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Cumbria.Digital has announced plans to apply for the small-scale DAB multiplex licence covering Carlisle and Penrith. The company plans to reserve capacity for six community stations, surpassing Ofcom’s minimum requirement of four, to better serve the diverse communities in Carlisle, Penrith, and the surrounding rural areas. “We are looking to provide a platform that gives communities and organizations a voice, opening up the power of radio to all and bringing greater choice to listeners in the area,” said a spokesperson for Cumbria.Digital. “We will support the existing community stations in Carlisle and Penrith, ensuring they have capacity on the multiplex if they wish alongside supporting new stations.”

With changes in audience habits and rising costs and energy bills, what does the future hold for community and local independent radio stations? Madu Ellis, director and acting CEO of Ujima Radio CIC, said their stations had struggled. Ujima Radio was founded in 2008 and was primarily given a licence to provide a platform to empower black people of African and Caribbean communities to become involved with radio. "Our main source of income is advertising. We target small upcoming black businesses. The cost of living - if it impacts them - it no doubt will impact on us," Mr Ellis said. Despite this, Mr Ellis said since their move to Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), their listener figures had increased.

Wight Digital Radio CIC has announced its intention to bid for the new DAB radio multiplex licence covering the Isle of Wight. The licence is currently being advertised by Ofcom in Round 6 with any new services likely to be on-air at the end of 2025 at the earliest. Wight Digital Radio is made up of Isle of Wight Radio and local community radio station Vectis Radio. The team at Wight Digital Radio says: “Our proposed service will have the capacity to bring more than twenty new and existing radio stations to DAB delivering a choice of creative content to vibrant and loyal radio audience on the Island.”

ExeDAB, which runs the existing Exeter digital service, is planning to apply for the East Devon small scale DAB licence. East Devon is in the next round of areas to be covered by small scale DAB and will cover a mainly rural area of around 136,000 adults. ExeDAB chair Dr David Treharne, who also leads Phonic FM, said: “These new digital networks increase listener choice in specific areas and allow new entrants to launch radio stations at a modest cost. In Exeter, it has enabled community stations like Phonic and South Devon Radio to extend their reach, something that was previously unaffordable. The recently launched speech station from Radio Exe, Devoncast Radio, is the county’s only non-stop speech service, and it is only because of small-scale DAB that a station like this has become possible.”

Eirewave, the station playing and showcasing the pop-rock music scene, has launched on DAB in Derry, Northern Ireland. Olivier Mauxion, owner of Eirewave, says: “While there are numerous radio stations in Derry that play pop, dance, and R&B, the pop-rock genre has historically played a pivotal role here.” Eirewave also plans to extend its reach in cities such as Bangor and Newry in Northern Ireland while continuing to develop micro-local programmes and music news for each city, and will be assembling dedicated teams for each new city.

Rutland and Stamford Sound is joining the local multiplex owned by Creativity Media Services Ltd. The radio station has been online since it launched after the rebranding of Rutland Sound to Greatest Hits Radio in 2020. The multiplex also now carries Embrace Radio and Massive Hits. Rob Persani, Station Manager, Rutland & Stamford Sound told RadioToday: "We’re excited for our listeners to try us on DAB, and to tell us how they get on. We know SSDAB is still a developing technology and we’re grateful to the team at Creativity Media Services for giving us the opportunity to reach our listeners this way, and to Ofcom for their support."

Applications are now welcome with Ofcom for Round Six of the small-scale DAB digital radio licensing process. There are 27 areas on the list, and four other areas (Swansea, Warminster, Wigan and and an amended Wetherby) will also be re-advertised after multiplexes failed to materialise in those areas. The closing date is 5pm on Thursday 18th July 2024. Ofcom is currently looking at the applications for Round 5 and the awards are expected soon.

Radio Exe has launched an all speech radio station for Devon on DAB digital radio called Devoncast Radio. It features sport, talk, arts and culture, with podcasts produced in or about the county across much of the south of Devon, together with local news and what’s on guides. Station manager Brad Hardware says: “Audiences for podcasts are growing, and radio is an ideal way to reach a larger audience, especially people who don’t search out or download content. Devoncast Radio means people can now listen on digital radio, at home or in the car, and hear a broad range of content.”

Community station Radio Newark has extended its coverage towards Nottingham by joining the new small-scale DAB multiplex in the area. Radio Newark says its current FM footprint has a reach of around 60,000, and the DAB service will cover an area of over 750,000 people. Radio Newark Director of Operations Phil Johnson told RadioToday: “It’s a massive, massive difference in our potential reach, but we have to remember that we are still Radio Newark – we are not here to take on Nottingham. This is about making Radio Newark more available to Newark people, or to people who see themselves as having some connection to Newark.”

The local DAB+ pilot project Bad Kreuznach/Bingen (channel 12A) is now broadcasting with twice the range. On Saturday, 6 April, network and platform operator Milling Broadcast put the second transmitter site into operation. From the Fichtenkopf in Niederwald near Rüdesheim, Rheinhessen between Bacharach and Mainz and the Rheingau between Lorch and Wiesbaden are covered with a power of 500 watts. Previously, the ensemble was broadcast from Kuhberg near Bad Kreuznach, also with an output of 500 watts. The bouquet currently includes 11 programmes and a warning channel. The project is investigating more cost-effective ways of broadcasting digital terrestrial radio programmes using alternative technical approaches with open source software. The trial is limited until 2026.