BERLIN, LONDON, Paris, Droitwich. In the 1930s a Midlands town of barely 5,000 people stood out(脱颖而出，突出) on the dials of British wireless sets, which used the places from which stations were transmitted to denote their frequencies. In 1934 the BBC switched on the corporation’s most powerful radio transmitter, near Droitwich. Two 700ft-high (213-metre) steel masts, at the time the tallest structures in the country, still send “long wave” broadcasts across Britain and deep into Europe. During the second world war they transmitted nonsense messages (“The rabbit is going down his hole”) that were decoded by the French resistance(法国抵抗运动). More recently they have carried baffling(令人困惑的) phrases understood only by cricket fans tuning into “Test Match Special(BBC板球专题节目)”.
柏林、伦敦、巴黎、德罗伊特维奇。20世纪30年代，一个仅有5000人的米德兰兹小镇在英国无线收音机的刻度盘上脱颖而出——收音机用发射台的地名来标示频率。1934年，BBC在德罗伊特维奇附近开启了该公司最强大的无线电发射机。两根700英尺高（213米）的钢塔，当时是全国最高的建筑，至今仍将“长波”广播发送到英国各地并深入欧洲。二战期间，它们曾传输被法国抵抗组织破译的无意义消息（“兔子正在钻进它的洞穴”）。更近一些时候，它们传送着只有收听“板球特别测试”的粉丝才懂的令人困惑的短语。
On June 27th the BBC will stop broadcasting Radio 4 Long Wave. It blames the cost of maintaining out-of-date technology. Droitwich uses two metre-high ceramic and metal valves(电子管，阀门), which are no longer made. Almost no one in Britain will notice. But it is the first nick(第一道划痕，第一个切口) in what the broadcaster hopes will eventually be a slashing(大幅削减) of expensive radio and TV transmissions.
6月27日，BBC将停止播放Radio 4 Long Wave。它归咎于维护过时技术的成本。德罗伊特维奇使用两个一米高的陶瓷金属阀门，如今已不再生产。英国几乎没有人会注意到。但这是广播公司希望最终大幅削减昂贵的广播和电视传输的第一次划痕。
Devotees(爱好者，狂热追随者) of long wave insist it is not obsolete. They say nuclear submarines listen for long-wave broadcasts of the “Today” programme to confirm Britain hasn’t been annihilated. Absurdly, that is not an urban myth, says James Jinks, a military historian. But the Royal Navy has other ways to monitor the country’s vital signs(生命体征，关键指标). Fans also point to the importance of the shipping forecast. Yet here too, newer technology has eclipsed the bulletins(公告，简报). Mike Roach of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations notes that boats get detailed information from VHF (very high frequency) radio or satellites.
长波的爱好者坚称它并未过时。他们说核潜艇收听长波广播的“今日”节目，以确认英国没有被摧毁。荒谬的是，这并非都市传说，军事历史学家詹姆斯·金克斯说。但英国皇家海军有监控国家生命体征的其他方式。粉丝们还指出航运预报的重要性。然而这里也一样，新技术已经使这些公告黯然失色。全国渔民组织联合会的迈克·罗奇指出，船只从甚高频（VHF）无线电或卫星获取详细信息。