAB: 11B Freeview: 721 |
RDS | BBC CNWL |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English Cornish |
Format | Local news, talk and music |
Ownership | |
Owner | BBC Local Radio, BBC South West |
History | |
First air date | 17 January 1983 |
Former frequencies | 630 MW 657 MW |
Links | |
Website | BBC Radio Cornwall |
Coordinates: 50°15′45.579″N 5°2′48.0516″W / 50.26266083°N 5.046681000°W
BBC Radio Cornwall is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Cornwall.
It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at Phoenix Wharf in Truro.
According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 125,000 listeners and a 20.5% share as of September 2022.[1]
Overview
Prior to its launch on 17 January 1983, BBC local radio services for Cornwall had amounted to a regional breakfast show Morning Sou'West on the AM frequencies of Radio 4 in Devon and Cornwall plus brief regional bulletins at lunchtime and teatime.
Initially, Radio Cornwall shared an afternoon programme with BBC Radio Devon, but now sustains up to 16 hours a day of local programming.
BBC Radio Cornwall can be heard on 95.2 MHz in the east, 96.0 MHz on the Isles of Scilly and 103.9 MHz in the west, as well as on DAB. It also broadcast on 630 kHz and 657 kHz AM until 2 March 2020, when those transmitters were closed for cost savings.[2]
In addition, BBC Radio Cornwall also broadcasts on Freeview TV channel 721 in the BBC South West region and streams online via BBC Sounds.
Programming
Local programming is produced and broadcast from the BBC's Truro studios from 6am - 10pm on weekdays and from 6am - 6pm and 10pm-1am Saturdays and 6am-2pm on Sundays
David White's Boogie Wonderland show on Saturdays between 10pm-1am is also broadcast to stations in the BBC South West and West regions
Off-peak programming, including the Sun-Fri late show from 10pm - 1am, originates from BBC Radio Devon in Plymouth.
During the station's downtime, BBC Radio Cornwall simulcasts overnight programming from BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London.
Cornish language output
Radio Cornwall is one of two radio stations to have broadcast programmes in the Cornish language. A five-minute news show, An Nowodhow, used to be broadcast every Sunday.[3][4]
When Radio Cornwall was first set up Cornish language content was limited to around 2 minutes per week. In 1987, a new weekly 15-minute-long bilingual show, Kroeder Kroghan, detailing Celtic cultural events taking place in Cornwall, was introduced.[5]
Notable past presenters
- Brenda Wootton (deceased)
- Jonathan Samuels
- Caroline Righton
- Rod Lyon
- Laurence Reed
See also
- List of topics related to Cornwall
- Pirate FM
- Heart West
- Radyo an Gernewegva
- Cornish media
- List of Celtic-language media
- NOW Cornwall Multiplex
References
- ^ "RAJAR". RAJAR. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
- ^ "BBC Blog - Further changes to some BBC local radio medium wave services". BBC. 13 January 2020. Archived from the original on 14 May 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ Diarmuid O'Néill, Rebuilding the Celtic Languages: reversing language shift in the Celtic countries, 2005
- ^ John T. Koch, Celtic Culture: a historical encyclopedia, 2006
- ^ Martin John Ball, James Fife, The Celtic Languages, 1993