BBC Radio Guernsey has grown from a small part-time radio operation in the early 1980s into a full tri-media broadcaster, providing locally produced radio, online and TV services. Each week, the station broadcasts 40 hours of local programming ranging from news and current affairs to music and conversation.
Like other BBC enterprises in Guernsey, funding comes primarily from television licence fees collected in Guernsey itself.[2]
In recent years, local output has been reduced to eight hours on weekdays, coinciding with an increase in regional programming shared with sister station BBC Radio Jersey.
In addition to its FM and AM frequencies, the station also broadcasts on Freeview TV channel 721 and streams online via BBC Sounds. Transmissions on DAB began on 1 August 2021 with the launch of the Channel Islands DAB multiplex, on which BBC Radio Jersey also broadcasts, alongside BBC Radio Guernsey Xtra, a part-time stream carrying the station's AM opt-out content (chiefly parliamentary coverage), and a similar opt-out for Radio Jersey. The stations are the first BBC stations to use the DAB+ standard – at the time of launch, all stations on the BBC National DAB multiplex, and all other BBC Local Radio stations on the UK mainland, used the earlier DAB format.
Programming
Local programming is produced and broadcast from the BBC's St Sampson's studios from 6 am to 2 pm on weekdays.
Regional programming for the Channel Islands, shared with BBC Radio Jersey, airs from 2 pm to 10 pm on weekdays, from 6 am to 6 pm and 8 pm to 10 pm on Saturdays and from 6 am to 6 pm on Sundays.