British Forces Broadcasting Service

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"BFBS" redirects here. For the charity, see British and Foreign Bible Society. For the plural "BFBs",
see BFB (disambiguation).
"Forces Network" redirects here. For the American network, see American Forces Network. For the
Canadian network, see Canadian Forces Radio and Television. For the Israeli network, see Army
Radio.
This article is about the British domestic and international broadcaster. For the unrelated German
radio company of the 1920s and 30s, see Deutsche Welle GmbH. For the musical genre, see Neue
Deutsche Welle.

British Forces Broadcasting Service

Type Armed Forces Media (UK)

Founded 1943; 77 years ago

Broadcast area United Kingdom

Brunei

Canada

Cyprus

Germany

Gibraltar

Falkland Islands

Key people Simon Bucks (CEO)

Former names Forces Broadcasting Service

British Forces Network

Forces TV Freesat: 165

Freeview: 96

Sky: 181

Virgin Media: 274

BFBS Radio See list

 Official website www.bfbs.com 

The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides radio and television programmes

for Her Majesty's Armed Forces, and their dependents worldwide. Editorial control is independent of
the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces themselves.
It was established by the British War Office (now the Ministry of Defence) in 1943. In 1944, it was
managed by Gale Pedrick.[1]

History[edit]
Originally known as the Forces Broadcasting Service (FBS), it was initially under the control of the
British Army Welfare Service, with its first effort, the Middle East Broadcasting Unit, with its
headquarters in Cairo.[2]
Before and after end of the Second World War, various radio stations were set up, some using the
FBS name, others using the name British Forces Network (BFN), but by the early 1960s, these
had all adopted the BFBS name.[3]
From 1982 until 2020, BFBS formed part of the Services Sound and Vision Corporation (SSVC), a
registered charity, which is also responsible for the British Defence Film Library, SSVC Cinemas
(now BFBS Cinemas), and Combined Services Entertainment (CSE; now BFBS Live Events),
providing entertainment for HM Forces around the world. In March 2020, most of the properties
under the SSVC umbrella were rebranded under the new BFBS and Forces brandings. [4] On 23 July
2020, SSVC was renamed BFBS.[5][6] BFBS does not carry commercial advertising.[7]

Broadcasting[edit]
BFBS broadcasts to service personnel and their families and friends worldwide with local radio
studios in Belize, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, Germany, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, Nepal and
operational areas from the studio in Afghanistan.[9] In addition, BFBS the Forces Station[10] is heard by
troops in Ascension Island, Belgium, Bosnia, Diego Garcia and the Netherlands, as well as
onboard Royal Navy ships at sea via live satellite links, online at BFBS Radio, on Sky Digital channel
0211, via an Astra 2 transponder and on Freesat channel 786.
From 12 January 2008, BFBS began a trial period of broadcasting nationwide across the UK
on DAB, which ran until 31 March 2008. Audience research carried out during the trial concluded
that it was successful and broadcasts continued for 8 years [11] until 6 March 2017 when the service
ceased due to the cost to the charity SSVC.[12]
On 1 April 2013, BFBS began a new 10-year contract for to supply all forces broadcasting service to
British troops around the world and expanded its service to UK army bases formerly served
by Garrison Radio.[13] BFBS UK Bases stations now serve local communities
in Aldershot (DAB), Aldergrove (DAB), Blandford (DAB), Bovington (DAB), Brize
Norton (DAB), Bulford (DAB), Catterick (DAB), Colchester (DAB), Edinburgh (DAB), Fort
George (DAB), Holywood (DAB), Inverness (DAB), Lisburn (DAB), and Portsmouth (DAB).[10]
Programming[edit]
Bespoke news bulletins are broadcast every hour, 24 hours a day, utilising content from BBC
News, IRN and BFBS's own team of Forces News reporters. The standard bulletin is three minutes
long, with extended ten-minute Newsplus programmes on weekdays at 0400, 0700, 1100, 1300 and
1700 UK time. Two-minute-long news and sport headlines are broadcast on the half-hour during
breakfast programming. Bulletins are broadcast around the clock on BFBS the Forces Station and
BFBS Gurkha Radio, and during BFBS Radio 2's music programming.
Many of the programmes on BFBS Radio 2 are sourced from BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5 Live,
including the soap opera The Archers, which was popular in Hong Kong until BFBS Radio ceased
broadcasting on 30 June 1997 before the handover to China.[14] BFBS UK is a contemporary hit ‘pop’
station. It is similar in style to BBC Radio 2, playing current music and chat, as well as regular news
bulletins.
On 31 May 2010, BBC Radio 1 teamed up with BFBS to transmit the 10-hour takeover show
from Camp Bastion with BFBS presenters and shout outs from the military community. [15] It repeated
the link-up in 2011.[16]
In December 2011, UK's Smooth Radio broadcast their national breakfast show, presented
by Simon Bates, from the BFBS studios in Camp Bastion.[17][18][19] On 8 April 2012, Easter Sunday,
BFBS simulcast a two-hour show with Smooth, presented jointly by Bates and BFBS's Rachel
Cochrane allowing family and friends of serving troops to connect with their loved ones. [20]