BBC National DAB

Last updated

BBC National DAB
Licensed area United Kingdom
Frequency 12B (225.648 MHz)
Air date27 September 1995 [1]
Owner BBC
Website www.bbc.co.uk

BBC National DAB is a digital audio broadcasting multiplex in the UK, for a number of radio stations which have UK wide coverage. The multiplex is owned and operated by the BBC and is transmitted from a number of transmitter sites across the country; it only carries BBC radio stations.

Contents

As of the end of 2017, more than 97% of the UK's population are within reach of the multiplex following the completion of the switching on of a fourth set of new transmitters over the previous two years which had seen the reach increase from 93%. [2] Any further expansion of DAB radio is awaiting a decision by Government on any possible digital radio switchover.

Stations carried

The following channels are receivable on any digital-equipped DAB radio in the BBC National DAB coverage area:

Full time services

ServiceService IDBit rateAudio channelsDescriptionAnalogue availability
BBC Radio 1 C221128 kbit/s Joint stereo Youth-orientated popular music97.1 - 99.8 MHz
BBC Radio 2 C222128 kbit/sJoint stereo Adult-oriented popular music88.1 - 90.2 MHz
BBC Radio 3 C223160-192 kbit/sJoint stereo Classical music 90.3 - 92.6 MHz
BBC Radio 4 C22480-128 kbit/sMono / joint stereoNews, drama and speech92.5 - 96.1 MHz
103.5 - 104.9 MHz
198 LW
BBC Radio 5 Live C22564-80 kbit/s Mono Live news and sport693, 909, 990 kHz and BBC Local Radio overnight
BBC Radio 6 Music C22B128 kbit/sJoint stereo Alternative music
BBC Radio 1Xtra C22A128 kbit/sJoint stereo Black contemporary music
BBC Radio 4 Extra C22C80 kbit/sMonoArchive comedy and drama
BBC Asian Network C23664 kbit/sMono South Asian orientated musicVarious MW
BBC World Service C23864 kbit/sMonoInternational newsOn Radio 4 frequencies between 01:00 and 05:20 daily
BBC GuideE1C79E5E16-32 kbit/sDataHidden service, EPG data

Part time services

The BBC National DAB multiplex makes use of dynamic ensemble reconfiguration to allow a number of part-time services to broadcast. While these additional services are on air the bit rates of (one or more of) BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live, and data services are reduced.


Station NameDescription
BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra Live sport - broadcasts either Test Match Special or a second sporting event when BBC Radio 5 Live is also broadcasting live sport.
Yesterday In Parliament Radio 4 LW opt-out simulcast; weekdays 08:30-09:00; Saturdays 08:45-09:00.
The Daily Service Christian Music and Worship, Radio 4 LW opt-out simulcast; weekdays 09:45-10:00.

"Pop-up" services

The BBC has experimented with short-term "Pop-up" digital radio stations, each broadcasting for approximately four days at a time, covering music festivals and other special events. The first to broadcast was BBC Radio 5 Live Olympics Extra in 2012, then BBC Radio 2 Eurovision launched for the first time in 2014, and was joined by BBC Radio 2 Country, BBC Music Jazz in 2015 and BBC Radio 2 50s in April 2016. When these temporary stations are on air, there is normally a reduction in bit rate of their parent station.

Station NameDescription
BBC 5 Live Olympics ExtraAvailable during 2012 Summer Olympics with coverage consisting of sports commentaries.
BBC Radio 2 Eurovision Launched in May 2014 to extend the BBC's coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest. Returned in 2015 to provide coverage of the 2015 contest.
BBC Radio 2 Country Launched in March 2015 to provide coverage of London's C2C: Country to Country Country music festival. Returned in 2016 to cover the 2016 festival and again in 2017.
BBC Music Jazz Launched in November 2015 as a joint venture between BBC Radio 3 and Jazz FM, with programming celebrating jazz music in all its varied forms.
BBC Radio 2 50s Launched in April 2016 as a celebration of the music and entertainment of the 1950s.
BBC Radio 1 VintageAvailable in September 2017 as a celebration of BBC Radio 1's 50th anniversary.
BBC Radio 2 BeatlesLaunched in September 2019 as a celebration of 50 years of the Beatles album Abbey Road featuring interviews on how the album was created and how it influenced the next generation of music artists.

