Over a million radio listeners in Eastern England are without an FM service after a transmitter mast at Peterborough in Cambridgeshire collapsed onto the transmitter building and neighbouring fields after catching fire on Saturday evening. The station covers much of Cambridgeshire, and parts of Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and West Norfolk. Services broadcast from the site include BBC Radios 1,2, 3 and 4, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, BBC digital radio and Classic FM. Mobile telephone reception has also been affected. Scenes of crime experts and forensic teams are at the transmitter site, which is owned by Crown Castle International.
on Oct 31st, 2004 at 20:56
It must have been one hell of a fire to bring the 150 metre mast down - looks awfully like a serious arson attack. Suddenly makes me think just how vulnerable our radio & tv services are. And if it was arson, what could the motive have been?
Has this ever happened before?
J
on Oct 31st, 2004 at 21:10
I think it would be best to wait until the experts at the scene have finished their work before commenting on this specific incident. But as a general point, yes, radio and TV services in the UK and many other countries are indeed vulnerable.
on Nov 1st, 2004 at 09:33
pics at:
http://www.bthshome.plus.com/misc/153724.jpg
http://www.bthshome.plus.com/misc/153709.jpg
http://www.mark.carver.dsl.pipex.com/pbor1.jpg
http://www.mark.carver.dsl.pipex.com/pbor2.jpg