64-578: The Shipping Forecast is a BBC Radio broadcast of weather reports and forecasts for the seas around the British Isles . It is produced by the Met Office and broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency . The forecast dates back over 150 years. There are currently two or three broadcasts per day, at 00:48, 05:20, and 17:54 (weekends only) UK local time . In
128-660: A UK listenership on LW and therefore DAB Services allowed, by this popular demand, it to be now available 24/7 for this audience in better quality reception. BBC Radio services are broadcast on various FM and AM frequencies, DAB digital radio and live streaming on BBC Sounds , which is available worldwide. They are also available on digital television in the UK, and archived programmes are available for 30 days or more after broadcast on BBC Sounds; many shows are available as podcasts. The BBC also syndicates radio and podcast content to radio stations and other broadcasting services around
192-817: A different service from the domestic audience the Corporation started the BBC Empire Service on short wave in 1932, originally in English but it soon provided programmes in other languages. At the start of the Second World War it was renamed The Overseas Service and is now known as the BBC World Service . Beginning in March 1964, Radio Caroline became the first of what would become ten offshore pirate radio stations that began to ring
256-613: A few months prior to Radio London's closure, The Perfumed Garden got more fan mail than the rest of the pop DJs on Radio London combined, so much that staff wondered what to do with it all. The reason it got so much mail was that it played different music and was the beginning of the "album rock" genre. On Everett's suggestion, Radio London's PAMS jingles were commissioned to be re-recorded in Dallas , Texas , so that " Wonderful Radio London " became " Wonderful Radio One on BBC ". The BBC's more popular stations have encountered pressure from
320-580: A plan to move the late night broadcast by 12 minutes triggered angry newspaper editorials and debates in the UK Parliament and was ultimately scrapped. Similar outcry greeted the Met Office's decision to rename Finisterre to FitzRoy, but in that case, the decision was carried through. Peter Jefferson, who read the Forecast for 40 years until 2009, says that he received letters from listeners across
384-521: A purely digital format – they can be received via DAB Digital Radio , UK digital television (satellite, cable and Freeview ) plus live streams and listen again on BBC Sounds . The current stations are: The BBC also operates radio stations for three UK nations: Wales , Scotland , and Northern Ireland . These stations focus on local issues to a greater extent than their UK-wide counterparts, organising live phone-in debates about these issues, as well as lighter talk shows with music from different decades of
448-434: A summary of the general situation, followed by forecasts for coastal sections, moving clockwise, using a format similar to that used for sea areas. The 00:48 Shipping Forecast, at the end of the broadcast day, is traditionally preceded by the playing of " Sailing By ", a light orchestral piece by Ronald Binge . This is only very rarely omitted, generally when the schedule is running late. Though occasionally played in full, it
512-698: A tacit expression of our national identity." The Twentieth Century Society Director Catherine Croft commented: BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations covering the majority of musical genres, as well as local radio stations covering local news, affairs and interests. It also oversees online audio content. Of
576-572: A warning service for shipping in February 1861, using telegraph communications. This remained the United Kingdom's Met Office primary responsibility for some time afterward. In 1911, the Met Office began issuing marine weather forecasts which included gale and storm warnings via radio transmission for areas around Great Britain. This service was discontinued during and following the First World War , between 1914 and June 1921, and again during
640-464: A younger audience in mind. The BBC has also announced plans to make podcasts from third-party producers available within the BBC Sounds service. At launch the BBC Sounds service caused controversy amongst some users of the former iPlayer Radio app, who claimed that the functionality did not have the same features as before, objected to the login requirements, and raised concerns that the new app
704-500: Is Milford Haven Coastguard... For the Maritime Safety Information, list on Channel 62. This is Milford Haven Coastguard." A similar broadcast on MF is initially announced on 2182 kHz, with a further frequency specified, e.g., 1770 kHz. VHF optimum range is approximately 30 nautical miles (nmi), effectively line of sight, whereas MF range is much greater at approximately 150 nmi, allowing ships in
