BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4
City of license	London
Broadcast area	United Kingdom - National
Frequency	FM: 92 MHz - 95 MHz LW: 198 kHz MW: various DAB: 12B Freeview: 704 Tiscali TV: 604 Virgin Media: 904 Sky Digital: 0104 UPC Ireland: 910 Internet: Streaming Audio Real/WM
First air date	30 September 1967
Format	News & Speech
Audience share	12.0% (June 2008)
Owner	BBC, BBC Radio
Website	BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4 is a domestic UK radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967.

Outline

Radio 4 is the second most popular British domestic radio station after Radio 2. It was named "UK Radio Station of the Year" at the 2008 Sony Radio Academy Awards, an award it had also won in 2003 and 2004.

Radio 4 costs £71.4 million a year, and is the BBC's most expensive national radio network. Many people think of it as the corporation's flagship. There is currently no commercial network like it in the UK, although there are similar publicly owned stations in such countries as Sweden (Sveriges Radio P1) and Australia (Radio National).

Music and sport are the only subjects that generally fall outside the station's coverage. There are occasional concerts on Radio 4, and ball-by-ball commentaries of most test matches played by England cricket are broadcast on longwave. Because the longwave service can be received clearly at sea around the coasts of Britain and Ireland, Radio 4 also carries regular weather forecasts for shipping and gale warnings. The station has also been designated as the UK's national broadcaster in times of national emergency such as a war, meaning that even if all other radio stations were forced to close, Radio 4 would still carry on broadcasting.

The current controller of Radio 4 is Gwyneth Williams. She is also in charge of its sister station BBC Radio 4 Extra.

Other websites

• BBC Radio 4 at bbc.co.uk
• Listen to live Radio 4 at bbc.co.uk, from BBC iPlayer.