Digital One

Digital One Network
Licensed area	Great Britain
Frequency	11D (222.064 MHz) England and Wales 12A (223.936 MHz) Scotland
Air date	15 November 1999
Owner	Arqiva
Website	http://www.digitalone.co.uk

Digital One is a national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva. As of March 2010^[update], the multiplex covers more than 90% of the population^[1] from a total of 137 transmitters.^[2] A lack of available frequencies means there is no coverage in Northern Ireland; this is due to the nearby VHF analogue TV signals used in the Republic of Ireland (however these signals are due to be phased out, possibly when the digital switchover of television happens in 2012).

Stations carried

Service	Service ID	Bit rate	Audio channels	Description	DAB launch date	Analogue availability
Absolute Radio	C1C0	112 kbit/s	Joint stereo	Adult contemporary music, carries London output during programme splits, but with national news and advertising	1999-11-15 !15 November 1999	1215 kHz 105.8 MHz (London)
Absolute Radio 80s	C4C1	112 kbit/s	Joint stereo	Adult contemporary music	2010-05-14 !14 May 2010	—
Absolute Radio 90s	C4C0	64 kbit/s	Mono LSF	Britpop, Indie, and Rock from the 1990s, shared space with Absolute Radio Extra	2010-08-25 !25 August 2010	—
Absolute Radio Extra	C0C1	64-112 kbit/s	Mono	Part time live Football and concerts, live sport also broadcast nationally on 1215 kHz, shared space with Absolute Radio 90s	2010-08-16 !16 July 2010	—
Amazing Radio	C7C0	64 kbit/s	Mono LSF	New indie, urban, jazz and pop music, initially broadcasting at 128 kbit/s Stereo, the bit rate was reduced to 64 kbit/s Mono upon the launch of Absolute 80s	2009-06-01 !1 June 2009[3]	—
BFBS Radio	C3C0	80 kbit/s	Mono	Contemporary music, broadcast a three month trial service which ended on 31 March 2008, test transmissions began on 17 April 2009 and the station launched as a full-time service at 07:00 on 20 April 2009	2009-04-11 !20 April 2009	—
Classic FM	C2A1	160 kbit/s	Joint stereo	Classical music	1999-11-15 !15 November 1999	99.9–101.9 MHz
Jazz FM	C0C2	80 kbit/s	Mono	Jazz music, initial test transmissions labelled as "Karma"	2011-03-21 !21 March 2011[4]	—
Planet Rock	C2C0	112 kbit/s	Joint stereo	Rock music, privately owned semi-automated radio station[5]	1999-11-15 !15 November 1999	—
Premier Christian Radio	C7C1	64 kbit/s	Mono LSF	Christian music, was able to launch after a fundraising effort from listeners to meet the £650,000 annual cost to broadcast on Digital One on 21 September 2009.[6]	2009-09-21 !21 September 2009	—
Smooth Radio	C6C0	80 kbit/s	Mono LSF	Easy Listening, replaced regional broadcasts from regional digital multiplexes; the original regional stations are still available on the channel list however, which is most of the time just a simulcast of Smooth Radio UK	2010-08-05 !5 August 2010	97.5, 100.4, 101.4, 102.2, 105.2, 105.7, 106.6 MHz
Smooth Radio Christmas	C3C4	80 kbit/s	Mono LSF	Christmas music, temporary station until 27 December 2011[7]	2011-11-01 !1 November 2011	—
Talksport	C0C0	64 kbit/s	Mono LSF	Sport and talk	1999-11-15 !15 November 1999	1089, 1053 kHz
UCB UK	C4CA	64kbit/s	Mono LSF	Christian music	2009-12-01 !1 December 2009[8][9]	—
MILE(UK) ITIS	E1C000BA	16 kbit/s	Data	Hidden service	—	—
Traffic Master	E1C000B8	8 kbit/s	Data	Hidden service	—	—
What's On	E1C000B1	8 kbit/s	Data	Hidden service	—	—

History

On 24 March 1998, the Radio Authority advertised for the first national ensemble to be broadcast on DAB. The three national commercial services on FM and mediumwave had to be included as part of the ensemble, Classic FM, talkSPORT and Virgin Radio.^[10] The licence was awarded to the sole applicant, GWR Group and NTL Broadcast to form Digital One.^[11] The original licence application included the following stations:^[12]

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 UTV Radio)
Teen and chart hits	Pop and dance music	GWR
Virgin Radio (now Absolute Radio)	Complementary rock music	SMG plc

Digital One was due to launch on 1 October 1999,^[13] but this was postponed until 15 November 1999.^[14]

The "Classic Gold Rock" service eventually went on air as Planet Rock, which remains on air and is now the longest-established digital-only service on the platform. 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 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 MW and digital. 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.

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 the 31 December 2006 deadline set in the licence amendment.^[15]

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. Planet Rock however, has been saved whilst theJazz ceased broadcasting at midnight, on 30 April 2008.

