Radio Authority awards digital multiplex licence for South Wales/Severn Estuary

9/01

23 January 2001

Radio Authority awards digital multiplex licence for South Wales/Severn Estuary

The Radio Authority announced today (23 January) that it has decided, after considering the proposals submitted by the two applicants for the local digital multiplex service licence for the South Wales/Severn Estuary region, to award the licence to:

MXR LTD. – Chrysalis Radio Ltd., The Chrysalis Building, Bramley Road, London W10 6SP (contact: Phil Riley, 020 7470 1028), and Capital Radio plc, 30 Leicester Square, London WC2H 7LA (contact: Sally Oldham, 020 7766 6194).

The licence is designed potentially to deliver digital radio programming and data services to an area with an adult (aged 15+) population of up to around 2.45 million, in South Wales, including Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, together with an area on the English side of the Severn Estuary, including Bristol and Bath.

The shareholders in MXR Ltd. are:

Chrysalis Group plc 39.1%

Capital Radio plc 16.7%

Guardian Media Group plc 13.1%

Jazz FM plc 11.2%

UBC Digital Ltd. 7.5%

Soul Media Ltd. 7.4%

Ford Motor Co. Ltd. 5.0%

MXR is proposing to broadcast a total of nine programme services, all except DNN (initially to be transmitted between 0600 and 1900), on a round-the-clock basis:

Children’s radio	Fun (provider: Capital Radio plc)
Urban	Urban Flava (provider: Soul Media Ltd.)
Melodic adult contemporary	Heart (provider: Chrysalis Radio Ltd.)
Jazz	Jazz (provider: Jazz FM plc)
Adult rock	The Arrow (provider: Chrysalis Radio Ltd.)
Easy listening	Smooth (provider: Guardian Media Group plc)
Rolling regional news	Digital News Network (provider: DNN Ltd.)
Dance / rhythmic hits	Galaxy (provider: Chrysalis Radio Ltd.)
Music and speech	Real Radio (provider: Guardian Media Group plc)

MXR proposes to commence broadcasting its services (with the possible exception of DNN) by July 2001, using ten transmission sites (at Mendip, Dundry East, Christchurch, Wenvoe, Bath, Abergavenny, Ebbw Vale, Aberdare, Kilvey Hill and Carmel), coming on air between July and November 2001, which it estimates will provide 'outdoor coverage' of 85%, and 'indoor coverage' of 77%, of the adult population of the PPA.

The licence will run initially for a period of twelve years from the commencement of broadcasting.

The Authority will shortly be publishing its assessment of MXR Ltd.'s application for the South Wales/Severn Estuary licence.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

The services will be transmitted on the VHF band III frequency block 12C (centre-frequency 227.360 MHz).

2. There is no reservation of digital capacity on this multiplex for any BBC service as the BBC local station, Radio Bristol, and BBC 'national regional' stations, Radio Wales and Radio Cymru, already have capacity reserved for them on the local multiplexes for Bristol/Bath and Cardiff/Newport respectively.

3. The application for the licence was considered according to factors specified in section 51 of the Broadcasting Act 1996, which are: the extent of coverage proposed, within the permitted maximum; the timetable by which this will be achieved; the ability of the applicant to establish the proposed service and maintain it throughout the licence period; the extent to which the proposed programme services will cater for the tastes and interests of listeners in the area; the broadening of local digital radio choice; local support for the applicant's proposals; and whether the applicant has been fair in contracting with the prospective providers of programme and data services on the multiplex.

Digital radio is a new transmission system which provides the listener with bundles (called multiplexes) of audio services to new portable and vehicle receivers, and personal computers, with unprecedentedly clear reception. Being digital, it can also broadcast data services which may or may not be related to the radio programmes; e.g. traffic information, electronic publishing, and internet-type information.

5. The Authority has already awarded a national digital radio multiplex licence, to Digital One Ltd., and local multiplex licences for Bristol/Bath, to Now Digital Ltd., and for Cardiff/Newport, to Capital Radio Digital Ltd., whose services are also available in this region.

6. The Radio Authority is responsible for licensing and regulating Independent Radio in accordance with the statutory requirements of the Broadcasting Acts 1990 and 1996. It plans frequencies, awards licences, regulates programming and advertising, and plays an active role in the discussion and formulation of policies which affect the Independent Radio industry and its listeners.

Contact:
Press enquiries:
Julie McCatty, Chief Press Officer: 020 7887 4292
Kerry Curtis, Press & Information Officer: 020 7887 4290
Out of hours 07770 375283

General enquiries:
Press and Information Office: 020 7887 4294 or 020 7405 7058