Category Archives: surrey

More Surrey & South London Changes

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As a follow up to my last blog post, I’m happy to say that we’re now testing our two new transmitters. There may, however, still be some short interruptions before they are officially brought into service on the 1st November.

We’re also pleased to announce the addition of a new service to the multiplex – Trash Can Radio.

Trash Can Radio goes live in the early morning on 30th October 2014, ready to take advantage of our new, even wider coverage.

Surrey Update

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Here’s an update with some changes we’re soon to make to the Surrey & South London multiplex.

New Service

We’ll be adding Sunrise Radio to the multiplex tomorrow (Wednesday 15th) in the early hours of the morning. As well as joining Surrey & South London, it will also start broadcasting on Now Digital’s Herts, Beds and Bucks/Northants and Kent multiplexes too.

New Transmitters

On the 1st November we’ll be adding two transmitters the the multiplex at Stoke D’Abernon and Hungry Hill. It will extend local DAB Digital Radio coverage to 147,168 new households in Leatherhead, Farnham, Farnborough and the surrounding areas as well as to 144km of roads. It will also re-enforce existing coverage across the Surrey area.

Here’s the new coverage map.

Call for Ramadan Services for DAB

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We are interested in hearing from anyone who would like to operate a Ramadan service on the following DAB multiplexes during June and July 2014:

Interested parties are invited to answer this questionnaire, after which we will discuss opportunities to contract for capacity for up to 28 days on each available multiplex.

Please fill in the questionnaire by 5pm on 31st March 2014

All contracts for capacity are subject to the availability of suitable capacity on each multiplex.  If there are multiple expressions of interest, and more demand for capacity than is available, we will select services on the basis of ability to enter a standard carriage contract rather than first come basis.

We intend to notify interest parties in April.

Any questionnaire submissions that are received after the date specified above, will still be considered for a licence, but subject to capacity availability.

The fee to broadcast on any of the multiplexes will be £2,000+VAT for the 28 days, subject to contract, and you will be required to get your signal to the multiplex centre (which we can describe in more detail after submission of the form).

All successful service providers are reminded that they will need to hold the necessary DSP licence from Ofcom and comply with the requirements of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, in particular if they wish to broadcast charity appeals and must take reasonable steps to satisfy itself that the charity appeal organisation concerned can produce satisfactory evidence of charitable status, or, in the case of an emergency appeal, that a responsible public fund has been set up to deal with it.   Further details can be found at: http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/broadcast-codes/broadcast-code/commercial-references-radio/.

If you have any questions about this opportunity please contact [email protected]

MuxCo’s Surrey Multiplex Launch

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The MuxCo team and the switch-on button.

The MuxCo team and the switch-on button.

This morning at Epsom Downs Racecourse we turned on our fifth DAB Digital Radio multiplex of the year, bringing local DAB to 800,000 people across the county.

Gallery:

Press Coverage:

Video:

An update on BBC1’s London lunchtime news:

An update from BBC1’s London Evening bulletin:

 

Here’s the release:

On Thursday 12 December at the iconic Epsom Downs Racecourse Sir Paul Beresford MP for Mole Valley will officially switch on three new DAB digital radio transmitters, giving nearly 800,000 listeners new local stations on DAB in the Surrey area. The switch-on means listeners will be ready to receive four local radio stations – BBC Surrey and 96.4 Eagle Radio, alongside new stations eagle3 and Redstone FM for the first time on DAB digital radio.

To receive the new services, listeners with digital radios may have to re-tune their sets. Find out more at getdigitalradio.com/retune.

The three new transmitters at Guildford, Reigate and Crystal Palace take local digital radio coverage for these stations from zero to almost 800,000 listeners in the area, and add over 660km of roads into DAB coverage for the first time.

Sir Paul Beresford MP said: “Surrey is way ahead on digital radio, with over half of us having a digital radio at home. I welcome these new DAB transmitters which mean that our excellent local radio stations can now be received on digital radio at home and in-car.”

Gregory Watson, Managing Director of MuxCo said: “Muxco Surrey is a joint venture with UKRD Group. We are extremely excited to be working with UKRD to launch this multiplex, which will deliver a mix of existing and new digital-only radio services, such as Redstone FM and Eagle 3, in digital quality to 800,000 listeners in Surrey. We are in discussion with a number of operators that will enable further new services to launch during 2014.”

William Rogers from UKRD and Ford Ennals from Digital Radio UK

William Rogers from UKRD and Ford Ennals from Digital Radio UK

William Rogers, Chief Executive of UKRD said: “It’s a further exciting step for our operation based in Guildford that they are launching digital only service eagle3 on the Surrey DAB multiplex and it represents a further step forward in broadening the offering we are providing for listeners and advertisers alike”.

Des Shepherd, Chief Executive of Redstone FM said: “It’s great that Redstone FM will be available to listeners on DAB for the first time, bringing local news and music to our listeners, with the digital benefits of easy tuning and scrolling information.”
Sara David, Editor of BBC Sussex and BBC Surrey said: “We are delighted that BBC Surrey will be available on DAB for the first time. It brings improved reception to many parts of the county and gives us the opportunity to offer our full range of programmes in digital quality. As well as our radio programmes, the latest news, sport weather and travel information will also scroll across listeners DAB radio sets.”

Jane Ostler, Director of Digital Radio UK, said: “This is great news for almost 800,000 people in Surrey as until now they have not been able to receive their favourite local stations on DAB. Boosting coverage for this area means listeners can tune into their favourite local stations as well as national BBC and commercial stations.”
In the last 18 months, local DAB coverage has been improved for over 8 million people in the UK, increasing local DAB population coverage from 66% to 72%. By the end of this year, local DAB will have been made available to an additional 6.5 million listeners across the UK.

In Surrey, 55% of homes have a DAB digital radio – ahead of the UK as a whole, and in Q3 2013, 35.6% of radio listening was digital. A cumulative total of 18 million digital radio sets has been sold to date in the UK, including DAB radios and internet radios. 41.6% of new cars now come fitted with digital radio as standard (CAP/SMMT Oct 2013).

 

Surrey Launch Update – 26th October 2013

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We are currently on track for our December launch – below is a summary of progress:

BT circuits are in to the majority of service provider sites with work progressing to plan at others; we still read delivery dates a little cautiously given the delays experienced in other areas of the UK although Surrey has fared better in general.  Interface equipment for studios is being built ready for delivery and installation.  We are tentatively looking at installing the multiplex rack and having some live data running through the systems in mid-November.

On the transmitter side there is lots underway:

Guildford –

  • Telemetry circuit delivery planned 25/10/13
  • Build to commence first week of November
  • Commissioning requested w/c 18th November

Reigate –

  • Telemetry Circuit complete
  • Decommissioning of existing racks completed this week
  • Build to commence w/c 27th October
  • Commissioning requested w/c 18th November

Crystal Palace –

  • Build completion due early next week.
  • Commissioning requested w/c 11th November