Greenwich Time Signal Greenwich Time Signal The Greenwich Time Signal (GTS), popularly known as the pips, is a series of six short tones broadcast at one-second intervals by many BBC Radio stations. The pips were introduced in 1924 and have been generated by the BBC since 1990 to mark the precise start of each hour. Their utility in calibration is diminishing as digital broadcasting entails time lags. There are six pips (short beeps) in total, which occur on each of the 5 seconds leading up to the hour and on the hour itself. Each pip is a 1 kHz tone (about halfway between
BBC Radio Derby basis of many jingles in this era, but was phased out in the 1990s as the FM frequencies increased in popularity. Nowadays, mentions of the 269m wavelength are rare, with the presenters tending to simply mention the actual frequency of the medium-wave signal. From the commencement of the 96FM frequency for the Buxton area until April 2008, the jingles were provided by Bespoke Music of Penryn, Cornwall (being exactly the same as Radio Wiltshire). They were then provided by Wise Buddah Productions of London. Now the generic Mcasso jingles are used. BBC Radio Derby BBC Radio Derby is the BBC