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#1732773146365768-579: Is a streaming media and audio download service from the BBC that includes live radio broadcasts, audio on demand , and podcasts . The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers, cars, and smart televisions. Media delivered to UK-based listeners does not feature commercial advertising. The BBC Sounds website replaced the iPlayer Radio service for UK users in October 2018. An initial beta version of
832-626: Is available only online. All of the BBC's national radio stations broadcast from bases in London and Manchester , usually in or near to Broadcasting House or MediaCityUK . However, the BBC's network production units located in Belfast , Birmingham , Bristol , Cardiff and Glasgow also make radio programmes. The BBC's radio services began in 1922. The British Government licensed the BBC through its General Post Office , which had original control of
896-423: Is common for only a section of the piece to be broadcast; that section being the length required to fill the gap between the previous programme's ending and the start of the forecast at precisely 00:48. "Sailing By" serves as an identification tool – it is distinctive and as such assists anyone attempting to tune in. The forecast is then followed by a more general weather report, the sign-off, traditionally ending with
960-600: Is followed quite strictly, although some continuity announcers read out the actual date of issue as opposed to the word "today". This is followed by gale warnings (winds of force 8 or more on the Beaufort scale ), if any (e.g., "There are warnings of gales in Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey, and Fair Isle"). This sometimes follows the opposite format (e.g., "There are warnings of gales in all areas except Biscay, Trafalgar and FitzRoy"). The general synopsis follows, giving
1024-475: Is frequently referred to and parodied in British popular culture. The Shipping Forecast was established by Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy , the first professional weather forecaster , captain of HMS Beagle and founder of the Met Office. In October 1859, the steam clipper Royal Charter was wrecked in a strong storm off Anglesey ; 450 people lost their lives. In response to this loss, FitzRoy introduced
1088-467: Is less than 1,000 m (3,300 ft). When severe winter cold combines with strong winds and a cold sea, icing can occur, normally only in sea area Southeast Iceland; if expected, icing warnings (light, moderate or severe) are given as the last item of each sea area forecast. Examples of area forecasts: On 10 January 1993, during the Braer Storm , a record North Atlantic low pressure of 914 mb
1152-512: Is no longer a separate long wave schedule for Radio 4, so the number of broadcasts per day has been reduced to two on weekdays and three at weekends, at the following ( UK local ) times. They can be received on long wave, FM, DAB and online via BBC Sounds . The 00:48 and 17:54 forecasts are read by the duty announcer, but the 05:20 forecast is read by the weather forecaster (there being no separate Radio 4 continuity operation at that time). Until 31 March 2024, there were four broadcasts per day at
1216-409: Is only officially used when announcing force 12 winds. Visibility is given in the format "Good", meaning that the visibility is greater than 5 nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi); "Moderate", where visibility is between 2 and 5 nmi (3.7 and 9.3 km; 2.3 and 5.8 mi) nautical miles; "Poor", where visibility is between 1,000 metres and two nautical miles and " Fog ", where visibility
1280-416: Is partnered with Sirius Satellite Radio and British Airways as well as many other local radio stations. Throughout its history the BBC has produced many radio programmes. Particularly significant, influential, popular or long-lasting programmes include: The following expenditure figures are from 2012/13 and show the expenditure of each service they are obliged to provide: BBC Sounds BBC Sounds
1344-605: Is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays and simulcast on Radio 4 from 01:00-05:20 BST and Radio Cymru from 00:00-05:30 BST. It is politically independent (by mandate of the Agreement providing details of the topics outlined in the BBC Charter), non-profit, and commercial-free. The English language service had always had
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#17327731463651408-467: The Marine, &c., Broadcasting (Offences) Act 1967 , which virtually wiped out all of the pirate stations at midnight on 14 August 1967, by banning any British citizen from working for a pirate station. Only Radio Caroline survived, and continues to broadcast today, though the last original offshore broadcast was in 1989. One of the stations, Radio London (also known as "Big L"), was so successful that
