DIGITAL RADIO BOOST FOR LONDONERS

Londoners got a big digital radio boost today with the switching on of landmark new digital radio transmitters on the BT Tower, in time for the London 2012 Olympic Games and the announcement of details of a new Olympics-only digital radio station today.
Olympic gold medal winner Dame Kelly Holmes and Colin Murray switched on the new digital radio transmitters, which together with three recent landmark transmitters around London, give a stronger digital signal to over 9 million listeners and deliver digital radio to nearly one million Londoners for the first time. This collaboration, between the broadcasters, multiplex operators, Arqiva, and BT Wholesale, is the culmination of a two-year programme of investment in digital transmitters around London.

There’s good news for car drivers and commuters too. For them the boost means a robust digital radio signal on 99% of the London road network within the M25, including the Olympic Route Network.

Ed Vaizey MP, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, welcomed the boost to London digital radio coverage signal. He said that good progress was being made on the Digital Radio Action Plan, and that 23% of new cars in March 2012 were fitted with digital radio as standard, compared with 11% in March 2011 (source CAP/SMMT).
BMW, official Automotive Partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, has announced that a substantial proportion of the official Gamesfleet will be fitted with digital radio. This is in parallel to recently introducing digital radio as standard on all new MINIs.
Tim Davie, the BBC Director of Audio and Music, confirmed the launch of the national digital-only station BBC Radio 5 Live Olympics Extra, which will carry exclusive coverage for the duration of the Games. He emphasised that with this digital boost, Londoners do not need to miss a thing of the 2012 summer of sport, as 5 Live and its two sister digital stations would be working together to fully cover the London Olympics, Euro 2012, Wimbledon and International Test cricket. BBC Radio 5 Live Olympics Extra is a temporary digital-only station.
Stuart Taylor, CEO of GMG Radio, also welcomed the boost and said that it would improve radio listening for Londoners who get a huge choice of over sixty stations on digital radio, including a wide variety of music, sport, news, and language stations such as French, Polish, Punjabi and Russian, reflecting the diversity of life in London.
London leads the UK in the take-up of digital radio, with 56% of all radio listeners listening to digital radio, and 35% of all radio listening on a digital platform. Digital listening in London has been growing at a rate of over 23% per year, and if maintained will rise to 50% of all listening by mid-2014.
With 64 stations available on digital radio in London, and 37 of them digital-only, listeners should use the postcode checker at link to see what stations they can get in their area.
Dame Kelly Holmes said: ‘I’m delighted to switch on the digital radio London Boost which will help Londoners to follow the progress of Team GB at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.’
Minister Ed Vaizey said: ‘These new digital radio transmitters are excellent news for the people of London. More than nine million people will receive better digital radio coverage in time for the Games thanks to today’s switch-on.’
Tim Davie, BBC Director of Audio and Music, said: ‘I’m delighted to confirm the launch of digital-only station BBC Radio 5 Live Olympics Extra. Together with Radio 5 Live and Radio 5 Live Sports Extra this new station will make sure that listeners need not miss a thing of the 2012 summer of sport.’
Stuart Taylor, CEO of GMG Radio, said: ‘The huge range of commercial digital radio stations available in London continues to grow, and reflects the wonderful diversity of this great city.’
Ford Ennals, CEO of Digital Radio UK, says: ‘Londoners love digital radio with over half of all adults listening to digital radio every week. With the London signal boost and the launch of BBC Radio 5 Live Olympics Extra there’s never been a better time to get digital radio in London.’
BT’s Mick Wayman, MD, London 2012 programme, says: ‘As the official communications services partner for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, BT is working to make London 2012 the most connected Games ever and able to help boost digital radio coverage for the capital will help us achieve that goal. It is great that such an iconic building as the BT Tower will play a prominent role in supporting communications during such an historic event.’
Paul Eaton, Head of Radio at Arqiva, says: ‘This is the culmination of two years’ work and industry collaboration to invest in digital radio transmitters for London.’