Threat of station closures

In 2010, the BBC published plans to close BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Asian Network. [3] These plans were later rejected, saving both stations from closure. Radio 6 Music was retained after listening figures increased and a campaign was set up on Facebook, which gained 180,000 supporters. [4]

Future services

In February 2024, the BBC proposed launching four services on DAB+ and BBC Sounds. The services will be sister stations to BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 3, plus BBC Radio 1 Dance. The plans are subject to the relevant regulatory approvals, including a Public Interest Test for the proposal to launch the stations via DAB+, a process which the BBC will start in the coming weeks and is expected to run until the end of 2024. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital Audio Broadcasting</span> Digital radio standard

Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) is a digital radio standard for broadcasting digital audio radio services in many countries around the world, defined, supported, marketed and promoted by the WorldDAB organisation. The standard is dominant in Europe and is also used in Australia, and in parts of Africa and Asia; as of 2022, 55 countries are actively running DAB broadcasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Radio 4</span> British national radio station

BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasting House, London. Since 2019, the station controller has been Mohit Bakaya. He replaced Gwyneth Williams, who had been the station controller since 2010.

Digital radio is the use of digital technology to transmit or receive across the radio spectrum. Digital transmission by radio waves includes digital broadcasting, and especially digital audio radio services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Radio Solent</span> BBC Local Radio service for Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight, England

BBC Radio Solent is the BBC's local radio station serving Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight, broadcasting on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios on Havelock Road in Southampton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Radio Sheffield</span> Radio station in Sheffield

BBC Radio Sheffield is the BBC's local radio station serving South Yorkshire and north Derbyshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HD Radio</span> Digital radio broadcast technology

HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used primarily by AM and FM radio stations in the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada, Mexico and the Philippines, with a few implementations outside North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mendip transmitting station</span> Broadcasting and telecommunications facility

The Mendip transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility on the summit of Pen Hill, part of the Mendip Hills range in Somerset, England, at 305 metres (1,001 ft) above sea level. The station is in St Cuthbert Out civil parish, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) north-east of Wells. Its mast, 293 m (961 ft) high, was built in 1967 and is the tallest structure in South West England. The mast broadcasts digital television, FM analogue radio and DAB digital radio, and had broadcast analogue colour television from 1967 until 2010.

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 and News Broadcasting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jazz FM (UK)</span> Radio station in London

Jazz FM is a radio station broadcasting on digital radio in the United Kingdom and Malta which predominantly plays jazz music, jazz standards as well as blues and soul music. The station, in this incarnation set up by Richard Wheatley, traces its roots back to 102.2 Jazz FM, which first launched in 1990. The current station commenced broadcasting on 6 October 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital Radio in the Republic of Ireland</span>

Digital Radio in the Republic of Ireland is broadcast on a number of digital terrestrial, cable and internet platforms. Until the 31 March 2021, official broadcasts of the digital audio broadcasting standard were also available in the state by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) of their full banquet of radio services. DAB broadcasts since April 2021 are now restricted to unlicensed, low powered multiplexes in a small number of locations.

Planet Rock is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Kiss Network. The station broadcasts classic rock music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital radio in the United Kingdom</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Countries using DAB/DMB</span>

The radio technology known as Digital Audio Broadcasting, and its TV sibling, Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB), is being operated in several regions worldwide, either in the form of full services, or as feasibility studies.

Digital broadcast radio in Australia uses the DAB+ standard and is available in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Darwin and Hobart. However, after 11 years, regional large cities such as Townsville and Ballarat still do not have DAB. The national government owned television/radio networks, the ABC and SBS, and the commercial radio stations in each market provide many of their services and a few digital-only services on the digital platform. Australia uses the AAC+ codec provided with upgraded DAB+ standard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Absolute Radio Network</span> British digital radio network

The Absolute Radio Network is a network of ten radio stations owned and operated by Bauer Radio. Bauer purchased the TIML Radio Limited network of stations in 2013. Most of the Absolute Radio stations are decade-themed services, alongside the flagship station and classic rock and country-formatted stations. The network is aimed at 35 to 54 year olds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Voice (North Devon)</span> Radio station in Barnstaple

The Voice is a local radio station serving North Devon, and based at studios in Barnstaple.

This is a list of notable events in the timeline of digital audio broadcasting in the UK.

This is a timeline of RTÉ Radio.

This is a timeline of the development of radio in Scotland.

References

  1. "TV: September Through the Years". Unreality Primetime. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
  2. "Arqiva confirms BBC DAB rollout complete". Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  3. "BBC 6 Music and Asian Network face axe in shake up". BBC News. 2 March 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  4. "BBC Trust rejects 6 Music closure plan". BBC News. 5 July 2010. Archived from the original on 21 July 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  5. "Plans announced for new, distinctive digital music stations as extensions for BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 3". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2024.