Tune in as city secures new DAB radio station
Wearside has secured a UK first by winning a national race to roll-out the first of the country’s new type of DAB radio system.
Communications regulator Ofcom has spent six years planning and trialling the new digital radio infrastructure that will eventually see over 200 systems offering thousands of DAB radio stations nationally.
MUX ONE secured one of the first five Ofcom licences needed to build and operate the new system and it has won the race to switch on first, broadcasting across Wearside and South Tyneside from its transmitter top of Cleadon Water Tower.
It is due to go live on December 10.
MUX ONE Director Dave Roberts said: “This is a wonderful achievement for the North East and we are so proud to be able to lead the way nationally.
"Being first in the entire country is very special but leading something brings challenges as new paths and processes have to be found and we’ve certainly had many hurdles to jump before reaching this point.”
Small-scale DAB is designed to be an affordable way for smaller radio stations to broadcast into homes and cars.
Traditionally, smaller stations could not afford the high costs associated with existing transmission systems and transmitters capacity was also limited.
MUX ONE’s Technical Director, John Bibby said: “New stations include focusing on the elderly and senior, LGBT+ and BAME communities as well as football fan stations and a host of new commercial music stations, including national radio stations that currently cannot broadcast to the region.”