Some Meat & Technical potatoes:
· The London signal boost (BT Tower, Epping Green, Chepping Wycombe and Wrotham) will improve the digital radio signal for millions of Londoners living and working in London and bring nearly one million Londoners into digital radio coverage for the first time.
· Londoners will have robust reception of 64 stations on digital radio including exclusive digital coverage of the 2012 summer of sports events and music festivals.
· The London boost will provide robust digital radio reception on the road networks covering 99% within the M25, including the Olympic Route Network and the Olympic Park.
· This is a collaboration between the broadcasters, multiplex operators, the transmission company Arqiva, and BT Wholesale, and is the culmination of a two-year programme of investment in digital transmitters which has built 3 transmitters on the outskirts of London (Epping Green, Chepping Wycombe and Wrotham) and on the BT Tower in Central London.
· The BT Tower hosts new digital transmitters provided by Arqiva for the BBC national radio multiplex and the London 1, 2 and 3 multiplexes. There has also been a power boost for national commercial radio multiplex Digital One.
· The improvement in London digital radio coverage is part of an overall programme of building out National and local DAB digital radio coverage and improving signal strength.
· The BBC has built out coverage of their National digital radio services to 93% and have confirmed plans to extend to 97% by a target date of end 2015.
· BT Wholesale’s Media & Broadcast team is providing the installation and hosting for Arqiva’s new digital radio transmission system for a period of at least seven years. M&B is also providing MusicLine audio circuits that support Digital Radio.
· Arqiva, the communications infrastructure and media services company, operates at the heart of the broadcast, satellite and mobile communications markets. BT has worked with Arqiva and its predecessors for more than four decades. Arqiva and BT, together with BAE Systems Detica and Sensus, have formed SmartReach to provide smart metering communications across Great Britain.
· BT provided the world’s first broadcast-enabled MPLS network that is supporting the UK Digital Switch Over (DSO) – the move from analogue to Digital TV. DSO was completed in London on 18 April 2012.
KEY DIGITAL RADIO FACTS (Sources: RAJAR Q4 2011, GfK, CAP/SMMT)
· Almost 50% (48.3%) of Londoners own a DAB digital radio.
· 55% of London listeners listen on a digital platform every week .
· 35.4% of radio listening in London is on a digital platform compares with 29.1% nationally.
· Digital listening in London is growing at a rate of 23% per year.
· Over a quarter of all listening hours in London are listened to on DAB.
· There are 37 digital-only stations in London with 15 launched since 2009.
· Digital radio sales have now reached 14.6 million in total.
· Recent figures show some growth in digital radio sales inc. internet radios (Up 5% in volume in the last four months Dec 11-Mar 12 vs a year ago).
· 23% of new car registrations in March 2012 had digital radio fitted as standard, up from 11% in March 2011 (CAP/SMMT).
About Digital Radio UK
Digital Radio UK works with Government, broadcasters, manufacturers, retailers, and a wide range of stakeholders to accelerate digital listening, to enable the expansion of the digital radio platform, and to ensure that industry meets the consumer-led criteria to be achieved for a proposed radio switchover. Digital Radio UK’s Board comprises representatives from the BBC, RadioCentre, Arqiva, Global Radio, Bauer Media, GMG Radio and Absolute Radio, together with Intellect and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.OK
ADAM RAYNER:
OK, that”s all exciting stuff but over here on TA, we care most about the mobile application – in our cars, so it is good to be able to reveal that I also know about an upcoming wrinkle in the Digital Radio UK awareness campaign that’ll be all about us and our world – digital radio in cars. As such, I can tell you that Talk Audio is committed to leaping into the digital radio future and I am going to do my best to swag as many units for as many TA folks as possible. Yes, I’m talking wholesale larceny! Starting with TEN units from Kenwood, already in progress! I’ll let you all know as I secure more. (Already secured adaptor product from Celsus as well!)