News

Fylde Coast Radio has been broadcasting on the internet for six years and can now be heard on DAB around the area after officially switching on Tuesday (November 1). A number of established and new radio stations have been set up on DAB after Fun Coast Digital, a non-profit community interest group led by former Radio Wave broadcaster Alistair Clarke, was granted an Ofcom digital licence in the summer, with a mission to bring community broadcasting to the Fylde coast.

In a move heralded as “the rebirth of local radio,” around 450,000 people on Tyneside can now tune into more local stations than ever before following the roll-out of new digital technology. Thanks to the award of one of the first new UK licences for small-scale DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) radio, Newcastle based Tyneside Community Digital (TCD), is now hosting 19 radio stations on the DAB platform with more joining in the coming weeks, and is inviting applications from further local broadcasters seeking to reach a wider listenership.

OFCOM has announced today (Tuesday, October 18) that ToneFM’s parent organisation, The Tone Community Media Group CIC (TCMG CIC), has been awarded the Small Scale DAB Multiplex Licence for Taunton Deane. It will enable TCMG CIC to bring a brand new digital radio service to the area. OFCOM invited applications in March for organisations to bid to take control of the new service in Taunton Deane. These new Digital Radio (DAB) will offer listeners a wider choice of content within a localised area, while being managed and led predominately by community radio providers.

The new DAB multiplex for Winchester has been officially switched on with a special launch ceremony in the centre of the city. There are 18 radio stations being made available on digital radio for the first time in the area, including Christmas Radio, Winchester Radio, B Radio and News Radio UK. The services are broadcast digitally from a transmitter at Crabwood Farm. It is owned and operated by UK DAB Networks run by Ash Elford, who told RadioToday: “It has always been important to me that digital radio was accessible to all broadcasters of all types. By having something for everyone, digital radio will be able to thrive.”

Winchester Today has an entirely new future ahead as it becomes part of a digital radio revolution with the start of a new DAB+ multiplex. The multiplex brings 17 radio stations to a new audience, including Winchester Today. For us, this is the culmination of two years’ hard work in applying for a digital licence from Ofcom and getting on board with the owners of the multiplex, UK DAB Networks. More stations will be added just as soon as they can get their licence approved by Ofcom.

A COUPLE of North Wales broadcasters are celebrating today (October 3) after broadcasting regulator Ofcom awarded the operational licence for a small-scale digital radio multiplex (DAB) to their joint company. This means that Conwy County is soon to receive a selection of new radio services – from specialist music channels to community services and information-based stations. “Sound Radio”, which broadcasts to East Conwy and the coastal belt between Conwy and Denbighshire on FM and Bayside Radio, which serves communities in the Bay of Colwyn on the North West Wales DAB multiplex, are working together as “Sound Bay Community Digital CIC” (Digidol Cymunedol Sain Bae).

Ofcom has awarded five more multiplex licences in Round 3 of the small-scale DAB process. Darlington & Bishop Auckland goes to Durham Digital Limited, Leicester to Leicester Digital Partnership CIC, Llandudno & Betws-y-Coed to Sound Bay Community Digital, Middlesbrough & Redcar to Erimux Limited and Warminster, Devizes & Trowbridge to West Wiltshire Digital Radio CIC. Today’s awards mean 11 of the 20 areas in Round 3 have been awarded, with nine still to go.

Leicester Digital Partnership has been awarded the small-scale DAB multiplex in the city. By the closing-date of 25 April 2022, Ofcom received two applications for this locality from SubDigital Leicester Limited and Leicester Digital Partnership. Ofcom noted that all five participants in the Leicester Digital Partnership’s application proposed to provide community digital sound programme services in the locality. Of these, four (St Matthews Community Solution Centre Limited, Kohinoor Media Limited, 2Funky Arts Limited, and Takeover Radio Children’s Media Trust) are existing providers of analogue community radio services in Leicester.

Happy Radio UK is expanding its DAB+ coverage across the North West by joining the multiplexes in West Cheshire, Chester, North Wales and on the Fylde Coast. Darren Proctor, who set up Happy Radio with Festival Organiser Max Eden, says: “In the six months since we’ve launched; the response to the station has just been incredible and proves that there has and always will be a want for local radio!” “We’re really excited to be welcoming our latest amazing new sponsors of our daytime line up joining the Happy Radio Family and enabling us to further expand our coverage across the region,” Co-Owner Max Eden added.

Following a soft launch in July, the new Edinburgh DAB multiplex operated by Edinburgh DAB Ltd has now fully launched. It has recently completed a successful upgrade at its Braids Hill transmitter site and is currently carrying 17 radio services, with several others waiting on Ofcom for final licence confirmation. Broadcasting in DAB+ from two transmission sites at Braid Hills golf course and Corstorphine Hill it is audible to over 789,000 adults.