Editors note: Denis Nowlan, Network Manager of BBC Radio 4 talks about the enduring importance of The Shipping Forecast. You can listen to the Shipping Forecast online or read the latest report at BBC Weather.
The latest weather reports and forecasts for UK shipping
The Shipping Forecast is one of those Radio 4 institutions that occupy a special place in the hearts of many listeners across the country, but it also fulfils a very important role in providing vital safety information to mariners who traverse the waters around our shores. With this in mind, last year we asked our colleagues at the Royal Yachting Association, the Met Office and HM Coastguard to send a questionnaire to their members inviting feedback on the way they use the Shipping Forecast. We did this to ensure the service we offer continues to provide them with the most useful information in the best way possible.
We were very pleased to receive almost 1,000 responses, and although this was a self-selecting sample, the feedback was on the whole very positive: most respondents cited Radio 4 Long Wave as their primary source of Maritime Safety Information (MSI) and classified the service as vital; they also praised it for its simplicity, reliability and dependability. One respondent, whose comments were echoed by hundreds of others, wrote: “Radio 4 Long Wave service is absolutely essential for safety and planning (inshore and at sea); it can be received at considerable distance unlike FM/internet and when cruising well offshore becomes the only source of weather and safety information.”
There does not appear to be an appetite for significant changes to the service, although some respondents did suggest that all Shipping Forecast bulletins should be made available on demand on the Radio iPlayer, and we have already implemented this change.
I spoke to Feedback about the results of the questionnaire and about the ways people access the Shipping Forecast.
