Company type | consortium |
---|---|
Industry | Radio |
Founded | 2007 |
Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
Area served | United Kingdom |
Key people |
|
Website | channel4 |
Channel 4 |
---|
Television channels |
Former channels |
Online services |
Other |
4 Digital Group was a media consortium in the United Kingdom. In July 2007, the group won the licence to operate the second national DAB radio multiplex. [1] [2] The consortium, led by Channel 4 Radio, was a combination of existing commercial radio operators and brands new to radio. The group aimed to boost the up-take of digital radio in the United Kingdom in a similar manner to the growth of digital television since the introduction of Freeview. Their strategy for this was the introduction of ten new national stations, including speech and music services, [3] and advertising for the format.
In October 2008 Channel Four Television Corporation announced that it was abandoning its plans for digital radio stations. [4] Subsequently, the licence was returned to Ofcom. Therefore, all details below refer to purely what was planned, and was taken from promotional material of the time. None of it actually occurred.
The planned stations were: [5]
As well as innovative new radio stations, 4 Digital Group planned to introduce a national Podcast Service, providing an opportunity for niche services catering for a diversity of passions, interests and communities to reach audiences throughout the UK.
Downloadable radio podcasts could include:
4 Digital Group planned to build and operate a transmission network capable of reaching nearly 88% of the adult population on the move (outdoor), nearly 80.5% in home (robust indoor), and 45% using handheld receivers. There would be coverage of 94% of the motorway network in England, Scotland and Wales.
4 Digital Group planned to commit £4.5 million to general marketing of digital radio in the first three years of the licence period, together with more than £25 million to support the launch of the individual new radio stations.
The group companies were: [8] [9]
Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom.
Kiss is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Kiss Network.
Digital One is a national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva. As of March 2010, the multiplex covered more than 90% of the population from 137 transmitters. Coverage was extended to Northern Ireland in July 2013. It contains a list of DAB and DAB+ radio stations operated by Bauer Media Audio UK, Global Media & Entertainment and News Broadcasting.
Smooth Chill is a British digital radio station dedicated to chill out, ambient and trip hop music. On 3 September 2019, Chill was rebranded as Smooth Chill to align it with the Smooth Radio brand. It is owned and operated by Global.
Radio enjoys a huge following in the United Kingdom. There are around 600 licensed radio stations in the country. For a more comprehensive list see List of radio stations in the United Kingdom.
Channel Four Television Corporation is a British state-owned media company which runs 12 television channels and a streaming service. Unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is instead funded entirely by its own commercial activities. Its original and principal activity is the British national television network Channel 4.
News UK Broadcasting Limited, trading as News Broadcasting, is a radio and digital broadcasting network with headquarters in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It currently operates five stations in Ireland and 18 in the United Kingdom. The company was formerly known as UTV Media, owned by UTV Television. Its television broadcasting services were sold to ITV plc in February 2016 and its radio, sales services and websites were spun off into a new company, Wireless, later purchased by News Corp.
Jazz FM is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK. It broadcasts across the United Kingdom and Malta predominantly playing jazz music, jazz standards as well as blues and soul music.
Bauer Media Audio UK is a UK-based radio division of Bauer Media Group owning brands; Absolute Radio, Greatest Hits Radio, Jazz FM, Hits Radio, KISS, Planet Rock, Magic, Kerrang! Radio and Heat Radio.
GaydarRadio is a podcast on Mixcloud streaming service, which used to be a British digital radio station for gay men, lesbians and gay friendly people, on DAB multiplexes in London and Brighton and also online. It was broadcast 24 hours a day, with live programming from 5am to midnight during the week, 7am to midnight at weekends.
The Arrow was a British digital radio station playing classic and contemporary rock music. It broadcast on DAB Digital Radio and was also streamed over digital satellite TV and online. The station was operated by Global; prior to Global's formation it was owned by their predecessor Chrysalis Radio.
Smooth London is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Smooth Radio network. It broadcasts to the Greater London area from Croydon transmitting station on 102.2 MHz. It broadcasts a soft adult contemporary radio format from Global's studios in Leicester Square, London, and replaced 102.2 Smooth FM on 26 March 2007.
In the United Kingdom, the roll-out of digital radio has been proceeding since engineering test transmissions were started by the BBC in 1990 followed by a public launch in September 1995. The UK currently has one of the world's biggest digital radio networks, with about 500 transmitters, three national DAB ensembles, one regional DAB ensemble, 48 local DAB ensembles and an increasing number of small-scale DAB ensembles broadcasting over 250 commercial and 34 BBC radio stations across the UK. In London there are already more than 100 different digital stations available. In addition to DAB and DAB+, radio stations are also broadcast on digital television platform as well as internet radio in the UK. Digital radio ensemble operators and stations need a broadcasting licence from the UK's media regulator Ofcom to broadcast.
Sky News Radio is the radio arm of Sky News, owned by Sky UK. It has been operating since June 1999, providing a news bulletin service for UK commercial radio stations operators across the UK and for a number of English-speaking radio stations around the world.
JACK FM was an adult hits format radio station that broadcast on 106.8 MHz FM in Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, and on DAB in Oxfordshire. Between 2016 and 2017 it also broadcast in Surrey and parts of Hampshire. The station shared premises in Eynsham, Oxfordshire, with its sister stations JACK 2 and JACK 3.
This is a list of events in British radio during 2015.
This is a timeline of the development of independent radio in the UK.
This is a list of notable events in the timeline of digital audio broadcasting in the UK.
Hits Radio South Wales, formerly The Wave, is an Independent Local Radio station based in Swansea, Wales, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. The station broadcasts to Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Llanelli.