In April 2009, Global Radio, which had acquired GCap Media - part owner of Digital One, sold its 63% stake in the ensemble to Arqiva, making them the sole owner and operator of the ensemble.^[16]

Former Services

Services previously carried on the multiplex include:

• NME Radio (ceased on 12 July 2010^[17])
• Panjab Radio (temporary service, ceased on 31 May 2010)
• Fun Kids (temporary service, ceased on 3 October 2009)
• Birdsong (ceased on 1 June 2009, replaced by Amazing Radio)
• theJazz (ceased on 31 March 2008)
• Capital Life (ceased on 31 March 2008) ^[18]
• Core (ceased on 11 January 2008,^[18] immediately replaced by BFBS Radio)
• Oneword (ceased on 11 January 2008^[19] because of financial problems, replaced by Birdsong - see the section below)
• Primetime (ceased on 24 May 2006, replaced by theJazz on 25 December 2006)
• D1 Temp (ceased on 9 June 2005 - see the section below)
• Bloomberg (ceased on 6 December 2003, replaced by D1 Temp)
• ITN (ceased on 1 July 2003)

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

Main article: Birdsong (digital radio channel)

Birdsong was a transmission consisted of a continuously looping recording of bird song. When financial news station Bloomberg, and rolling news station ITN News Radio ceased to broadcast within several months of one another in 2003, replacement audio services were never found due to a commitment in Digital One's broadcasting licence to provide a news station. This resulted in a station playing a 36-minute, 56-second loop of birdsong and ambient sounds, entitled D1 Temp which broadcast until June 2005.

When the magazine-format digital radio station Oneword ceased in January 2008, the birdsong audio once again 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.^[3]

References

1. ^ "Coverage - Future transmitters". ukdigitalradio.com. Digital One. http://www.ukdigitalradio.com/coverage/futuretransmitters/. Retrieved 13 March 2010. "Although already covering more than 90% of the population..." 
2. ^ "Coverage - Current transmitters". ukdigitalradio.com. Digital One. http://www.ukdigitalradio.com/coverage/currenttransmitters/. Retrieved 13 March 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Amazing - a new DAB station". Radio Today. 1 June 2009. http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.4790.5. Retrieved 1 June 2009. 
4. ^ "Jazz FM goes national on DAB". Radio Today. 2011-03-21. http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.6839.5. Retrieved 2011-03-21. 
5. ^ Strategy Presentation, GCap Media plc, 11 February 2008. Retrieved on 11 February 2008.
6. ^ Plunkett, John (19 August 2009). "Premier Christian Radio set for national digital launch". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/aug/19/premier-christian-radio-national-dab. Retrieved 19 August 2009. 
7. ^ http://www.smoothradio.co.uk/about/smooth-radio-christmas/smooth-radio-christmas-whats-it-all-about-/a9c94
8. ^ "UCB goes national on DAB digital radio". United Christian Broadcasters. http://www.ucb.co.uk/pressreleaseDAB.pdf. 
9. ^ "Two new tenants for Digital One". Radio Today. 1 November 2009. http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.5326. Retrieved 1 November 2009. 
10. ^ "RADIO AUTHORITY ANNOUNCES ADVERTISEMENT DATE FOR NATIONAL COMMERCIAL MULTIPLEX". Ofcom. Radio Authority. 5 March 1998. http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/rau/newsroom/news-release/98/pr17.htm. Retrieved 5 May 2007. 
11. ^ "APPENDIX 3.6 - Digital audio broadcasting" (pdf). Competition Commission. http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/2003/fulltext/479a3.6.pdf. Retrieved 17 April 2007. 
12. ^ "RADIO AUTHORITY RECEIVES ONE APPLICATION FOR FIRST AND ONLY NATIONAL COMMERCIAL DIGITAL MULTIPLEX LICENCE". Ofcom. Radio Authority. http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/rau/newsroom/news-release/98/pr56.htm. Retrieved 12 May 2007. 
13. ^ "DIGITAL ONE IS Awarded 12 YEAR DIGITAL LICENCE". PR Newswire. http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=22452. Retrieved 2009-11-08. 
14. ^ Pearse, Justin (20 October 1999). "Motor Show: Digital One unveils launch line-up". ZDNet UK. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/0,1000000091,2074519,00.htm. Retrieved 8 November 2009. 
15. ^ "ANNEX - PART I - Conditions relating to simulcast services and digital sound programme services" (docx). Ofcom. Archived from the original on 15 June 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070615192613/http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/radiolicensing/digital/formats/DN001.doc. Retrieved 12 May 2007. 
16. ^ Plunkett, John (7 April 2009). "Global Radio sells Digital One to Arqiva". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/apr/07/global-radio-digital-one-arqiva. Retrieved 2 May 2009. 
17. ^ ukdigitalradio: News - NME Radio Stops Broadcasting on DAB Digital Radio
18. ^ ^{a b} West, Dave (11 January 2008). "GCap closing two digital radio stations". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/radio/a84304/gcap-closing-two-digital-radio-stations.html. Retrieved 11 February 2008. 
19. ^ Welsh, James (10 January 2008). "Oneword Radio to shut down". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting/a84222/oneword-radio-to-shut-down.html. Retrieved 11 February 2008. ).