why does freeview channel 12 close down at 18:00 hours

Yes, why does Freeview channel 12 now close down at 18:00 hours? UKTV History (and Dave) are the channels we enjoy watching the most ... well, 'history' until 6 o' clock!

Just to add to the chorus - Why does the History Channel on Freeview Channel 12 close down at 6pm, when the listings show programs still being broadcast until much later? It would have been nice to have watched the latest rerun of 'I, Claudius' from the beginning..

I asked, and here's the official response :

UKTV History’s broadcast hours on Freeview have changed to 7am-6pm on Channel 12.
This is to make way for a new entertainment channel on Channel 19 called “Dave.” This new channel broadcasts from 7am-3am and replaces UKTV Bright Ideas on Channel 19. UKTV History continues to broadcast after 6pm on Sky and Virgin TV.
The reason we have had to cut the History schedule is because UKTV only have a certain number of hours available to broadcast on Freeview. Previously, UKTV Bright Ideas broadcast from 7am-6pm, which allowed History to broadcast all day. But because we wanted Dave to broadcast all day, we have had to sacrifice the peak time of History. It is essentially due to our contract with Freeview.
We are making efforts to restore the UKTV History evening schedule to Freeview homes and hope to reinstate it soon. We acknowledge your concern and are keeping all comments relating to the changes to UKTV History on Freeview.

I also also received the same reply - prompt service there, albeit not what we wanted to hear..

Dave - it has to be said, is a sanity-saver after a long, hard day of commute, work, commute, evening cooking and housework ... and every other channel (91 my box tells me) schedules wall-to-wall murder, BB, and general unfunny dross. A daily hour of Dave brings much needed relief to the tedium of wage-slaves' grinding existence. It refreshes the parts other TV channels can't reach.

So, if UKTV History is sacrificed (and sometimes "Fred Dibnah" levels do excede personal saturation point), Dave at least cheers us up meanwhile....

But, as the only 2 Freeview channels we ever watch - it will be great to get UKTV History back in the evenings!

Here's to 'efforts to restore [its] evening schedule' !

So UKTV, which is 50% owned by the BBC, can't reach an agreement with Freeview, which is run from Wood Lane, London W12 (hmmm, sounds familiar). And despite, no doubt, protestations of independence, the whole lot is underwritten by the licence fee. This is ridiculous.