Virgin Radio And TalkSport Could Lose AM Licences

Virgin Radio and TalkSport could have their AM radio licences removed by Ofcom by 2012, so that the regulator can use the spectrum for new digital radio stations.

Three new national stations and a range of local stations could be made out of the spectrum used by the two national AM services, according to Ofcom’s director of radio and multimedia, Peter Davies.

These comments have outraged the broadcasters, with TalkSport saying scrapping AM broadcasts is illogical and ridiculous. Both Virgin and TalkSport’s licences are due for renewal in 2012, when Ofcom will then auction them.

At a digital radio conference organised by the broadcast and transmission company WRN, Davies said that instead of just auctioning the existing AM licences, Ofcom is looking at getting rid of the AM licences and converting the spectrum to “Digital Radio Mondiale” (DRM), which is an alternative to DAB.

Ofcom: 020 7981 3040 www.ofcom.org.uk