Emergency radio: what to keep and where to tune

The GOV.UK Be Ready checklist includes an FM radio (battery or wind-up) for updates during outages, and suggests you write down the frequencies of any national or local stations you use for news. It's one of the cheapest items on the list and one of the most useful when screens go dark.

Why radio still matters

In a power cut, GOV.UK notes you would lose your internet connection and possibly mobile signal. In a phone and broadband outage, it says your mobile, landline and broadband could all be down at once. Broadcast radio doesn't rely on any of those: a battery radio just needs a signal from the transmitter. GOV.UK's advice in both cases is the same: keep a wind-up or battery FM radio, because updates may be given on the radio.

BBC local radio and emergencies

GOV.UK's guidance for emergency planners says BBC Local Radio is recognised as an emergency broadcaster for the UK. Through its "Connecting in a Crisis" work, the BBC says local radio has a special role in crisis communications, helping emergency responders get relevant risk information to the public. The BBC runs 39 local radio stations in England, plus radio services for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

So your BBC local station is the one to note first. National stations and local commercial stations may also carry news and travel updates.

FM, DAB or both?

GOV.UK's checklist names an FM radio. Its power cut advice is to search for stations that are still broadcasting and to try both FM and digital modes. A radio that does both gives you the most chances of finding a signal. A few practical points from BBC Reception Advice:

• BBC local and nations stations on DAB are carried on local commercial multiplexes, so in some areas they aren't available on DAB at all. FM coverage of your local station is worth checking.
• Extend a portable radio's telescopic aerial fully and try a window sill or high shelf for a better signal.
• Transmitters can be affected by severe weather or by a loss of their own power supply. Don't retune during a storm: you could lose stations from your presets.
• BBC local radio medium wave services in Cumbria, Derby, Gloucestershire, Norfolk and Somerset close by the end of November 2026, so use FM or DAB there instead.

Find and write down your frequencies

Use the BBC's transmitter checker (on BBC Reception Advice) to see which FM frequencies reach your postcode, or check the station's own website. Write the frequency for your BBC local station and one or two national stations on paper. GOV.UK suggests keeping these notes with other items like your torch or radio, somewhere easy to find in the dark, and adding them to your household emergency plan.

Wind-up, batteries or both?

Our suggestions:

• Battery radios are simple and reliable. Choose one that uses the same AA batteries as your torch, so one stock of spares covers both. The calculator counts 4 AA for the radio per 3 days.
• Wind-up radios never run out of batteries, though a minute of winding often gives only a short spell of listening, depending on the model.
• Combination models (wind-up, battery, sometimes solar and USB) give you the most options. Some include a torch or can top up a phone, but don't rely on winding to charge a phone fully.
• Test it every six months when you check your kit, and store spare batteries outside the radio so they can't leak into it.

The car radio

GOV.UK says a car radio can be used, but in severe weather it may be safer to stay inside. Never run the engine in a closed garage to listen or charge: the NHS warns that engines in enclosed spaces can cause a build-up of carbon monoxide.

Related: what to do in a power cut, power banks and the full emergency kit checklist.

Questions people ask