1472-490: The Second World War between 1939 and 1945. The programme was first broadcast on the radio on 1 January 1924, then called Weather Shipping . From October 1925, it has been broadcast by BBC. Today, although most ships have onboard technology to provide the Forecast's information, they still use it to check their data. On Friday 30 May 2014, for the first time in more than 90 years, BBC Radio 4 failed to broadcast
1536-436: The 2000s and 2010s, catering to the appetite from young audiences for recent nostalgia”; one from Radio 2, with “‘a distinctive take on pop nostalgia’ from the 50s, 60s and 70s”; and one from Radio 3 for “calming classical music”. In addition, Radio 1 Dance would launch on DAB expanded programming. The BBC today runs national domestic radio stations, six of which are available in analogue formats (via FM or AM), while other have
1600-493: The 20th and 21st centuries. Compared to the majority of the UK's commercially funded radio stations, which generally broadcast little beyond contemporary popular music, the BBC's "national regional" stations offer a more diverse range of programming. There are forty BBC Local Radio services across England and the Channel Islands , often catering to individual counties , cities, or wider regions. BBC World Service
1664-638: The Atlantic Ocean and North Sea to receive the broadcast. The forecasts sent over the Navtex system use a similar format and the same sea areas. RTÉ Radio 1 broadcasts coastal reports for Ireland similar to those in the Shipping Forecast for the UK. Also in Sweden, Svergies Radio P1 broadcasts maritime weather broadcasts ( Land- och sjöväderrapporten [ sv ] ) similar to
1728-464: The BBC Sounds app was launched in June 2018, with both the new app and the iPlayer Radio app supported until September 2019, when the iPlayer Radio app was finally decommissioned in the UK. Since 22 September 2020, BBC Sounds has been available to international users; it replaced BBC iPlayer Radio for international audiences at the end of October 2020. An app for Connected TVs (including Amazon Fire TV )
1792-407: The BBC could be broken, other parties became attracted to the idea of creating a new commercial radio station specifically for this purpose. It was an important forerunner of pirate radio and modern commercial radio in the United Kingdom. The onset of World War II silenced all but one of the original IBC stations, with only Radio Luxembourg continuing its nightly transmissions to Britain. To provide
1856-566: The BBC including podcasts, shows, clips within the same UI. Later on the full development of Sounds began from the same team. BBC Sounds on the web was built from the ground up with Node.js , React , Redux , and Express.js . The mobile applications were written in Swift for iOS, and in Kotlin for Android. The apps were released on 26 June 2018, before the website had any 'Sounds' branding, in order to gain early feedback. App features include
1920-424: The BBC was told to copy it as best they could. This led to a complete overhaul by Frank Gillard , the BBC's director of radio output, creating the four analogue channels that still form the basis of its broadcasting today. The creator of Radio 1 told the press that his family had been fans of Radio London. The BBC hired many out-of-work broadcasting staff who had come from the former offshore stations. Kenny Everett
1984-462: The British coastline, mostly along the south-east coast. By 1966 millions were tuning into these commercial stations, and the BBC was rapidly losing its radio listening audience. This was largely due to the fact that even though they were fully aware of the problem, the BBC still only played a few hours of pop music records a week, as opposed to the pirates which broadcast chart music and new releases every day. The British government reacted by passing
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2048-558: The Channel. Zeb Soanes , a regular Shipping Forecast reader, described it thus: To the non-nautical, it is a nightly litany of the sea. It reinforces a sense of being islanders with a proud seafaring past. Whilst the listener is safely tucked-up in their bed, they can imagine small fishing-boats bobbing about at Plymouth or 170ft waves crashing against Rockall. Soanes also wrote the foreword to The Shipping Forecast Puzzle Book ( BBC Books , 2020), in which he explains: The forecast gives
2112-520: The Met Office and the BBC. It is also available on BBC Sounds . On 18 December 1993, as part of the Arena Radio Night , BBC Radio 4 and BBC 2 collaborated on a one off simulcast so the shipping forecast – read that night by Laurie Macmillan – could be seen as well as heard. To date, it is the only time that it has been broadcast on television. The 31 sea areas covered in the forecast are as shown in this table and map. The forecast follows
