AM, which stands for amplitude modulation, is the oldest form of radio broadcasting technology. Despite the growth of newer alternatives, it’s still in use in the UK, though services are limited and are gradually reducing in number.
AM radio in the UK mainly uses the MW (medium wave) band of frequencies, which ranges from 526.5 kHz to 1606.5 kHz. A few stations broadcast on LW (longwave), which ranges from 153 to 279 kHz.
Most of the stations broadcasting on AM in the UK are talk, news and sports stations. This is because AM transmissions are more susceptible to interference than FM transmissions and tend to have lower fidelity, so they are less suitable for broadcasting music.
BBC AM Stations
The following BBC stations broadcast in the UK on AM radio:
- BBC Asian Network – 1458 kHz (Birmingham) 828 kHz (Wolverhampton) 837 kHz (Leicester) 1449 kHz (Peterborough)
- BBC Radio 4 – 603 kHz (Newcastle), 720 kHz (Belfast, London, Londonderry), 756 kHz (Cornwall), 774 kHz (Enniskillen, Plymouth), 1449 kHz (Aberdeen), 1486 kHz (Carlisle)
- BBC Radio 4 LW – 198 kHz
- BBC Radio 5 Live – 693, 909 kHz
- BBC Radio Cambridgeshire – 1026 kHz (Cambridgeshire)
- BBC Radio Cumbria – 756 kHz (North Cumbria), 837 kHz (South Cumbria), 1458 kHz (West Cumbria)
- BBC Radio Derby – 1116 kHz
- BBC Radio Devon – 801 kHz (Barnstaple and North Devon), 990 kHz (Exeter and East Devon)
- BBC Essex – 729 kHz (North Essex), 765 kHz (Mid Essex)
- BBC Radio Foyle – 792 kHz
- BBC Radio Gloucestershire – 1413 kHz
- BBC Radio Guernsey – 1116 kHz (Guernsey)
- BBC Hereford & Worcestershire – 738 kHz (Worcestershire), 1584 kHz (North Herefordshire)
- BBC Radio Humberside – 1485 kHz
- BBC Radio Jersey – 1026 kHz
- BBC Radio Lancashire – 885 kHz (South Lancashire), 1557 kHz
- BBC Radio Leeds – 774 kHz
- BBC Radio Merseyside – 1485 kHz
- BBC Radio Newcastle – 1458 kHz
- BBC Radio Norfolk – 873 kHz (West Norfolk)
- BBC Radio Nottingham – 1584 kHz
- BBC Radio Scotland – 810 kHz
- BBC Radio Sheffield – 1035 kHz
- BBC Radio Somerset – 1566 kHz
- BBC Radio Stoke – 1503 kHz
- BBC Radio Ulster – 1341 kHz
- BBC Radio Wales – 657 kHz, 882 kHz
- BBC Radio York – 666 kHz, 1260 kHz
Commercial and Independent Stations
The following commercial and independent stations broadcast on AM in the UK:
- Absolute Radio – 1215 kHz (Certain locations)
- Absolute Radio Classic Rock – 1152 kHz (Birmingham)
- Asian Sound – 963 kHz (East Lancashire) 1377 kHz (Manchester)
- The Cat 1251 AM – 1215 kHz (Chester)
- Clyde 2 – 1152 kHz (Glasgow)
- Desi Radio – 1602 kHz (London)
- Downtown Radio – 1026 kHz (Northern Ireland)
- Forth 2 – 1548 kHz (Edinburgh)
- Gold – 945 kHz (Derby), 999 kHz (Nottingham), 1332 kHz (Peterborough), 1458 kHz (Manchester), 1548 kHz (London), 1557 kHz (Northampton)
- Greatest Hits Radio – 828 kHz (West Yorkshire), 990 kHz (Doncaster) 999 kHz (Lancashire), 1152 kHz (Manchester & North East), 1161 kHz (East Yorkshire & North Lincolnshire), 1170 kHz (Teeside), 1305 kHz (Barnsley), 1548 kHz (Sheffield & Rotherham)
- Kismat Radio – 1035 kHz
- L&D Radio – 1134 kHz (Luton)
- LBC London News – 1152 kHz (North London)
- Love Sport Radio – 1584 kHz (London)
- Lyca Radio 1458 – 1458 kHz (London)
- Panjab Radio – 558 kHz (London)
- Premier Christian Radio – 1332 kHz (London), 1305 kHz (Stevenage), 1413 kHz (Maidenhead), 1566 kHz (Guildford)
- Pulse 2 – 1278 kHz (Bradford), 1530 kHz (Huddersfield and Halifax)
- Queen’s Radio – 1134 kHz (Belfast)
- Rock FM 2 – 999 kHz (Lancashire)
- Sabras Sound – 1260 kHz (Leicester)
- Signal 2 – 1170 kHz (Staffordshire & Cheshire)
- Smooth Radio -828 kHz (Dorset), 1260 kHz (Bristol), 1359 kHz (Chelmsford), 1431 kHz (Southend), 774 kHz (Gloucestershire), 792 kHz (Bedford), 828 kHz (Luton), 603 kHz (East Kent), 1242 kHz (Medway), 1152 kHz (Norfolk), 1152 kHz (Plymouth), 1170 kHz (Portsmouth), 1557 kHz (Southampton), 1170 kHz (Suffolk), 945 kHz (Eastbourne), 1323 kHz (Brighton), 936 kHz (Chippenham), 1161 kHz (Swindon)
- Spectrum Radio – 558 kHz (London)
- Sunrise Radio – 963 kHz (London), 972 kHz (West London)
- Sunshine Radio – 855 kHz (Ludlow)
- Swansea Sound – 1170 kHz (Swansea)
- talkSPORT – 1053 kHz (Nationally)
- Tay 2 – 1584 kHz (Perth), 1161 kHz (Dundee)
- Radio XL – 1296 kHz (Birmingham)
I miss caroline
I miss Laser 558.
AM 648 kHz
648 in medium wave or online.
I miss Radio Caroline and Radio Luxembourg. But Radio Caroline is also a Web Station so I can listen to it on line.
Caroline now at 1000 watts of power on 648 khz and in Stereo on DAB and Stereo Online. Back like it used to sounds 1960s and 1970s. I first listen as a small child in1960s. Listening under the bedclothes.
David, Radio Caroline now sounds really good since a recent upgrade to its streaming service, now at 96kbps, AAC stereo.
Sister station Radio Caroline Flashback’s streaming service is not yet upgraded, but still streams at a respectable 128kbps MP3 with good stereo separation!
Both services sound good on a hifi unit and car stereo system…
Year 2020 to date has already experienced a number of AM transmitter closures throughout the UK, especially BBC locals in England and some BBC regional service transmitters in Wales and Scotland.
Subject to international agreement, would it be technically possible to open up bandwidth for selected medium wave services still on air? A less crowded AM band should equate to minimal co-channel interference, with better sound quality on AM channels with wider bandwidth!