BBC Radio Foyle

BBC Radio Foyle

Logo used since 2022
Derry
Broadcast area	County Londonderry
Frequency	FM: 93.1 MHz DAB: 12D Freeview: 712 (NI only) Freesat: 717 Sky: 0135 (NI only) Sky: 0154 (UK-wide) Virgin Media: 933 Online: [1]
RDS	BBC FYLE
Programming
Format	News, talk, sport and music
Network	BBC Radio Ulster
Ownership
Owner	BBC
Operator	BBC Northern Ireland
History
First air date	11 September 1979 (1979-09-11)
Former frequencies	792 MW
Technical information
Licensing authority	Ofcom
Transmitter coordinates	55.005512°N 7.325885°W / 55.005512; -7.325885
Links
Website	www.bbc.co.uk/radiofoyle

BBC Radio Foyle is a BBC Northern Ireland local radio station, serving County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. It is named after the River Foyle which flows through Derry, the city where the station is based.

It is an opt-out from BBC Radio's main Northern Ireland service, BBC Radio Ulster. Recent budget cuts saw some reduction in local programming, which now only airs during the week - currently airing between 8:00am and 4:00pm, along with some local evening programming. At all other times, and throughout the weekend, the station's frequencies carry BBC Radio Ulster.

Broadcasting

Radio Foyle Studio, Derry (2009)

The station broadcasts from BBC's Northland Road studios on 93.1 FM in Derry. It was available on 792 kHz MW until 6 May 2021.

There is also a small television studio based there used for interviews with the interviewee sitting in front of a CSO screen which normally has a live view of Derry. Since it broadcasts from a point close to the border between County Londonderry and County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland, it includes some coverage of the latter county.

Digital

BBC Radio Foyle is available online and is carried on Freeview in Northern Ireland (occupying the slot held by BBC Radio nan Gàidheal in Scotland and by BBC Radio Cymru in Wales). It was not initially available on DAB digital radio, however; the Northern Ireland multiplex licence only requires carriage of Radio Ulster.

In June 2010, the BBC announced a trial scheme under which Radio Foyle would be available on DAB as a part-time sidecar station to Radio Ulster, using a similar format as the part-time longwave-programming optouts of BBC Radio 4 on the BBC National DAB multiplex. During this trial, the bitrate of Radio Ulster would drop during Foyle's separate broadcast hours, with Foyle carried as a split audio stream in the remaining space; outside of split shows, the full bitrate would revert to Radio Ulster.

When the Digital One ensemble commenced broadcasting in Northern Ireland certain stations that used Digital One in the rest of the UK left the Northern Ireland ensemble, leaving space for Radio Foyle to broadcast in Stereo without the need for the Radio Ulster capacity to be split.

Following the closure of the medium wave services of BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Foyle on 6 May 2021, the digital frequencies of BBC Radio Foyle have been used for split sports programming formerly broadcast on 1341 and 792 AM.

External links

• BBC Radio Foyle at BBC Online