UK

All of the licence awards for round 5 of the small-scale DAB multiplex process have been announced by Ofcom.
There were 26 areas applied for in the South West region, plus three re-advertised licence areas, which were awarded last year.
In a change of procedure, every award has been announced at once rather than a few at a time, but has taken over a year to be confirmed by the regulator.
This round includes the prestigious London licences made up of ‘North London’, ‘South London’ and ‘West London’ and ‘North East London & South West Essex’. – AWARDED 22/7/24
See all of the winners list here.
Alton, Petersfield and Haslemere

Ashford & Dungeness

Biggleswade & North Hertfordshire

Brighton

Canterbury

Chelmsford

Colchester & Clacton

Eastbourne, Newhaven and Lewes

Guildford & Woking

Harlow

Hastings

Haywards Heath & Uckfield

Luton

Maidstone, Tonbridge & Tunbridge Wells

Margate, Dover & Folkestone

North East London & South West Essex

North London

Portsmouth

Reading

Sittingbourne & Medway Towns

South East London & North West Kent

South Hertfordshire

South London

South West Sussex

Southend

West London […]

Sunrise Radio in London is embarking on a “Summer of Melas” tour.

The station will be celebrating the vibrant South Asian culture through music, dance, and community events across the UK.
Sunrise says it is partnering with Event Master International to bring an unforgettable series of melas, featuring some of the biggest names in the South Asian music scene.
Paul Shah, Program Manager at Sunrise Radio, expressed his excitement for the events, stating: “Since its inception in 1989 by our founder Dr Avtar Lit, Sunrise Radio has always had such a rich history of South Asian live entertainment in the UK.
“We are so proud to be teaming up with the incredible team at Event Master International to bring you our ‘Summer of Melas.’ We can’t wait to see you at one of these events!”
Here are the events and dates the station will be taking part in.
*Desi Fest Luton:*– *Dates:* 20th and 21st July– *Location:* Wardown Park, Luton– *Artists:* Lember Hussainpuri with live band, Apache Indian, Mumzy, Roach Killa, Navin Kundra, and more.
*Manchester Mega Mela:*– *Dates:* 20th and 21st July– *Location:* Platt Field Park, Manchester– *Artists:* H-Dhami, Hunterz, Sona Walia, Maz Bonifide, and more.
*Middlesex Pride:*– *Date:* 27th July– *Location:* Osterley Park– *Special Feature:* Join Pablo hosting the main stage as Sunrise Radio supports the LGBTQ community, embracing the spirit of acceptance and inclusion.
*Leicester Mela:*– *Dates:* 17th and 18th August– *Location:* Abbey Park, Leicester– *Headline Act:* Apache Indian.
*Middlesbrough Mela:*– *Date:* 18th August– *Location:* Albert Park.
*Wembley Mela:*– *Date:* 1st September– *Location:* King Edward VII Park. […]

Emily Thornberry, Suella Braverman, Jonathan Ashworth, James Heappey and Alicia Kearns are covering James O’Brien on LBC this week.

They’ll all present a show each whilst James takes a break from his mid-morning show.
The programmes will be broadcast live on LBC and in vision on Global Player.
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, former Shadow Cabinet member Jonathan Ashworth, former Armed Forces Minister James Heappey and Conservative MP Alicia Kearns will make their radio-presenting debut on LBC, while Labour MP Emily Thornberry returns following her debut in 2019.
LBC schedule, Monday 22nd to Friday 26th July, 10am to 1pm:

Monday 22nd July: Emily Thornberry
Tuesday 23rd July: Suella Braverman
Wednesday 24th July: Jonathan Ashworth
Thursday 25th July: James Heappey
Friday 26th July: Alicia Kearns […]

