Licensed area | United Kingdom |
---|---|
Frequency |
|
Air date | 15 November 1999 |
Owner | Arqiva |
Digital One is a national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva. As of March 2010 [update] , the multiplex covered more than 90% of the population [1] from 137 transmitters. [2] 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.
DAB
Service | Service ID | Bit rate | Audio channels | Description | DAB launch date | Analogue availability |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Absolute Radio | C1C0 | 80 kbit/s | Mono | Adult alternative music, carries London output during any programme splits, but with national news and advertising | 15 November 1999 | 1197 kHz, 1215 kHz, 1242 kHz, 1260 kHz (closed in January 2023) |
Kiss UK | C5C0 | 80 kbit/s | Mono LSF | A London-based station specialising in hip hop, R&B, urban and electronic dance music owned by Bauer Radio. Also broadcast on FM in London, South Wales and the Severn Estuary, and East Anglia; all frequencies including D1 now share programme content | 27 December 2012 | 97.2, 100, 101 and 106.1 MHz (closed in September 2024) |
Kisstory | CFE6 | 80 kbit/s | Mono LSF | Old Skool & Anthems. Owned by Bauer Radio as a sibling to Kiss FM UK. Was broadcast on Sound Digital prior to D1 addition. | 11 February 2019 [3] | |
LBC | C0C2 | 64 kbit/s | Mono | A national talk and phone-in station owned by Global Radio and also broadcast on 97.3 MHz in London. | 11 February 2014 [4] | 97.3 MHz (London) |
Magic | C0C6 | 80 kbit/s | Mono | Melodic soft adult contemporary hits. Replaces Absolute Radio 90s. | 1 January 2015 | 105.4 MHz (London) |
Talksport | C0C0 | 64 kbit/s | Mono LSF | Sport and talk | 15 November 1999 | 1053, 1071, 1089 kHz |
DAB+
Service | Service ID | Bit rate | Audio channels | Description | DAB launch date | Analogue availability |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Capital Dance | C9ED | 40 kbit/s | Stereo DAB+ | Dance | 1 October 2020 | |
Capital UK | C5DA | 40 kbit/s | Stereo DAB+ | Contemporary Hit Radio | 12 September 2016 | 95.8–107.6 MHz |
Capital XTRA | C37B | 40 kbit/s | Stereo DAB+ | Urban and Dance Music. Formerly branded as Choice FM; relaunched and renamed to coincide with its national DAB availability | 7 October 2013 | 96.9 and 107.1 MHz (London) |
Classic FM | C2A1 | 64 kbit/s | Stereo DAB+ | Classical music | 15 November 1999 | 99.9–101.9 MHz |
GB News Radio | C4F0 | 24 kbit/s | Mono DAB+ | Talk Radio (Right-Wing News) | 4 January 2022 | |
Gold UK | CEE8 | 40 kbit/s | Stereo DAB+ | Classic hits. Previously transmitted on local AM and DAB prior to D1 addition, having evolved from Capital Gold (1988). | 10 June 2019 | |
Heart Dance | CFE8 | 40 kbit/s | Stereo DAB+ | Rhythmic adult contemporary | 21 June 2019 | |
Heart UK | CFD1 | 40 kbit/s | Stereo DAB+ | Adult contemporary music | 29 February 2016 | 96–107 MHz |
Heart 70s | CAE9 | 32 kbit/s | Stereo DAB+ | 1970s music | 30 August 2019 | |
Heart 80s [5] | C1DC | 40 kbit/s | Stereo DAB+ | 1980s music | 14 March 2017 | |
Heart 90s | CBE9 | 40 kbit/s | Stereo DAB+ | 1990s music | 29 August 2019 | |
Heart 00s | C9F3 | 40 kbit/s | Stereo DAB+ | 2000s music | 20 May 2022 | |
LBC News | C8EA | 32 kbit/s | Mono DAB+ | 24-hour rolling news station with updates every 20 minutes. | 28 October 2019 | 1152 kHz (London) |
Radio X | C4CD | 40 kbit/s | Stereo DAB+ | Rock station primarily playing alternative and indie music. Previously broadcast in mono on DAB from launch until moving to DAB+ on 25 October 2019. | 21 September 2015 | 104.9 MHz (London) 97.7 MHz (Manchester) |
Smooth Chill | C1C3 | 32 kbit/s | Stereo DAB+ | Chill out, ambient and trip-hop music. | 8 April 2020 | — |
Smooth Relax | C4FB | 32 kbit/s | Stereo DAB+ | Relaxing melodic hits. | 8 January 2024 | |
Smooth UK | C6C0 | 40 kbit/s | Stereo DAB+ | Melodic hits from the past five decades. | 12 March 2020 | 96.4–108.0 MHz |
UCB 1 | C4CA | 24 kbit/s | Stereo DAB+ | Christian music | 1 December 2009 [6] [7] | — |
UCB 2 | CBD8 | 32 kbit/s | Stereo DAB+ | Christian music |
On 24 March 1998, the Radio Authority advertised for the first national ensemble to be broadcast on DAB, with the three national commercial services on FM and medium wave required to be included in the ensemble. This included Classic FM, Talk Radio UK (now Talksport) and Virgin Radio (now Absolute Radio). [8] The licence was awarded to the sole applicant, GWR Group and NTL Broadcast to form Digital One. [9] The original licence application included the following stations: [10]
Digital One Ltd (original application) | ||
---|---|---|
Classic FM | Classical music | GWR (now part of Global Radio) |
Classic Gold Rock | Rock music | NTL |
Club dance | Dance music | TBA |
Plays, books and music | Comedy, drama and serials | TBA |
Rolling news service | Rolling news | ITN |
Soft AC | Female contemporary music | TBA |
Sports channel | Live sports and comment | Talk Radio UK |
Talk Radio (now Talksport) | Talk radio | Talk Radio UK (now owned by Wireless Group) |
Teen and chart hits | Pop and dance music | GWR |
Virgin Radio (now Absolute Radio) | Complementary rock music | SMG plc (station is now owned by Bauer Media) |
Digital One was due to launch on 1 October 1999, [11] but this was postponed until 15 November 1999. [12]
