Music requests and special messages for the staff at the British Antarctic Survey
Listen to the Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast
This is possibly the BBC World Service's most unusual program as well as serving its smallest intended audience. It is broadcast each year on 21 June to a guaranteed audience this year of just 44 people: the men and women scientists and support staff overwintering at four British bases in Antarctica.
There are just eight among the seals and penguins of King Edward Point on South Georgia and only four at nearby Bird Island. The biggest base, Rothera, on the Antarctic Peninsula houses 19 winterers – the population can reach 100 in the Summer. Furthest south still is Halley VI on the Brant ice shelf where the Sun does not rise for many weeks and temperatures of -30° C are made worse by bitter winds. But life is more comfortable for the 13 lucky residents because they are in the futuristic new modules of Halley VI – the previous five bases have either been dismantled or even lost beneath the ice.
An email from BBC WS Audience Relations has confirmed the frequencies for tomorrow's (21 June) midwinter broadcast to BAS staff in Antarctica at 2130 UTC are:
5875
7360
9455
(A Pennington/BDXC/20 Jun)
This years broadcast is scheduled for Thursday, 21 June, 2019
UTC
2130-2200 on 5875 WOF to Antarctica English (via Woofertton, UK)
2130-2200 on 9455 WOF to Antarctica English (via UAE)
2130-2200 on 7360 ASC to Antarctica English (via Ascension Island)
(DX Mix-Bulgaria)
Additional story on Antarctica Midwinter Broadcast and audio file at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/48Gx2jfJBWHyWggDSD19gFT/antarctic-midwinter-broadcast
Previous broadcast available at You Tube
Ralf Bender Shortwave Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dvIJCh-i4I
BBC Midwinter Broadcast # 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEsrX9JuzRw
The 2018 BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5yfGNpy8TU