2176-649: The Shipping Forecast (and numbered on the map) are: The inshore waters forecast uses the following coastal areas of the United Kingdom: The Shipping Forecast follows a very strict format. Excluding the header line, it has a limit of 350 words—except for the 0048 broadcast, where it is increased to 380 to accommodate Trafalgar's inclusion. Forecast times are spelled out as digits on the 24-hour clock, for example "two-three-double-O", and barometric pressures are pronounced as whole numbers, for example "a thousand and five". With regard to
2240-548: The Shipping Forecast at 0520. Staff at Broadcasting House were reading out the report but it was not transmitted. Listeners instead heard BBC World Service . The 150th anniversary of the shipping forecast was on 24 August 2017. Between 30 March 2020 and 5 July 2020, as a result of emergency rescheduling because of the COVID-19 pandemic , the number of bulletins a day was reduced to three, at 00:48, 05:33, and either 12:03 (weekdays) or 17:54 (weekends). From 1 April 2024, there
2304-581: The Shipping Forecast can be heard by anyone tuned into BBC Radio 4 . The Coastguard's broadcasts follow the same format as the shipping forecast using the same terminology and style, but the information only normally applies to the area sector or region covered by that particular Coastguard Co-ordination Centre (such as the Bristol Channel , for instance). Announcements of pending broadcasts by HM Coastguard are given on marine channel 16 VHF and are announced with (e.g.), " Sécurité . All stations. This
2368-455: The Shipping Forecast during its weather forecasts which its receives from SMHI . The Swedish forecast uses the same names as the British forecast in the areas that Shipping Forecast uses, except they are translated into Swedish for example German Bight is known as Tyska bukten. The Shipping Forecast is immensely popular with the British public; it attracts listeners in the hundreds of thousands daily – far more than actually require it. In 1995,
2432-459: The UK saying that the 0048 broadcast helped them get to sleep after a long day. The Controller of BBC Radio 4, Mark Damazer, attempted to explain its popularity: It scans poetically. It's got a rhythm of its own. It's eccentric, it's unique, it's English. It's slightly mysterious because nobody really knows where these places are. It takes you into a faraway place that you can't really comprehend unless you're one of these people bobbing up and down in
2496-500: The UK, a former British Royal Air Force captain and entrepreneur (and from 1935 Conservative Party MP ) named Leonard Plugge set up his own International Broadcasting Company in 1931. The IBC began leasing time on transmitters in continental Europe and then reselling it as sponsored English-language programming aimed at audiences in Britain and Ireland. Because Plugge successfully demonstrated that state monopolies such as that of
2560-516: The United Kingdom . To this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to "inform, educate and entertain". Although no other broadcasting organisation was licensed in the UK until 1973, commercial competition soon opened up from overseas. The English language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earliest commercial radio stations broadcasting to Britain and Ireland. With no possibility of domestic commercial broadcasting in
2624-494: The ability to look up station schedules, download and share media, rewind live radio, and listen in-car via either Android Auto or Apple CarPlay . Both the website and the apps are served with data from a single set of APIs called Radio and Music Services, or RMS, microservices built in the Scala programming language. This single source of data replaces a large number of different services that powered earlier incarnations of
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2688-555: The airwaves because they had been interpreted under law as an extension of the Post Office services. Today radio broadcasting still makes up a large part of the corporation's output – the title of the BBC's listings magazine, Radio Times , reflects this. On 1 January 1927, the British Broadcasting Company was succeeded in monopoly control of the airwaves by the British Broadcasting Corporation , under
2752-685: The areas North Utsire and South Utsire were created. In 2002, the area Finisterre was renamed FitzRoy, to avoid confusion with a different area called Finisterre used by the Spanish meteorological service. The sea areas match the forecast areas used by other North Sea countries, though some names differ. The Dutch KNMI and Norwegian counterpart names Forties the Fladen Ground , while Météo-France uses Pas-de-Calais for Dover, Antifer for Wight, Casquets for Portland and Ouessant for Plymouth. The coastal weather stations named in
2816-407: The commercial sector. John Myers , who had developed commercial brands such as Century Radio and Real Radio , was asked in the first quarter of 2011 to conduct a review into the efficiencies of Radios 1, 2, 1Xtra and 6 Music. His role, according to Andrew Harrison, the chief executive of RadioCentre, was "to identify both areas of best practice and possible savings." On 30 September 1967: With
