NTL Boosts Digital Radio With 250th Transmitter
Radio listeners in Caradon Hill, Cornwall will be able to enjoy local services in crystal clarity from today, as NTL’s Broadcast division switches on its 250th digital transmitter.
The new transmitter marks the culmination of an intensive roll-out of multiplexing and transmission systems for both national and local stations by NTL lasting four years. The Caradon Hill transmitter, near Liskeard in Cornwall, will make Pirate FM, Plymouth Sound and BBC Radio Cornwall available for the first time on DAB digital radio. The multiplex also brings radio brands such as Classic Gold, The Storm and Kiss to the area for the first time.
The installation is provided by NTL under contract to South West Digital Ltd, the local digital radio operator majority owned by GWR and UKRD Group. Commenting on the expansion of digital services in the area, James St Aubyn, high sheriff of Cornwall and chairman of UKRD, said: “It’s very good to see digital radio making inroads right across the country, and this celebration in Cornwall is all the more special for that.
He added: “NTL has worked tirelessly to develop digital radio infrastructure throughout the UK and we’re all very excited about the future of the medium.”
The new site adds to the services currently offered by Digital One in the area, which carries a popular range of national stations from Classic FM to Planet Rock. The development at Caradon Hill continues a tradition of broadcasting, following Westward Television’s broadcasts from the site in 1961, and the continued transmission of analogue and digital TV channels.
Explaining the rapid expansion of digital radio, Paul Eaton, head of radio at NTL’s Broadcast division, said: “The radio industry is on the crest of a wave and it’s a great tribute to all those involved that the medium has kept evolving with changes in lifestyle and technology to provide more services and choice to listeners. DAB digital radio has very much come of age now and we’re all very proud of what’s been achieved in such a short time.”
The latest digital multiplex continues to expand the reach of digital radio across Britain’s regions. Earlier this month residents in and around Cambridge began to receive locally broadcast DAB digital radio content following the creation of a new multiplex by NOWdigital.
The multiplex offered listeners a range of radio services, including existing stations such as Q103, Classic Gold, Vibe FM and BBC Radio Cambridgeshire in digital quality, as well as bringing three new services to the region (see Boost To DAB Radio As Cambridge Gets Local Multiplex).
Elsewhere, multiplex operator, Digital One, has produced an easy to use guide to DAB broadcasts and the equipment needed to receive them in an effort to boost take-up of digital radio in the run up to the all important Christmas period (see Digital One To Boost DAB Up-Take With Buyer’s Guide).
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