BBC Sounds - Radio 4 Extra - Schedules (2024)

FAQs

Why has Radio 4 Extra gone off air? ›

On 26 May 2022, as part of planned cuts and streamlining with a greater focus on digital, the BBC announced plans to discontinue Radio 4 Extra as a broadcast station. It will be supplanted by BBC Sounds.

You can also call the BBC helpline number 08000 924 299. Radio 4 Extra can be found on your digital radio station display after Radio 4.

You listen live by accessing the link in the top banner or catch up on a past programme by finding a programme in the Schedule. Many Radio 4 programmes are available as podcasts or downloads which you can listen to on most devices. Downloads can be kept on your computer to listen to whenever you like.

It is coming to the end of its life as a technology, but dates have not yet been confirmed. Effective 15th April, Radio 4 is no longer be available on medium wave. Medium wave listeners will need to retune their radio to Radio 4 on FM or DAB, or listen via smart speaker, BBC Sounds or digital television.

BBC Radio 4 had 9.2m listeners with 5.7m tuning in for The Today programme (Mon-Sat). BBC Radio 5 Live posted a reach of 4.9m listeners. BBC Radio 1Xtra had 786k listeners, BBC Radio 4 Extra had 1.5m, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra had 971k, and BBC Asian Network had 542k.

Radio 4 Extra isn't Radio 4! Although the bulk of the content originates on Radio 4 it includes programmes from several other networks, as well as a small amount of original programming.

BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasting House, London.

You can listen to or download most podcasts for free on the BBC Sounds app or from the BBC Sounds website on your computer. From our website, you can download many podcasts as MP3 files. You can transfer the MP3 files to a portable device, such as an MP3 player, to listen to on the move.

Is the BBC Sound app free? ›

You can download and install the free BBC Sounds on any Android or iOS device, or stream audio from its functionally identical, browser-based interface.

The BBC will close their Internet Streaming IP services, known as Shoutcast, from mid-2023, the final date is not known yet. This will mean that radios that rely on this technology will no longer be able to receive BBC radio stations via Internet radio. How will this affect me?

The average age of the Radio 4 listener is 56 years old and skews towards an older audience. Our target audience of 35-54 ABC1 (commonly termed 'replenishers') makes up 24% of the audience. The station also continues to have an upmarket bias – 75% of those tuning in fall into the ABC1 demographic.

You can listen to live radio streams, on demand programmes, podcasts, audiobooks, music mixes and lots more!

Download the app from your app store (e.g. iTunes, Google Play) and open it. Choose Radio 4 on the dial. To get the iPlayer Radio app is easy but you will need to do it via an Apple or Android tablet or mobile.

Sometimes, losing stations can simply be due to a channel move and you need to retune your radio back in. Try scanning the channels again, or even performing a system reset, to tune the stations back in.

On 26 May 2022, the BBC announced plans to discontinue BBC Four as a broadcast channel within "the next few years", as part of plans to streamline and modify services to create a "digital-first" BBC.

BBC Radio 4 will turn off its medium wave frequencies and end its separate schedule for LW by April 15th 2024.

If the battery runs down, the data is lost. In addition, if the radio is moved to a new location, or signal strength is very low, some radios will automatically erase existing pre-sets and scan for new stations.