2880-464: The conditions are expected to be similar. Wind direction is given first, then strength (on the Beaufort scale ), followed by precipitation , if any, and (usually) lastly visibility. Change in wind direction is indicated by "veering" ( clockwise change) or "backing" (anti-clockwise change). Winds at or above force 8 are also described by name for emphasis, i.e., Gale 8, Severe Gale 9, Storm 10, Violent Storm 11 and Hurricane force 12. The word "force"
2944-593: The following ( UK local ) times: The Shipping Forecast has been broadcast on BBC longwave radio services so the signal can be received clearly at sea all around the British Isles , regardless of time of day or radio conditions. The forecast was broadcast on the BBC National Programme until September 1939, and then after the Second World War on the BBC Light Programme (later BBC Radio 2 ) until November 1978. When BBC Radio 4 took over
3008-528: The following changes: that the area Heligoland be renamed German Bight, to conform with the name generally used by other countries; that a new area, Fisher, be split off from the north-eastern half of Dogger; that a new area, Viking, be split off from the northern half of Forties; and that the area Iceland be renamed Southeast Iceland to clarify its position. After international consultation, these were adopted in 1956. In August 1984, to conform with common North Sea area boundaries agreed upon by neighbouring countries,
3072-686: The forecast, the waters around the British Isles are divided into 31 sea areas, also known as weather areas. The forecast begins by listing areas with gale warnings, followed by a general synopsis of pressure areas, then a forecast for each individual sea area covering wind speed and direction, precipitation, and visibility. Extended forecasts at 00:48 and 05:20 include information from coastal weather stations and inshore waters . The unique and distinctive presentation style of these broadcasts has led to their attracting an audience much wider than that directly interested in maritime weather conditions. It
3136-737: The globe, through its BBC Radio International business, which is part of BBC Studios . Programmes regularly syndicated by BBC Radio International include: In Concert (live rock music recordings from BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2, including an archive dating back to 1971); interviews, live sessions and music shows; classical music (including performances from the BBC Proms); spoken word (music documentaries, dramas, readings, features and comedies, mainly from BBC Radio 4) and channels, including BBC Radio 1. BBC Radio International also provides many services internationally including in-flight entertainment, subscription, and satellite services. BBC Radio International
3200-416: The imagination and leads it into uncharted waters whilst you sleep. Dependable, reassuring and never hurried, in these especially uncertain times The Shipping Forecast is a still small voice of calm across the airwaves. Another regular reader of the Forecast, Kathy Clugston , described it as "Like a lullaby, almost". Jo Ellison of Financial Times wrote that "Over time it has become a beloved cultural icon,
3264-459: The increased rollout of Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) between 1995 and 2002, BBC Radio launched several new digital-only stations BBC 1Xtra , BBC 6 Music and BBC 7 in 2002 on 16 August, 11 March and 15 December respectively – the first for "new black British music", the second as a source of performance-based "alternative" music, the latter specialising in archive classic comedy shows, drama and children's programmes. BBC Asian Network joined
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#17327731463653328-567: The longwave frequency from Radio 2 on 23 November 1978, the Shipping Forecast was moved to Radio 4 to keep it broadcasting on longwave. As part of the BBC's plans to switch off the BBC Radio 4 longwave transmitter, it reduced daily broadcasts of the Shipping Forecast to the FM simulcast schedule of twice on weekdays and three times on weekends in April 2024. The Shipping Forecast is published online by
3392-544: The national DAB network on 28 October 2002. The stations had "Radio" added to their names in 2008. In 2011, BBC Radio 7 was renamed BBC Radio 4 Extra and the service was more closely aligned with Radio 4. At the start of the 2020s, two Radio 1 spin-offs were launched on BBC Sounds , BBC Radio 1 Dance in October 2020, followed by BBC Radio 1 Relax in April 2021. In February 2024, the corporation announced plans to launch three new spin-offs, pending public consultation and regulatory approval: one from Radio 1 for “music from
