About Radio 3
Radio 3 is a place for anyone who needs a space to think or take a time out. It connects its audiences with the very best of music and culture from outstanding classical concerts to full length radio dramas, Slow Radio to sound art innovations, world premieres to lost and forgotten gems.
How to Listen
In the UK you can listen to Radio 3 in many ways: on a digital (DAB) or FM radio, on digital television (live only), online through a computer; on a mobile phone or tablet. Radio 3 is also broadcast online to an international audience. It is possible to listen to Radio 3 broadcasts in HD Sound via the Radio 3 programme pages.
Radio 3 can be found on the following channels, frequencies and websites:
- DAB Listed as "BBC Radio 3", "BBC R3", or "Radio 3"
- FM 90 - 93FM
- Freeview Channel 703
- Freesat Channel 703
- SkyTV Channel 0103
- Virgin Channel 903
Listen online
With BBC Sounds you can:
- Listen live to BBC radio programmes as they are broadcast
- Listen again to BBC radio programmes after broadcast
To listen to Radio 3 programmes using BBC Sounds, go to the Radio 3 homepage.
Why have I lost BBC Radio 3 on FM?
In order to bring FM coverage of BBC Radio Wales to a further 173,000 households in Wales, a number of FM frequencies currently used by BBC Radio 3 will be used to transmit BBC Radio Wales from 24th October 2018. Radio 3 listeners in some parts of Wales, Shropshire and Cheshire will need to re-tune to continue listening to BBC Radio 3.
Why and when are you doing this?
Around 21% of the Welsh population cannot receive the national radio station, BBC Radio Wales, on FM. BBC Radio Wales broadcasts high quality, original, challenging and innovative programmes for a Welsh audience, championing Welsh culture, music and arts. Expanding its FM coverage to 91.5% will allow more listeners to choose to listen to BBC Radio Wales and engage with its programmes.
BBC Radio Wales will replace BBC Radio 3 at thirty-two FM transmitters in Wales overnight between 23 and 24 October 2018. At some larger transmitters, Radio 3 will be replaced by a recorded announcement on 17 October. This will tell listeners about the change and provide information on how to re-tune to continue listening to Radio 3.
How do I continue listening to BBC Radio 3 on FM if I live in an affected area?
Many listeners, particularly along the North Wales coast and in Shropshire, Cheshire and Merseyside, may be able to re-tune to an alternative FM frequency:
- Cheshire; Merseyside; Flintshire; Wrexham County Borough 91.5 MHz FM
- Shropshire; Staffordshire 90.5 MHz FM
- North Wales coast 92.0 MHz FM
There are some areas in England where either 90.5 MHz or 91.5 MHz could provide the best service. Listeners are encouraged to try both frequencies to determine which works best for them.
Elsewhere in Wales, listeners can try re-tuning to the main transmitter for their area – although results may be variable:
- South East Wales 92.1 MHz FM
- Carmarthenshire 90.6 MHz FM
- Pembrokeshire 91.5 MHz FM
- Cardigan Bay 90.9 MHz FM
- Conwy 92.0 MHz FM
If the frequencies above do not provide an alternative, listeners should first check whether any others are likely to be available at their location by following this link.
Some Radio 3 listeners may find they cannot find a suitable alternative FM frequency. They will need to switch to an alternative way of listening, such as DAB digital radio, digital television, or the BBC Sounds app.
Most car radios should automatically re-tune to alternative BBC Radio 3 FM transmitters using the RDS system. Although there will be some areas where in-car FM reception is not as robust as previously, RDS car radios will automatically re-tune to the best available signal and there should be no need to re-tune manually.
Why has the sound quality reduced on Radio 3 FM?
Some Radio 3 listeners may find the alternative FM transmissions are weaker than those they have used previously, leading to hissy or crackly reception. Satisfactory results should be possible in all areas predicted to have good FM reception by the BBC Transmitter Checker and listeners are advised to follow the BBC’s Reception Advice for FM radio.
Listeners who cannot achieve satisfactory reception of Radio 3 FM after following the advice should consider an alternative way of listening, such as DAB digital radio, digital television, or the BBC Sounds app.
How do I listen to BBC Radio 3 on DAB digital radio?
Most listeners who can no longer receive BBC Radio 3 on FM can find it on DAB digital radio. Listeners can check their digital radio coverage by following this link.
Listen on a smartphone or tablet
All of the programmes available to listen to online can be accessed on mobile devices by visiting the Radio 3 website on your internet browser of choice.
All Radio 3 programmes are also available to download for 30 days via the BBC Sounds app.
A selection of Radio 3 programmes are also available as podcasts.
How to contact BBC Radio 3
You may find the information you need on the Radio 3 programme webpages, so please check these before you write in. Otherwise please see the contact details below.
To comment or enquire about other BBC programmes or services, visit the About the BBC website.
Join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BBCRadio3
Tweet us at @bbcradio3
Complaints
The BBC has a system for dealing with complaints from our audience. All complaints about the BBC, our programmes and services should be sent via our Complaints Site.
Questions about Radio
You can call 03700 100 300. (03700 calls cost no more than 01 and 02 geographic landline numbers and are included in discount packages for both fixed-line and mobile phones).
You can also write to us by following the contact link on programme pages or by using the following address:
[Programme Name]
Radio 3
BBC Broadcasting House
London W1A 1AA
Enquiries and Feedback
Due to the large amount of correspondence we receive, it is not always possible for us to reply to emails individually.
Your Privacy
The BBC and any service provider we engage will use the information you supply to respond to your queries/comments, to develop and enhance our services and for statistical analysis of audiences and users. For full details of our policy regarding the personal information we collect about you visit our Privacy page.
Listen to Radio 3 in HD Sound
What is HD Sound?
HD sound means High Definition sound.
Sound reaches our ears via analogue sound waves. However processing these sound waves electronically tends to distort their original shape. Modern digital processing is much less distorting. The conversion of an analogue signal to a digital signal is achieved by sampling the sound waves. We are now delivering the sampled 'HD' sound at a rate of 320 kb/s (AAC), which delivers more audio information and results in better sound, compared to the previous rate of 192 kb/s.
What is the best way of listening to Radio 3 HD?
If you listen on the small speakers built into a laptop you're unlikely to notice a big difference, but if your computer is connected to a good-quality sound system or high-quality headphones we think you'll appreciate the extra clarity and detail in the sound.
Can I hear 'Listen again' in HD too?
Yes, both live and on demand streams are now available in HD.
What do I do if it doesn't work?
If you have problems listening to the HD stream, you should try the 'Low Bandwith' setting on the iPlayer.
Why do I occasionally lose the stream?
This live stream requires more bandwidth than the original stream. If your bandwidth drops because someone else is using your internet connection, the stream may falter and start to buffer. Buffering is an automatic process when the computer stores extra data (filling the buffer) before playing the audio.
Having more audio data in the computer's memory than are actually needed at each precise moment compensates for momentary delays in transmission from the source. If the stream fails completely, either go to the 'Low Bandwidth' stream as above, or restart the player.
