BBC Radio Foyle
- Derry
DAB: 12D
Freeview: 720 (NI only)
Freesat: 717
Sky: 0135 (NI only)
Sky: 0154 (UK-wide)
Virgin Media: 933
Online: [1]
BBC Radio Foyle (Irish: BBC Raidió Feabhail) is a BBC Northern Ireland local radio station, serving County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. It is named after the River Foyle which flows through Derry, the city where the station is based.
It is an opt-out from BBC Radio's main Northern Ireland service, BBC Radio Ulster. BBC Radio Foyle's weekday schedule begins at 8:00am and continues until 4:00pm.
Broadcasting
The station broadcasts from BBC's Northland Road studios on 93.1 FM in Derry. It was available on 792 kHz MW until 6 May 2021.
There is also a small television studio based there used for interviews with the interviewee sitting in front of a CSO screen which normally has a live view of Derry. Since it broadcasts from a point close to the border between County Londonderry and County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland, it includes some coverage of the latter county.
BBC Radio Foyle has been subjected to recent budget cuts at the BBC, which meant a reduction in the amount of local programming. This means there is no BBC Radio Foyle programming at the weekend.
As of May 2024, BBC Radio Foyle has a new revised weekday schedule - their breakfast show North West Today airs from 8:00am - 9:00am. The Mark Patterson Show airs from 12:00pm - 1:00pm and from 1:10pm - 1:30pm with the News at One now occupying a new ten minute slot at 1:00pm. The Sean Coyle Show airs from 3:00pm - 4.00pm. From 1:30pm - 3:00pm Hugo Duncan simulcasts his afternoon show on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Foyle, broadcast live from the BBC Radio Foyle studios.[1][2]
BBC Radio Foyle news bulletins airs hourly from 8:00am - 3:00pm each weekday. BBC Radio Foyle no longer produces any weekend news bulletins.
BBC Radio Foyle also produces some local evening programming during the week.
Digital
BBC Radio Foyle is available online and is carried on Freeview in Northern Ireland (occupying the slot held by BBC Radio nan Gàidheal in Scotland and by BBC Radio Cymru in Wales). It was not initially available on DAB digital radio, however; the Northern Ireland multiplex licence only requires carriage of Radio Ulster.
In June 2010, the BBC announced a trial scheme under which Radio Foyle would be available on DAB as a part-time sidecar station to Radio Ulster, using a similar format as the part-time longwave-programming optouts of BBC Radio 4 on the BBC National DAB multiplex. During this trial, the bitrate of Radio Ulster would drop during Foyle's separate broadcast hours, with Foyle carried as a split audio stream in the remaining space; outside of split shows, the full bitrate would revert to Radio Ulster.[3]
When the Digital One ensemble commenced broadcasting in Northern Ireland certain stations that used Digital One in the rest of the UK left the Northern Ireland ensemble, leaving space for Radio Foyle to broadcast in Stereo without the need for the Radio Ulster capacity to be split.[4]
Following the closure of the medium wave services of BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Foyle on 6 May 2021, the digital frequencies of BBC Radio Foyle have been used for split sports programming formerly broadcast on 1341 and 792 AM.
References
- ^ https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2023/bbc-northern-ireland-plans-bbc-radio-foyle
- ^ https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2024/bbc-radio-foyle-new-hour-long-north-west-today
- ^ Carey. "DAB Ensembles Worldwide - Latest News & Updates". www.wohnort.org.
- ^ Carey. "DAB Ensembles WorldWide - UK Local & Minimuxes". www.wohnort.org. Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
External links
- BBC Radio Foyle at BBC Online
- v
- t
- e
- BBC Radio Ulster 92-95
- BBC Radio Foyle 93.1
- Downtown Radio 96.4, 96.6, 97.1, 102.3, 102.4, 103.1, 103.4
- Q Radio 96.7, 97.2, 100.5, 101.2, 102.9, 106.0, 107.0
- Cool FM 97.4
- U105 105.8