A MEDIUM wave transmitter which broadcasts BBC Radio Cumbria in the west of the county is to close.
The BBC have confirmed the mast, which relays the Carlisle-based station to areas in and around Whitehaven, will be switched off later this year, in a bid to cut costs.
The corporation said the closure will include 17 other medium wave transmitters across England, Scotland and Wales.
In a statement, Kieran Clifton, director of BBC Distribution and Business Development said: “The majority of radio listening in the UK – including to the BBC – is now digital, and digital listening is continuing to grow.
“This change was planned as long ago as 2011, but we have taken a measured approach to implement it to ensure that as many of you as possible have already moved on to other ways of receiving the services before we make this change.
"We know that the changes will impact some of you, and that’s why we’re speaking about the plans again now.
"We want to make sure that people listening to these transmissions will be able to use other methods to hear the same programmes.”
A date for when the medium wave transmitter will be switched off is to be confirmed in due course.
Later this year, the station will begin broadcasting on DAB for the first time, when two new digital multiplexes launch to serve the north and south of the county.
BBC Radio Cumbria can still be accessed on the FM frequency, on Freeview channel 721, online, on the BBC Sounds app, and via a smart speaker.
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