Letter: 'Rolling' news already exists

THE campaign to keep Radio 4 unchanged ('Radio 4 fans claim victory', 18 October) overlooks the fact that there is already a 'rolling' news service on radio - the BBC World Service, with 18 news broadcasts in 24 hours. One million people in the UK already listen on medium wave. This coverage could be extended to the whole country for a fraction of the cost of extending FM coverage of Radio 4.

This is being ignored because Radio 4 and the World Service are different organisations and because the former wants to improve its listening figures before the corporation is reviewed in 1994. As taxpayers, we shall have to pay the additional cost.

W R Haines

London SE26