Channel 4 Awarded DAB Licence
Channel 4 have this morning been awarded the licence to launch ten new stations on DAB. The group, headed by Channel 4, includes Emap, Sky, UTV, Carphone Warehouse, Crysalis and UBC. This is great news for DAB - the Channel 4 bid included some really interesting stations and should bring some more variety to the platform, as well as some competition to Radio 4.
There was only one other bid, from National Grid Wireless (NGW) who have a big hand transmission networks in the UK.
Channel 4 will operate three stations themselves, with Disney joining to launch a children’s channel. Disney and GCap parted ways earlier this year which resulted in the closure of Capital Disney on digital platforms.
The range of stations really interests me - it’s just what DAB needs, in my opinion. Stations include adult album format Original from CanWest MediaWorks who have stations in Bristol and the South Coast, rolling news from Sky, a format around “news, views and entertainment” from UTV who own TalkSport and some talk formats from Channel 4. I would guess that Closer might be a jukebox service, similar to Q and heat which Emap already run, and that Virgin Radio Viva would be similar to Virgin Radio Groove in that there’s no presenters, but it’d be nice if there was a DJ led show or two, and news bulletins. Here’s the full list, from Ofcom;
| Service | Provider |
|---|---|
| Youthful interactive entertainment (E4 Radio) | Channel 4 Radio Limited |
| Contemporary public service speech (Channel 4 Radio) | Channel 4 Radio Limited |
| Intelligent contemporary adult (Pure4) | Channel 4 Radio Limited |
| News, views and entertainment (Talk Radio) | UTV Radio (GB) Limited |
| Female AC, celebrity and lifestyle (Closer) | Emap Digital Radio Limited |
| Rolling news (Sky News Radio) | Sky News Radio Limited |
| Asian ( Sunrise Radio UK) | Sunrise Radio Group |
| Female-friendly pop with attitude (Virgin Radio Viva) | SMG plc |
| Adult album alternative (Original) | CanWest MediaWorks UK Limited |
| Children’s service (Radio Disney) | Walt Disney Company International |