The "Classic Gold Rock" service eventually went on air as Planet Rock, which remains on air, having migrated from D1 to the Sound Digital multiplex in 2016; it is, however, the only one of the D1 launch stations (bar the INR simulcasts) still to be broadcasting as of 2017, and is also the longest-established DAB-first service in UK national radio, having been a digital-only service until 2013, when new owner Bauer put PR on their 105.2 FM frequency in the West Midlands (previously Kerrang! Radio); the FM berth was turned over to Absolute Radio in September 2015, leaving Planet Rock as a digital-only service once again. The "plays, books and music" service went on air as Oneword. The "Teen & Chart Hits" service became Core, and the "Soft AC" service – which was ultimately provided by the then Capital Radio Group (now part of Global Radio) was launched as Life (later known as Capital Life). The "Sports Channel" proposal was dropped as a separate entity and instead combined with Talk Radio in 2000 to form the current Talksport as broadcast on AM and DAB. ITN's rolling news service ultimately went on air as part of the multiplex, later joined by a business news service provided by Bloomberg. "Club Dance", however, never made it to air. The space released by the absence of the Club Dance and Sports Channel services from the eventual lineup was used to allow the Oneword service to end at midnight rather than the proposed 7pm, and also freed up a slot for a melodic easy-listening music service aimed at an older audience, the Saga-operated PrimeTime Radio.[ citation needed ]
After the closure of PrimeTime Radio in 2006, the original licence was amended to allow the launch of a new classic and contemporary jazz service, TheJazz which was launched on 25 December 2006, before 31 December 2006 deadline set in the licence amendment. [13]
On 11 February 2008 GCap announced that it was selling its interest in Digital One to Arqiva and that "non-core" DAB stations Planet Rock and TheJazz would be closing by the end of March 2008. Whilst TheJazz ceased broadcasting at midnight on 30 April 2008, Planet Rock was sold off and remains on air. GCap also closed down their two other D1-only stations, Core and Capital Life, prior to GCap being taken over later in 2008 by Global Radio.[ citation needed ]
Services previously carried on the multiplex include:
In addition to the audio services listed above a number of data services, short lived temporary audio services, and mobile video channels have been broadcast on this multiplex.
Birdsong was a temporary transmission of a continuously looping recording of bird song.[ citation needed ]
When the magazine-format digital radio station Oneword ceased in January 2008, the birdsong audio returned to the multiplex on the Oneword channel and the service name of the DAB channel changed to "Birdsong", until Amazing Radio launched on 1 June 2009. [19]
Magic Radio is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK. The station is available on 105.4 FM in London and across the UK on DAB Digital Radio, via Bauer's Rayo platform, and on Smart speakers. It plays "soft adult contemporary classics" such as Elton John, Madonna, Hot Chocolate, Whitney Houston, UB40, Simply Red, and more.
GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group.
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.
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.
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.
Galaxy Digital was a radio station broadcasting through the digital platform across the United Kingdom and was owned by Global Radio. It primarily broadcast in areas where Galaxy was not represented on FM, such as London, Leicester, Nottingham, and Derbyshire. It also formerly broadcast in Central Scotland, until the relaunch of Xfm Scotland as Galaxy Scotland, at which point Galaxy Digital on DAB was replaced with a relay of Xfm London.
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.
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.
Global Media & Entertainment Limited, trading as Global, is a British media company formed in 2007. It is the owner of the largest commercial radio company in Europe having expanded through a number of historical acquisitions, including Chrysalis Radio, GCap Media and GMG Radio. Global owns and operates seven core radio brands, all employing a national network strategy, including Capital, Heart, Gold, Classic FM, Smooth and LBC.
Capital Life, also known as Life, was a digital radio station broadcasting across the UK on the Digital One network and streamed online. Capital Life was due to be available on DTV but never launched due to the closure of the station.
Nation Broadcasting is a British media company headquartered in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It currently owns and operates twelve Independent Local Radio stations across the United Kingdom.
Birdsong was a temporary radio channel which used to broadcast on national digital radio in the United Kingdom. The transmission consisted of a continuously looping recording of bird song. It was available via the Digital One DAB network. The recording was also available via the Digital One website until Autumn 2009 and the RadioBirdsong website. Originally starting out as a test signal on analogue radio in 1992 and then later broadcast on digital radio from 2003 to 2005, the channel gained regular listeners, who complained when it was taken off-air. In 2008–2009, the broadcast again existed as a 'filler' transmission until a commercially operated radio station, Amazing Radio, replaced it on 1 June 2009. On 27 December 2019, the channel returned to digital radio once again in the Portsmouth area.
Real Radio Digital was a DAB Digital Radio station operated by GMG Radio as part of their Real Radio network of stations. The station was designed to provide service over digital services in areas where Real was not available in a local form.
This is a timeline of the development of independent radio in the UK.
A timeline of notable events relating to Absolute Radio and its spin-off stations, and its predecessor Virgin 1215/Virgin Radio.
A timeline of notable events relating to Global Radio, a British media company founded in 2007.
This is a timeline of Capital London, previously known as Capital Radio, 95.8 Capital FM or similar variations, from its initial period as an Independent Local Radio station for Greater London to the present day CHR network serving most of the UK.
This is a list of notable events in the timeline of digital audio broadcasting in the UK.
Although already covering more than 90% of the population...
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