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DAB local radio gaps

Whilst most of the country does have operating local radio digital services, there is now a dispute about who is expected to provide them for the 2015 radio switchover target.

Whilst most of the country does have operating local radio digi
published on UK Free TV

There are some areas with no operating local DAB multiplex - this means that there are no local commercial radio stations on DAB, and also no BBC services.

The provision of these multiplexes was intended to be provided by commercial operators, but there has been a recent DAB promotion dispute due to some radio stations wanting the BBC to operate the multiplexes.

It should be noted that the commercial operators may wish the BBC to do this, but the BBC would require approval of the BBC Trust and Ofcom, and of course the money would need to come from somewhere.

Here is a list of the areas concerned:

England

BBC Radio Cumbria

No plans for DAB service exist, currently on 95.6 FM, 96.1 FM and 104.1 FM.

BBC Radio York

Planed to be on the not-yet-operating North Yorkshire (North West) commercial radio multiplex, currently on 103.7 FM and 95.5 FM.

BBC Radio Lincolnshire

Planned to be on the not-yet-operating Lincolnshire commercial radio multiplex, currently on 94.9 FM and 104.7 FM.

BBC Radio Derby

Planned to be carried on the Derbyshire commercial radio multiplex, currently on 104.5 FM, 95.3 FM and 96 FM.

BBC Hereford & Worcester

To be carried on the Hereford and Worcester commercial radio multiplex, when operational. Analogue services on 104 FM and 94.7 FM.

BBC Radio Northampton

Will be carried on the Northamptonshire multiplex when operational, currently on 104.2 FM and 103.6 FM.

Places without BBC local radio on DAB

BBC Three Counties Radio

To be carried on the Herts, Beds+Bucks commercial multiplex when operational, current services on 95.5 FM, 103.8 FM and 104.5 FM.

BBC Radio Suffolk

No plans for DAB service to replace 95.5 FM and 104.6 FM

BBC Radio Surrey

To be carried on two commercial multiplexes, Guildford and Surrey+North Sussex, when operational, currently analogue on 104 FM and 104.6 FM.

BBC Radio Oxford

Planned for carriage on the Oxfordshire commercial multiplex, when operational, on 95.2 FM currently.

BBC Radio Gloucestershire

Planned to be carried on the Gloucestershire commercial multiplex, when operating. Currently broadcast on 104.7 FM and 1413 AM.

BBC Radio Somerset

No plans to supplement 95.5 FM and1566 AM currently.

Channel Islands

BBC Guernsey

No plans to add digital services to 93.2 FM and 1116 AM.

BBC Jersey

No plans to add digital services to 88.8 FM and 1026 MW.

Wales

BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru

Operating on Cardiff+Newport and Swansea multiplexes, but both radio stations awaiting three commercial multiplexes to be operating: Mid+West Wales, NE Wales+Chester and North Wales to complete coverage.

Northern Ireland

Radio Foyle

Running six month DAB test service in addition to 93.1 FM and 792 MW.

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Comments
Thursday, 26 July 2012
M
michael
sentiment_satisfiedGold

9:07 PM

... and the service I would most miss were it
to get the chop in my lifetime...

Deutsche Welle used to be nearly as professional, but is now mainly a sorry tangle of webradio podcasts and a few shortwave broadcasts to Africa. France is still presentable. But, as consolation, we do have effulgent newscasts about the noble nation-lifting activities of the Great-Beloved-Newlywed Leader. So there must be a real fear that the WS may some day defer to such world-beating broadcasting superiority...

link to this comment
michael's 869 posts GB flag
Friday, 3 August 2012
D
David
9:30 PM
Horsham

On the Midhurst transmitter is multiplex ArqA now on full power of 10KW? Also ArqB appears to still be on 1KW until further notice, is there a date for full power yet on this multiplex?

link to this comment
David's 1 post GB flag
David's: mapD's Freeview map terrainD's terrain plot wavesD's frequency data D's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Saturday, 4 August 2012
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:12 AM

David: According to DUK's trade reception predictors transmitter power indications all three PSB muxes are on their final power of 20Kw and the three commercials (inc ArqB) are likewise on their final power of 10Kw.

link to this comment
jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Friday, 21 September 2012
M
Maurice
9:13 PM