Kettering and Corby Broadcasting Company has applied for the small scale DAB digital radio multiplex for Kettering and Corby.
Applications for Round 6 were due last week, and Ofcom usually releases details of all bidders within a few weeks.
Community station Corby Radio also announced plans recently to apply for the same licence.
Nik Fox, a director at KCBC, said: “I’m a big fan of Kettering and Corby and believe the areas will benefit from an increased choice in stations. It has been an ambition of mine for many years to bring DAB to both these great towns.
“It has been a joy talking to the interested stations who know me of old and know my work ethic and unbeatable service in providing radio solutions for many years. They know we can deliver and to a timeline that suits their ambitions.”
Paul Swann, also a director at KCBC, added, “Our application has had strong support from every local station and others that really believe both towns will be a great way to further their reach. We’re ready to go should we be successful.”
Northants 1’s Executive Director of Music, Andrew Haslam said: “Following our recent rebrand to Northants 1, we’ve seen a big uptake in people listening across the local area. We see how important it is Kettering and surrounding areas have their own local radio station, and the next logical step is to make our service as accessible as possible for everyone in our community.
“We’re excited to be working with KCBC to support their application for SSDAB in Kettering and Corby.”
Charlie Stone, Northants 1 Executive Director of Operations said, “We’re really excited for the potential and opportunity this will offer not only us but other local radio stations in the local area.
“This has been a long time coming for North Northamptonshire, and we’ve worked with KCBC on other projects previously. We believe that KCBC will be able to efficiently carry out a service dedicated to the local area within the requirements specified by the regulator.”
Jim Byrne, Director of Embrace Radio also expressed his excitement: “This is great news! There are those within the industry that don’t know the true worth of digital radio and can be blinkered into not understanding its quality and reach. But as ever, the most important person in all of this, is the listener. Nik and Paul deliver what they say and their experience and abilities are second to none. Kettering and Corby are in for an absolute treat. Embrace wholeheartedly backs this bid!” […]

Revival FM, a community radio service with a Christian perspective for the people of the City of Glasgow, has been found in breach for not recording its output.
Ofcom received a compliant about the Licensee’s compliance with its Key Commitments, but the station could not provide a copy of its output when asked.
Revival FM stated that it was unable to provide the material that Ofcom requested and that, due to an internal dispute, it had been experiencing “a significant cashflow issue as [it needs] to purchase new equipment and hire new personnel”.
Ofcom could not investigate the complaint, and said it expects the Licensee to work to rectify their issues immediately.
Ofcom says that it will monitor the service to ensure Revival FM is complying with its Key Commitments and the requirements to retain and produce recordings and provide information to Ofcom. […]

Cumbria.Digital has submitted an application to Ofcom to establish a small-scale DAB multiplex for Carlisle, Penrith, and surrounding areas.

If approved, Cumbria.Digital says it aims to have the platform operational by early 2025, using two transmission sites in Carlisle and Penrith.
Cumbria.Digital has committed to reserving capacity for up to six community services, exceeding the minimum requirement ofcom required of four.
Jonathan Davies, Director of Cumbria.Digital, expressed gratitude for the support received from local organisations: “I would personally like to thank Eden FM, Cumberland Radio, Love Carlisle, and Penrith Town for their support.
“We look forward to working with them to bring their new and existing radio services to DAB in the local area, alongside other local, national and specialist stations hoping to join the Carlisle and Penrith community through Cumbria.Digital.
“This has been a five-year journey for us, awaiting legislative and regulatory developments to catch-up with our plans. With Ofcom’s approval, Cumbria.Digital aims to unlock the potential of local digital radio capabilities to match other parts of the UK and also put us at the forefront of what DaB can do.”
Cumbria.Digital also plans to establish two media hubs, providing studio facilities for community stations and provide collaborative broadcasting facilities. They hope will enable collaboration and partnerships to form with local schools and universities to create educational media opportunities for students.
“We believe this initiative could be a catalyst for further opportunities locally and across Cumbria,” said Jonathan.
“Radio has a rich history of driving innovation and economic growth, from the early days of regular programming in the Netherlands in 1919 to the BBC’s launch in 1922. We aim to continue this tradition.”
Cumbria.Digital is also exploring the opportunities additional data capabilities of DAB offers, with potential to work with local councils and service providers with applications including real-time bus service updates at rural stops and local in-car traffic information as two examples the company gave.
“We are committed to unlocking DAB’s full potential for the area,” Jonathan added. “We look forward to collaborating with community groups and businesses to make this a shared success for the area.”
See more at cumbria.digital. […]