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North Yorkshire-based community service Drystone Radio has added itself to the newly launched East Lancashire small-scale DAB multiplex. The station says it is launching a new station for East Lancashire after extending and rebroadcasting its output on DAB in Bradford earlier this year. Drystone Radio was founded in 1998 as a registered charity to promote active community involvement in regeneration and social inclusion, and to enhance diversity and inclusion.

A new station called Sound Radio is launching in Liverpool on the new small-scale DAB service for the city. Sound Radio Liverpool starts on Wednesday 1st November at 8am with breakfast presenter Mike Peters. Other stations on the new multiplex include Love 80s, Dune Radio, Panacea Soul and Zest Liverpool.

Liverpool DAB is set to turn on the new small-scale DAB transmitter for the city on November 1st 2023. The mux owners are looking for radio stations to join the service, saying it will reach nearly one million people locally. “We’re thrilled to be launching the Liverpool DAB multiplex,” said director David Duffy. “We believe this represents another major milestone for the UK digital radio industry, and we’re looking forward to bringing an ever-expanding range of radio services to the people of Liverpool and the wider Merseyside area.”

Central Radio North West will expand to East Lancashire this November as the area’s small-scale DAB multiplex launches. The commercial station is already carried on the Blackpool and Preston multiplexes, and will add another potential 350,000 listeners in towns including Blackburn, Darwen, Accrington, Burnley and Colne. The East Lancashire small-scale DAB multiplex is owned by BBD Digital – and has three transmitter sites to cover the area. On awarding of the licence 18 months ago, 23 services had signed heads of agreement to broadcast on the multiplex.

Hospital radio service Rookwood Sound is evolving into a health and well-being service and joining DAB in Cardiff. Stephen Allen, Chief Executive of Rookwood Sound, said: “After launching on the internet and now on DAB+ we will be able to provide a service to most people across Cardiff & Vale of Glamorgan and further afield. We can act as a link between loved ones receiving care wherever they are and DAB+ provides us with that platform, along with the launch of our App in the next few weeks, it is an exciting time for our volunteers and listeners old and new."

Manchester’s ALL FM 96.9 is launching on DAB from this Friday 20th October at 7pm. This will increase the station’s reach to a potential of over one million people across Manchester and Salford. ALL FM Director, Ed Connole said: “ALL FM’s ethos is ‘by the community, for the community’, so being able to engage audiences on DAB means we can continue to be inclusive, dynamic and talk with communities across the city.” ALL FM is part of the Manchester DAB group, which was awarded the small-scale DAB licence by Ofcom. The group includes Gaydio, Legacy 90.1, North Manchester FM, Reform Radio and Salford Community Radio.

Ofcom has announced which areas will be advertised in the next round of small-scale DAB licensing. There are 27 locations on the list, ranging from the Isle of Wight to Carlisle, and Lanarkshire in Scotland to Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland. Round Six will be advertised next year.

North Derbyshire Radio are pleased to announce we are now broadcasting live across the High Peak on DAB. Station Controller Naz Premji said “North Derbyshire Radio continues to grow and we are delighted to be on DAB across the High Peak." Craig Pattison from High Peak One Digital said: "After two years the wait is over. Until now the High Peak has had very little in the way of radio choice in the area. This has now all changed with the introduction of small-scale DAB from High Peak One Digital."

AFTER a lengthy wait community radio station Radio Warrington is at last available on DAB in cars and on radios in the Warrington area. Local radio fans are encouraged to scan the DAB band to tune in. Station manager Steve Lewis said: “We have been providing a community radio service exclusively for Warrington online since 2007. We campaigned for an FM licence but were told there was no room on the FM band so we were awarded a frequency on 1332AM in 2014. Medium Wave is old and unpopular so we applied to broadcast on DAB. Digital Audio Broadcasting has been around for over 20 years but the advent of DAB+ has allowed a lot more stations on to the air.”

Two companies who had their small-scale DAB licences revoked have been awarded the licences for a second time.The licences cover the Isles of Scilly, Merthyr & Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales, and Alnwick & Morpeth. The three awards are the first in Round 5 of the small-scale DAB licensing process, with another 26 awards to be made in the coming months.