News

Lomond Radio is expanding its offering with the launch of two new sister stations on the Inverclyde DAB multiplex. From 1 October, listeners will be able to tune into Lomond Christmas, which will play festive favourites around the clock in the run-up to the holidays. One month later, on 1 November, Lomond Country will launch, bringing a non-stop mix of classic and contemporary country hits. Paul Lucas, Director at Lomond Radio, said: “We are so excited to be launching not one, but two new stations. We’ve seen incredible support for Lomond Radio’s local focus, and this expansion allows us to offer even more tailored content.”

Ofcom has today awarded small-scale DAB multiplex licences for seven more areas in the UK. Small-scale DAB is an innovative technology which provides a low-cost way for local commercial, community and specialist music services to take to the digital airwaves. So far, 75 multiplexes have launched broadcasting to listeners across all four nations of the UK. And in total, the small-scale DAB programme will enable the launch of over 100 multiplexes. Following a competitive process, where each applicant was judged against specific criteria, multiplex licences have now been awarded for the following areas: Banbury and Bicester; Enniskillen; Rugby and Daventry; Stockton-on-Tees; Western Isles; Weston-super-Mare; Worcester.

Unity 101 Community Radio is now broadcasting on DAB in Winchester. The Southampton-based station, run entirely by volunteers, has been on air for nearly 20 years, serving the city's Asian and ethnic communities, and now reaches across Hampshire and parts of Dorset. Station manager Ram Kalyan, known as Kelly, said: "Unity 101’s motto is for the community, to the community, by the community. "We’ve always been about giving local people a platform - and that includes you. Whether you're a listener, a local hero, or a small business owner, there’s a place for you on our airwaves." Unity 101 broadcasts in ten languages, including English, and provides full radio training for volunteers.

Applications have opened for the eighth and final round of small-scale DAB radio multiplex licences, covering 40 areas across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Each Ofcom-licensed small-scale multiplex allows grass-roots community services, specialist music stations, and services aimed at minority groups and other under-served audiences to take to the digital airwaves. So far, 75 multiplexes have launched broadcasting to listeners across all four nations of the UK. In total, the small-scale DAB programme will enable the launch of over 100 multiplexes. Even more listeners will soon be able to tune in to new digital local radio stations, as Ofcom today invites multiplex applications for areas from Aberystwyth in Wales to Ullapool in the Scottish Highlands.

Pure Dance, the 2000s dance music station, is set to relaunch this September on small-scale DAB in Milton Keynes and Loughborough. The station first launched in 2004 and quickly became a central part of UK club culture, reaching close to a million monthly listeners while supporting music launches and campaigns with major labels. It was home to well-known DJs including Stu Allan, Slipmatt, Lisa Lashes and Matt Darey before going off air in 2006. Station founder Alex Kinch said: “The end of Pure Dance always felt like unfinished business. What started as us uploading archive shows turned into a full rebuild. Dance music deserves specialist radio made by people who live and breathe it – that’s what we’re bringing back.”

A new electronic music radio station is set to launch in Aylesbury and the surrounding area in September. Ground Zero, which will broadcast on DAB Digital Radio, is set to feature local up and coming producers and DJs playing a mix of electronic styles and genres. The station’s website says its aim "is to recreate the sound of the old school pirate stations hard in the 1990s and 2000s playing tracks right up to the present day. "Station output will be primarily music-focused and offer an alternative to the same old pop tracks and endless adverts heard on the mainstream stations." The station also covers areas including Milton Keynes, Buckingham and Leighton Buzzard and will be based in a studio at Creslow Park near Aylesbury, the site of a former MI6 radio communications facility.

A Bridgwater-based community radio station is set to reach new audiences. Sedgemoor FM has been awarded a DAB small-scale radio multiplex licence by Ofcom, allowing it to broadcast on digital radio across Bridgwater and surrounding areas. The decision follows a competitive application process and marks a significant step forward for the station’s digital future. Dave Englefield, managing director at Sedgemoor FM, said: "This is a huge moment for us. Our team of presenters and volunteers all work incredibly hard and this is going to increase the reach of their work. We’re also supported by an amazing community of advertisers and sponsors and this is great news for them too, as it increases their reach."

Five new areas have been granted a small-scale DAB digital radio multiplex licence today in Ofcom’s round seven. The areas are The Ards Peninsula in Northern Ireland, Bridgewater in Somerset, Exmouth & Dawlish in Devon, Loughborough & Coalville in Leicestershire, and Ringwood, Verwood and Fordingbridge in east Dorset. 18 more licence awards are still to come from round seven.

From 23 July, ZuidWest FM will be available throughout West Brabant and parts of Zeeland via DAB+. The digital reach of the regional broadcaster will double. In addition to Roosendaal, Bergen op Zoom, Tholen and Woensdrecht, the station will also be available digitally in Etten-Leur, Breda, Moerdijk, Halderberge and Zundert. For Streekomroep ZuidWest, this is an important step in the further development of its audio offering. Radio manager Pieter Hendriks considers full coverage via DAB+ to be essential: ‘We want to be accessible on all relevant platforms, and DAB+ is an important part of that.’ According to him, the coverage will soon be up to standard: ‘Local journalism deserves reach. We have now firmly established that digitally as well.’

Since 23 July, various local broadcasters in the province of Utrecht can be listened to via digital radio (DAB+). From Wednesday evening, the radio stations Bingo FM (Utrecht), Roulette FM (De Bilt) and Omroep Lekstroom (Houten region) can be listened to via channel 5A. The commercial Hindustani radio station Radio SBS can also be listened to via this network. On Wednesday, a large number of local broadcasters in the Breda region also started broadcasting via DAB+ on channel 8C. The intention is that all local broadcasters that have applied for a DAB+ licence will have started broadcasting by 1 September.