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Chairman visits iconic Wychavon landmark

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Chairman visits iconic Wychavon landmark

Wychavon’s Chairman went behind the scenes of an iconic district landmark recently as part of his 50th anniversary tour. 

Cllr Robert Raphael visited Droitwich Transmitter Station to find out more about the site, which has been helping keep the nation informed since the 1930s. 

The station, in Dodderhill parish, is currently responsible for broadcasting long wave signals for a number of radio stations. 

Content arrives by satellite from the broadcaster and is then cleaned up before being sent out by four 750ft high aerials. 

The aerials are so powerful, the signal not only reaches across the UK but also into southern Germany.  

The station was built by the BBC in 1934 and was chosen because the high salt content in the area’s soil, helped support the transmission of the signal. 

During the Second World War, the station was used to send coded messages, embedded during normal programming, to the French Resistance. 

The site is currently owned by Arqiva which is responsible for 1,450 radio and TV broadcast sites across the UK. They reach 98.5% of the population through Freeview and also provide the infrastructure for on-demand streaming services provided by companies such as Sky, Virgin Media and Amazon Prime. They also help support the smart meter network so customers can keep track of their energy usage and receive accurate bills. 

Cllr Robert Raphael, Chairman of Wychavon District Council, said: “The station is an iconic piece of Wychavon’s history and it was fascinating to go behind the scenes, meet the staff and discover everything that goes into transmitting some of the nation’s favourite programmes and live sporting events.” 

The Chairman has set himself a challenge to visit more than 60 parishes across the district by April next year to mark 50 years since Wychavon’s formation. 

Wychavon 50th anniversary logo