56/98 23 June 1998

RADIO AUTHORITY RECEIVES ONE APPLICATION FOR FIRST AND ONLY NATIONAL COMMERCIAL DIGITAL MULTIPLEX LICENCE

The Radio Authority’s closing date for receipt of applications for the first and only national commercial digital multiplex licence was today 23 June. One application has been submitted from:

The ownership of the company is:

• GWR Digital Radio Ltd. 57% of ordinary share capital
• NTL Digital Radio Ltd. 33% of ordinary share capital
• Talk Radio UK Ltd. 10% of ordinary share capital

Digital One is proposing to broadcast a total of ten programme services the broadcasting hours of which will initially be as follows:

For 24 hours per day

• Classic FM - classical music (simulcast INR1 service)
• Virgin Radio - contemporary rock-oriented music
  (simulcast INR2 service)
• Talk Radio - listener-led debate discussions and interviews
  (simulcast INR3 service)
• Classic Gold Rock - hits and most popular classic rock album tracks from 60s to today (to be provided by NTL Digital Radio Ltd.)
• Soft AC - female-biased service playing a wide range of adult contemporary music
  (identity of programme provider to be decided)
• Teen & Chart Hits - mainstream chart hits of today and last few years
  (to be provided by GWR)

19.00-06.00

• Club Dance - genres of dance and classic dance music
  (programme provider to be decided)

06.00-19.00

• Plays/Books/ - serialisations reviews comedy and 'one-off' productions
• Comedy (programme provider to be decided)

06.00-00.00

• Rolling News - world national and regional news and information
  (to be provided by ITN)

19.00-00.00 weekdays 12 weekends

• Sports Channel - sports commentary comment and coverage
  (to be provided by Talk Radio UK Ltd.)

Digital One puts forward a technical plan to achieve 69 population coverage at launch and 85% coverage of the population of Great Britain by the end of the third year of operation. It aims to work with retailers and manufacturers to promote the acquisition of digital radio receivers to achieve penetration of 40% of households by the year 2009.

Copies of the application can be viewed by the public and are available for scrutiny in fifteen public libraries around Great Britain (see Notes to Editors) and at the Authority's offices in London. The Authority invites representations from the public on the proposals put forward by the applicant and upon the requirements of listeners. These should be sent in writing to the Head of Development Radio Authority Holbrook House 14 Great Queen Street London WC2B 5DG to arrive by 24 August 1998. The Authority hopes to announce its decision about the award of the licence in the early Autumn.

Matters which the Authority needs to consider before making a licence award

The application for the licence will be considered according to the factors specified below.

• How much of Great Britain the applicant plans to serve and by what timetable this will be achieved.

• Whether the applicant appears sufficiently resourced to deliver its proposals.

• To what extent the new radio services proposed by the applicant appeal to a variety of tastes and interests.

• How the applicant will promote the acquisition of new radio sets.

• How fair the applicant has been in contracting with those programme services or data services proposed for inclusion on the multiplex.

Main points about the licence

• Some of the digital capacity is reserved by statute for the simulcasting of the three existing INR services (Classic FM Virgin Radio and Talk Radio).

• Remaining capacity may accommodate a range of programme ancillary and additional services the number and type of which is for the applicant to propose.

• The licence is offered for a service potentially covering the whole of Great Britain. (Frequency availability does not permit coverage of Northern Ireland by this multiplex. However Northern Ireland will be served by a local multiplex licence.)

• The licence will be granted initially for a period of twelve years.

• A non-refundable application fee of £50 000 has been paid by the applicant.

• The licence fee which is payable to the Authority is £10 000 per annum.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. The programmes (and possibly other services) will be transmitted on the VHF centre-frequencies of 222.064 MHz (in England and Wales) and 223.936 MHz (in Scotland).

2. Digital radio is a new transmission system which provides the listener with bundles (called multiplexes) of audio services 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.

3. Copies of the part of the application which can be viewed by the public are available in the reference sections of the following main public libraries: Aberdeen Central Library Birmingham Central Library Bristol Central Library Cardiff Central Library Edinburgh Central Library Glasgow (Mitchell Library) Leeds Central Library Liverpool Central Library Manchester Central Library Newcastle City Library Norwich Central Library Nottingham City Library Plymouth Central Library Sheffield Business Library Southampton Central Library and at the Radio Authority’s offices in London. Detailed financial and technical proposals which are commercially sensitive have been submitted to the Authority on a confidential basis.

4. 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. The 1996 Broadcasting Act laid the framework for the introduction of digital radio.

Contact: Tracey Mullins 0171 405 7058
Press and Information 0171 430 2724
Out of Hours 0370 375283