A round-up of Ofcom’s broadcast radio licensing activity in July 2024.
Digital Radio
Local/national DAB multiplex variations
The following multiplex variations were agreed during this period:
|
Change |
Multiplex |
|
Removal of Juice Radio |
North East Wales & West Cheshire |
|
Removal of Lite Radio Addition of Ritzy Addition of Shine 879 |
Surrey and North Sussex |
|
Addition of Shine 879 |
Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Buckinghamshire
|
|
Removal of Jazz FM Addition of Kiss Dance, Heat, Absolute Radio, Kiss Fresh |
London 1 |
|
Addition of Absolute 00s, Absolute 10s.
|
Birmingham, Manchester, Bradford & Huddersfield, North & West Cumbria, Edinburgh and Glasgow, Humberside, Inverness, Lancashire, Leeds, Liverpool, Teeside, Tyne & Wear, South Yorkshire, Swansea, Stoke on Trent, Tayside. |
|
Removal of Absolute Classic Rock. |
Manchester, Bradford & Huddersfield, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Humberside, Inverness, Lancashire, Leeds, Liverpool, Teeside, Tyne & Wear, South Yorkshire, Swansea, Tayside. |
|
Removal of Absolute 90s. |
Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Humberside, Lancashire |
|
Removal of Absolute 60s |
Stoke on Trent |
|
Removal of Absolute 70s |
Stoke on Trent, Tayside |
|
Removal of Absolute 80s |
Humberside, Birmingham, Manchester |
|
Removal of Scala |
Bradford & Huddersfield, North & West Cumbria, Inverness, Swansea, Stoke on Trent. |
|
Removal of Mellow Magic |
Inverness, Leeds, Liverpool, Teeside, Tyne & Wear, South Yorkshire, Swansea. |
|
Removal of Kiss Fresh |
Inverness |
|
Removal of Planet Rock |
Birmingham, Manchester |
|
Addition of Magic Classical |
North & West Cumbria, Inverness, Swansea, Stoke on Trent |
|
Addition of Kiss Fresh, Kisstory R&B, Greatest Hits Radio 60s, Absolute 60s, Hits Radio Pride. |
North & West Cumbria |
Grant of small-scale DAB multiplex licences during this period:
|
Licence area |
Licensee |
Transmitters licensed |
Date from |
|
Inverclyde |
Coast DAB Ltd |
Dunoon; Greenock -Whinhill Golf Club; Langbank – Undercraig Farm. |
01 Aug 2024 |
|
Southampton |
Southampton Digital Radio Ltd |
Southampton – Dumbleton Tower; Southampton – Millbrook Tower. |
01 Aug 2024 |
|
Northampton |
Northampton DAB C.I.C |
Northampton – Moulton Park. |
02 Aug 2024 |
|
Peterborough |
Herward Digital Radio Ltd |
Peterborough – Cumberland House. |
05 Aug 2024 |
|
Doncaster |
Higher Rhythm Ltd |
Doncaster – Shaftesbury House; Thorne – Bridge Street. |
19 Aug 2024 |
Revocation of small-scale DAB multiplex licence award:
Wakefield, Castleford & Dewsbury
Digital sound programme service (DSP) and digital additional sound (DAS) licences issued during this period
|
Licensee |
Service name |
Licence type (DSPS or DAS) |
|
Blast 106 Digital Ltd |
Blast 106 |
DSPS |
|
Windrush Radio Ltd |
Windrush Radio |
DSPS |
|
Pure Dance (Radio) Ltd |
Pure Dance |
DSPS |
|
Leicester Community Enterprise Services CIC |
Radio Utsav |
DSPS |
|
Inspiration Radio Ltd |
Inspiration |
DSPS |
Digital sound programme service (DSP) and Digital additional sound (DAS) licences which have ceased to be licensed (handed back or revoked) in this period
|
Licensee |
Service name |
Licence type (DSPS or DAS) |
Reason |
|
Smile Radio Ltd |
Smile Radio |
DSPS |
Surrendered |
Community digital sound programme service (C-DSP) applications received during this period
|
Licensee |
Service name |
Area |
|
Quality Radio Enterprise Ltd. |
Quality Radio |
Inverclyde |
Community digital sound programme service (C-DSP) licences issued during this period
|
Licensee |
Service name |
Area |
|
Radio Forest CIO |
Classic Hits Forest Radio |
Harlow |
Radio licensable content services (RLCS) which have ceased to be licensed in this period
|
Licensee |
Service name |
Reason |
|
Asian Gold Radio Ltd |
Sukh Sagar Radio |
Surrendered |
Analogue Community Radio
Community Radio Fund – Round 1 2024/25
Ofcom’s Community Radio Fund Panel (‘the Panel’) met on Thursday 25 July 2024 to consider applications in the first round of funding for the 2024/25 financial year.
The Panel considered each application and awarded funding based on the information provided and with reference to the Community Radio Fund (‘the Fund’) guidance notes. For each grant bid the Panel decided on whether to make a full award, a partial award or not to award any funding.
At the meeting:
- 81 applications for grants were considered;
- The total amount of funding requested in these applications was £1,542,694.29;
- 11 applicants were awarded grants which totalled £205,479;
- 70 applications were not awarded a grant; and,
- The grants awarded ranged from £4,320 up to £33,854 for individual positions, with an average of £18,679.89.
A summary of the awards and an issues of note from the Panel meeting are available on our website.
Licence extensions granted in this period
A five year extension has been granted to the following:
|
Service name |
Licensee |
Location |
New expiry date |
|
107FM |
HK Media And Training Ltd |
East Hull |
4 February 2030 |
Key Commitments changes
Each station has as part of its licence, ‘Key Commitments’ which outline what the essential nature of the service is and details any specific expectations of that service. Licensees may request changes to a station’s Key Commitments. Information about the process, as well as an application form, are on our website here https://www.ofcom.org.uk/manage-your-licence/radio-broadcast-licensing/amend
Changes to Key Commitments agreed in this period:
Hope FM
Published 01|08|24
Coverage improvement and extension requests
Coverage extensions received:
During the last month the services listed below have requested an extension to their licence area. The application(s) are published on the community radio page of our website. Ofcom will accept representations up to one month following publication before we make a formal decision. Representations can be sent to broadcast.licensing@ofcom.org.uk
|
Service name |
Location |
|
Hot Radio |
Poole |
|
Coast and County |
Scarborough |