Hello to all dab listners. I have been in discussion with powers at be in the BBC regarding coverage Radio Scotland on DAB. I afraid I have received no satifactorty answers. I tried to point out that Radio Scotland is not a Local radio station but attempting to cover the whole of the COUNTRY of Scotlad. The area that is covered by Radio Scotland is conciderable larger an area than the average BBC "local Radion Station" e.g Radio Leeds. This being the station that was used by the BBC in my discussions with them, obviously the correspondence did not know that Scotland is not part of England being the only country in the UK that has Local BBC stations.
Dab coverage of radio Scotland is very poor where it exists due the use by the BBC of commercial broadcaster using low power transmitters. In my correspondence I came to the conclusion that due the advice given to Offcom by the BBC, Radio Scotland, is treated as a Local Radio Station therefore it is not a "must carry" on DAB. This is despite the recent big push by thr BBC to listen on DAB.

One of the most annoying point about DAB radio coverage is that started before terrestrial Digital TV which now covers almost 95% of the land mass of the UK

Obviously the same problem will exist for BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Wales

link to this comment
Maurice's 13 posts GB flag
Saturday, 22 September 2012
M
michael
sentiment_satisfiedGold

10:30 PM

"They" often refer to "digital" rather than DAB with respect to coverage. So if you could, possibly, maybe, perhaps receive a digital radio signal on a 10meter diameter dish, 20meter high DAB yagi, on your Freeview living-room plasma 3D telly, or on your 20mb/s fibre-optic broadband (which almost all of us have, of course), then they sit back and await their inflation-busting annual bonus for over-attainment of performance targets. Medium-wave reaches nooks and crannies other modes on higher frequencies never discover - so let's get rid of it. Cynical, who, me? No : pure extrapolated empiricism.

link to this comment
michael's 869 posts GB flag
Sunday, 23 September 2012
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

6:04 PM

Maurice: The answer is rather straight-forward.

The main BBC radio stations are carried together on a digital multiplex which broadcasts on the same frequency in the whole of the UK. For this reason, the services on this multiplex are the same everywhere.

In England, the local radio services are carried on the "commercial" local radio multiplexes, which cover smaller areas - usually counties.

However, in Wales and Scotland and Northern Ireland, the BBC services for these areas still have to be carried on the local radio multiplexes, even though they are not as local as the commercial areas.

There is no "all of Wales" or "all of Scotland" DAB multiplex. So to get BBC Radio Scotland, you need to get a "commercial" local radio multiplex.

link to this comment
Briantist's 38,915 posts GB flag
M
michael
sentiment_satisfiedGold

8:40 PM

Maurice, Briantist's explanation is, of course, accurate - and exemplifies the painful DAB "gap" issue. Perhaps you could lobby the Scottish Assembly? Can you get Radio Scotland on Freeview television? My issue is related. I will probably never get my local BBC radio on DAB - and they plan to switch off FM, which, like DAB, doesn't sneak into all of our valleys and coasts - and AM, which does... Eventually, I will only get local radio by webradio (or the previously tongue-in-cheek cited 20m mast). Not exactly portable!

link to this comment
michael's 869 posts GB flag
Friday, 28 September 2012
M
Maurice
9:39 PM

Briantist

I am sorry to disagree with you,but I come back to the point that BBC radio Scotland is not a Local radio station in sense that e.g. BBC radio Leeds is. Radio Scotland is set up to cover the whole Scotland. I know that it is the case that the Multiplex that covers the whole of the U.K. must carry the the station that it does why not solve the proplem by adding into the multiplex BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio Wales & BBC radio Ulster. The listners can decide if they want to listen or not, but alas I will then be told that their is insuficient bandwidth. So why not have them carried on the Commercial national Multiplex,which appears to under used, problem solved.

link to this comment
Maurice's 13 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 17 October 2012
G
George Buchanan
sentiment_satisfiedBronze

2:32 PM

If I read the OFCOm digital Radio 2012 report correctly, the target is to have DAB available on all major roads. By most criteria, this would mean A class roads. Are we to get DAB on he A82 Loch Ness route for example?

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George Buchanan's 43 posts GB flag
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

2:43 PM

George Buchanan: as far as I recall from the original report the answer is yes.

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Briantist's 38,915 posts GB flag
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