For me anyway, as I did 85% of my listening on AM in my van.

And that's how it felt this afternoon. I listened until 12.02... and then silence.

Listened for a few minutes to Jeremy Vine on R2 - not very interesting and then put Magic 1170 on. Thought I might get a surprise with an enlarged playlist, but no, Commodores Once, Twice, Fifteen Billion Times a Bl**dy Lady, Dan Hill Sometimes When We Touch, Police Don't Stand..... Ah well... I only discovered Big L six weeks ago, and I've really really enjoyed it. Great presenters, great variety of music, a superb station and I could listen at work on my van radio.

From reading the fora, I can understand why the AM TX has been closed, but it will result in the loss of a massive percentage of what listeners there are. At the most I can listen on the internet for no more than an hour or so a day.

So for me, and others in my position it is indeed "the day the music died".

Despite presenters putting a brave face on things, with the developments over the past few days I can't see Big L coming back to AM. I get the message from the music alone (Yes - Survival etc). If it can't afford to pay the presenters - it certainly can't afford an AM transmitter beamed AWAY from the UK. I would think Sky will be next. Which leaves it as one of tens of thousands of internet stations, all trying to be different. On AM it WAS different, on the internet it WILL NOT be different.

So what will you all be listening to when mobile? Magic, Smooth, BBC R2. Probably a bit of all of these for me plus a bit of R4. Will still catch Big L on tinternet, but it's not going to be the same. To me it's not proper radio if it is not on AM or FM and I can't listen when mobile.

Finally, although I think the station has been great, I think it would have been nice to have been told on the website and the forum announcements of the impending withdrawal of the AM service. I know we live in a "me first" kinda society.... but loyal AM listeners at least deserve this!

I know Chirpy means well and is probably only passing on info from the station itself, but I just can't imagine Big L phoning Broadcast Partners in Holland and saying "oh no, someone has announced on our forum that 1395 might be going off, so turn it off right now!" it just makes no sense.

I think there are other reasons and suspect we all know what it is really.

Very bad day for big L

some options - on the web-

AAC+ stream 48 kbs/44khz :
[link] or
[link]

and in 32 kbs/44khz :
[link] or
[link]

For the retard ones.. on all of above pages there is a link named > listen..


Yep i know.. streams from the official page ... I sorted out the good ones!

Lot of weblinks on the main bigL page directing
to totally other streamformats/or even mono streams as promised...

We will see if the BigL will become same as Caroline.. aka web radio only... hope it doesnt!

I think you must be right as normally when you stop a contract or service you tend to do so per the end of the month. If they had switched off in an orderly fashion they would have done so one day earlier I would think. Very strange.

I agree, also it is worth noting that as soon as the transmitter was swiched off Bigl ceased to be a commercial operation it is now just another internet radio station. I fear this is begining of the end.

Good post Greyhound, says it all!

What am I going to listen too on now the way to work? 1395 sky wave gave a great signal here.

Thanks to all at Frinton, it was good while it lasted!

Oh well, I won't be listening to Big L in the car on the way to work anymore.

Does anyone remember LBH Radio, yet another Ray Anderson enterprise? I'm afraid that what's happening to Big L now is exactly what happened during the demise of LBH Radio. The MW transmitter gets switched off first (1386 in the case of LBH), but then the remainder of outlets follow shortly afterwards.

I'm listening on Sky Digital now 0190 but it's just not the same. Can't do that in the car!

The choice to switch off and when to do it WAS made by those at Frinton, not by any outside organisation.

If that is really the case would it not have been better to have shut down AM from 7pm to 6am rather than a total shutdown? Surely this would have been better for the advertisers and listeners than total silence. The other alternative of course would be to sell 10pm to 6am to the USA Religious lot who always seem to want outlets?

The way its been done is the loss of many listeners in the areas where 1395 provides good reception and will they ever be able to get them back?

Big L is now basically an internet station ok its got Sky at the moment but its not commercially viable is it. So where is the money coming from to fund the new location??

It dosn't add up does it?

To quote Andy Senitt on the Media Network Blog, [link] -



This sounds like any new site is still a long time away and still has many hurdles to overcome.

So they are looking for a new transmitter site in the Netherlands, which is going to cost lots and lots of money, even it they can find one, yet, apparently, they couldn't afford to pay poor old Steve Garlick what was owed to him, so he departed.

Something here doesn't add-up, does it?

Indeed - and as the posting from Ruud mentions, the longer 1395 is off air the more chance they have of losing it - and Ruud will know all about that, as he has lost all but 1 of his frequencies due to them being off air.

So it seems bizzare to close it down, lose audience/advertisers and even risk losing the frequency all for a new site which seems to be still at the very early stages Something just isn't adding up here.

there was talk about some time ago about the station on 10008am closeing down but then some cash came from some where. so they dont this station & bigL jest swap sites. or would that mean more cash.

I agree with all the posts...without the am they are just another internet radio station and there are so many out there....they cannot compete with the big boys and their listening audience will be greatly reduced and will not be reaching the great public in Europe and Scandinavian countries..turning off the am....a big mistake.....us loyal supporters stuck with them when it went off before......but i do not know many how of us can do it again.. times have moved on and the lack of information coming from management is worst than last time...we should not be taken for granted....there is a lot of choice out there.

The transmitter on 1395 was on the air with a testtone round 14.00 pm (dutch time). However currently off air again.

Henny