3456-593: The national radio stations, BBC Radio 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 and 5 Live are all available through analogue radio ( MW or FM , also BBC Radio 4 broadcasts on longwave ) as well as on DAB Digital Radio and BBC Sounds . The Asian Network broadcasts on DAB and selected AM frequencies in the English Midlands. BBC Radio 1Xtra , 4 Extra , 5 Sports Extra , 6 Music and the World Service broadcast only on DAB and BBC Sounds, while Radio 1's Dance stream
3520-457: The order shown, going clockwise around the British Isles, with each area except Trafalgar, Irish Sea, Shannon, and Fair Isle bordering the previous. Trafalgar is only included in the 00:48 forecast, except when gales or more are due there. These areas still largely follow the format of the chart adopted in 1949. In 1955, meteorologists from countries bordering the North Sea met and recommended
3584-402: The position, pressure (in millibars ) and track of pressure areas (e.g., "Low, Rockall, 987, deepening rapidly, expected Fair Isle 964 by 0700 tomorrow"). With the information provided in the Shipping Forecast it is possible to compile a pressure chart for the coasts of northwestern Europe. Each area's 24-hour forecast is then read out. Several areas may be combined into a single forecast where
3648-670: The presenter wishing the audience a good night, the national anthem " God Save the King " and the closedown of the station for the day, with the BBC World Service taking over the frequencies after the pips of the Greenwich Time Signal at 01:00. The Shipping Forecast should not be confused with similar broadcasts given by HM Coastguard to vessels at sea tuned into marine VHF and MF radio frequencies. HM Coastguard's broadcasts can only be heard by vessels or persons using or tuned into marine VHF and MF radio frequencies, whereas
3712-413: The terms of a royal charter . John Reith , who had been the founding managing director of the commercial company, became the first Director-General. He expounded firm principles of centralised, all-encompassing radio broadcasting, stressing programming standards and moral tone. These he set out in his 1924 autobiography, Broadcast Over Britain , influencing modern ideas of public service broadcasting in
3776-467: The timing of weather events, the words "Imminent", "Soon" and "Later" are used and are tightly defined. "Imminent" means within 6 hours, "Soon" means within 6 to 12 hours and "Later" means within 12 to 24 hours. The basic order of the forecast is: The forecast begins with "And now the Shipping Forecast, issued by the Met Office on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency at xxxx today." This format
3840-430: The wind direction and force, atmospheric pressure, visibility and the state of the sea. It is a nightly litany with a rhythm and indefinable poetry that have made it popular with millions of people who never have cause to put to sea and have little idea what it actually means; a reminder that whilst you're tucked-up safely under the bedclothes, far out over the waves it's a wilder and more dangerous picture, one that captures
3904-479: Was asked for input in how to run the new pop station due to his popularity with both listeners and fellow presenters. Tony Blackburn , who presented the first Radio 1 Breakfast show, had previously presented the morning show on Radio Caroline and later on Radio London. He attempted to duplicate the same sound for Radio 1. Among the other DJs hired was John Peel , who had presented the overnight show on Radio London, called The Perfumed Garden . Though it only ran for
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#17327731463653968-408: Was no longer supported on older versions of smartphones. Some broadsheet newspapers have claimed that these changes disproportionately affect older listeners, particularly those who listen to speech and comedy content on BBC Radio 4 . An early web prototype led by BBC employee Jason Williams surfaced in 2014 called BBC Radio Explorer . The web app allowed users to listen to different content across
4032-637: Was recorded. The shipping forecast was: Extended shipping forecasts (00:48 and 05:20) also include weather reports from coastal weather stations followed by a forecast for the inshore waters of the United Kingdom . This additional information does not fall within the 350/380-word restriction. The reports for coast weather stations use the following format: name of the station, wind direction/speed, precipitation (if any), visibility in miles, barometric pressure, and trend in pressure. For example, "Machrihanish Automatic. West by south 6, rain, 1 mile, 981, falling more slowly." The inshore waters forecast begins with
4096-544: Was released in March 2020. An Apple tvOS app is also in development. BBC Sounds differs from iPlayer Radio by acting as a place for original podcast material created by the BBC specifically for the app in addition to live and catch-up listening of its linear radio services. One example of this is the Beyond Today podcast, a daily online-only 17 minute podcast produced by the Today team, exploring an issue in-depth with
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