88/99 3 June 1999
RADIO AUTHORITY AWARDS LOCAL DIGITAL MULTIPLEX LICENCE FOR MANCHESTER
The Radio Authority announced today (3 June) that it has decided, after considering the proposals submitted for the local digital multiplex service licence for the Manchester area, to award the licence to the sole applicant:
CE DIGITAL LTD. - Capital Radio plc, 30 Leicester Square, London WC2H 7LA and Emap Radio Ltd., The Network Building, 97 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 9HF (contact: Sally Oldham, Capital Radio, 0171 766 6194; or Tim Schoonmaker, Emap Radio, 0171 504 6010).
The licence is designed potentially to deliver digital radio programming and data services to an area with an adult (aged 15+) population of 2.45 million, broadly corresponding to the coverage of existing Manchester local radio stations. This is the second local digital licence so far awarded by the Authority; the first, for Birmingham, was awarded (also to CE Digital Ltd.) last month.
CE Digital is owned on a 50:50 basis by Emap Radio Ltd. and Capital Radio plc, and is proposing to broadcast a total of eight programme services in the Manchester area, each provided initially on a round-the-clock basis:
Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR) |
Key 103 (programme provider: Emap Radio Ltd) |
Hits from the last four decades |
Magic (programme provider: Emap Radio Ltd) |
Dance |
Kiss (programme provider: Emap Radio Ltd) |
Easy Listening |
Lite (programme provider: Independent Radio Group plc) |
Classic Rock and Sport Asian |
Programme provider: Talk Radio UK Ltd./ Guardian Media Group plc Xfm (programme provider: Capital Radio plc) Asian Sound (programme provider: Asian Sound Radio Ltd.) |
In the event that CE Digital Ltd. is unable to reach a final agreement with any of the above parties over the inclusion of their services, the following service is proposed for accommodation on the multiplex:
Hot New Country Programme provider: Scottish Radio Holdings plc
In addition to these commercial services, the BBC local radio station in this area, GMR, will be broadcast using the digital capacity reserved for it.
The applicant proposes to commence its service in May 2000, using two transmission sites, at the Sunley Building and Winter Hill, which it estimates will provide outdoor coverage of some 87% of the adult population of the Manchester 'primary protected area' (PPA). It proposes to extend coverage subsequently by the addition of transmissions from Sutton Common, increasing outdoor coverage to an estimated 93% of the PPA population.
The licence will run initially for a period of twelve years from the commencement of broadcasting. The annual licence fee payable will be £1,450.
The Authority will shortly be publishing its assessment of CE Digital’s application for the Manchester licence.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The services will be transmitted on the VHF band III frequency block 11C (centre-frequency 220.352 MHz).
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. The Authority has already awarded a national digital radio multiplex licence, to Digital One Ltd., whose services will also be available in the Manchester area.
5. 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.
