CE Manchester
Encyclopedia
CE Manchester is a DAB digital radio broadcast multiplex serving the city of Manchester
in the north-west of England
. It is operated by CE Digital, the DAB multiplex operator jointly owned by Global Radio
and Bauer Radio which also operates CE London
and CE Birmingham
. The DAB services operated within the multiplex are a mixture of existing local FM/AM stations and digital-only services. The CE stood for the original licence holders of Capital Radio & Emap.
It was one of three (the others being Birmingham & London) which all launched on the same day and were the first local DAB platforms to launch.
Some Manchester-based stations are broadcast on the MXR regional multiplex for the north-west (see below for a summary, or see the MXR North West
article for fuller details).
service. This includes:
The regional multiplex also now relays the network version of Gold, which replaced classic rock station The Arrow
; this change was made due to Gold having been replaced by Absolute Classic Rock on the Bauer Liverpool
multiplex (amongst others). As a result, listeners in Manchester now have two versions of Gold; the "local" version (which now carries networked content) on AM and local DAB, and the network version on regional DAB.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in the north-west of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is operated by CE Digital, the DAB multiplex operator jointly owned by Global Radio
Global Radio
Global Radio UK Ltd. is a British commercial radio company, the largest in the country following acquisitions of Chrysalis Radio and GCap Media.The company's Chief Executive Officer is Stephen Miron, while the Group Chairman is Charles Allen...
and Bauer Radio which also operates CE London
CE London
CE London is a Digital Audio Broadcasting multiplex available in the London area and has been broadcasting since May 2000. It is also referred to as the Greater London 1 multiplex...
and CE Birmingham
CE Birmingham
CE Birmingham is a DAB digital radio broadcast multiplex covering the city of Birmingham and surrounding areas in central England. It is operated by CE Digital, a DAB multiplex operator jointly owned by Global Radio and Bauer Radio...
. The DAB services operated within the multiplex are a mixture of existing local FM/AM stations and digital-only services. The CE stood for the original licence holders of Capital Radio & Emap.
It was one of three (the others being Birmingham & London) which all launched on the same day and were the first local DAB platforms to launch.
Some Manchester-based stations are broadcast on the MXR regional multiplex for the north-west (see below for a summary, or see the MXR North West
MXR North West
MXR North West is a regional commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, which serves the North West of England.- Transmitter sites :MXR North West currently broadcasts from the following sites:-Stations carried:...
article for fuller details).
Transmitter sites
The platform broadcasts via the following transmitters:| Transmitter | kW | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Sunley Building | 0.5 | Greater Manchester |
| Winter Hill Winter Hill transmitting station The Winter Hill transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications site situated on Winter Hill, at the southern boundary of the Borough of Chorley, and above Bolton in Greater Manchester, England... |
0.25 | Blackburn with Darwen & S.E. Lancashire |
Current stations available
| Service | Service ID | Bit rate | Audio channels | Description | Analogue availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Sound Asian Sound Asian Sound Radio is a radio station based in Broadcast House, Southall Street in Manchester. It is the only 24-hour radio station in the North West dedicated to the Asian community, broadcasting across the whole region from Preston in the North to Stockport in the South... |
C5C1 | 64 kbit/s | Mono | Local Asian service | 963 kHz (Burnley) 1377 kHz (Manchester) |
| ASR Networks | C3C1 | 64 kbit/s | Mono | — | |
| BBC Radio Manchester BBC Radio Manchester BBC Radio Manchester is a BBC Local Radio station broadcasting to Greater Manchester in North West England. It broadcasts 24 hours a day from studios at MediaCityUK in Salford Quays via a transmitter at Holme Moss, with a small repeater at Saddleworth covering Tameside and Saddleworth... |
C434 | 128 kbit/s | Joint stereo | Local BBC service | 95.1 MHz 104.6 MHz (Manchester) |
| Gold | C9D3 | 128 kbit/s | Joint stereo | Golden oldies | 1458 kHz |
| Heat Radio | CDCE | 128 kbit/s | Joint stereo | Rhythmic music, relayed from Manchester | — |
| Kerrang! Kerrang! 105.2 Kerrang! Radio is a specialist rock music radio station broadcasting to the West Midlands, England. The station's format mixes modern & classic rock with speech programmes targeted at young people and an adult rock audience. Broadcasting on FM in the West Midlands and DAB & Freeview and online,... |
CCC2 | 64 kbit/s | Mono | Rock/metal, relay of Birmingham service | — |
| Key 103 Key 103 Key 103 is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to the city of Manchester and the north west of England. Its output is principally contemporary pop and dance music. Formerly owned by Trans World Communications, EMAP and now by Bauer Radio, Key 103 is part of Bauer's Place Network of... |
C584 | 128 kbit/s | Joint stereo | Local commercial FM service | 103.0 MHz |
| Kiss | C6C1 | 128 kbit/s | Joint stereo | Dance & urban, relay of London service | — |
| Piccadilly Magic 1152 Piccadilly Magic 1152 NB Piccadilly Radio re-directs here. See also Key 103Piccadilly Magic 1152 , began broadcasting as Piccadilly Radio, which was Manchester's first commercial radio station.-Early years:... |
C1C1 | 128 kbit/s | Joint stereo | Gold/easy | 1152 kHz |
| XFM Manchester Xfm Manchester Xfm Manchester is a commercial radio station broadcasting alternative and indie music to Manchester in North West England.It builds on the brand and format established by Xfm London. The majority of programming is shared but some is produced specifically for Manchester... |
C2C1 | 128 kbit/s | Joint stereo | Modern rock | 97.7 MHz |
Original line-up
The following is the original line-up on the platform and what happened, if anything.| Service | Description | Current status |
|---|---|---|
| Asian Sound Asian Sound Asian Sound Radio is a radio station based in Broadcast House, Southall Street in Manchester. It is the only 24-hour radio station in the North West dedicated to the Asian community, broadcasting across the whole region from Preston in the North to Stockport in the South... |
Asian service | Still operating |
| BBC GMR BBC Radio Manchester BBC Radio Manchester is a BBC Local Radio station broadcasting to Greater Manchester in North West England. It broadcasts 24 hours a day from studios at MediaCityUK in Salford Quays via a transmitter at Holme Moss, with a small repeater at Saddleworth covering Tameside and Saddleworth... |
BBC local service | Now operating as BBC Radio Manchester |
| Big 1458 | Golden oldies | Sold by The Wireless Group in cost cutting exercise to Capital Radio Global Radio Global Radio UK Ltd. is a British commercial radio company, the largest in the country following acquisitions of Chrysalis Radio and GCap Media.The company's Chief Executive Officer is Stephen Miron, while the Group Chairman is Charles Allen... in February 2002, relaunched as Capital Gold (now Gold) |
| Key 103 Key 103 Key 103 is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to the city of Manchester and the north west of England. Its output is principally contemporary pop and dance music. Formerly owned by Trans World Communications, EMAP and now by Bauer Radio, Key 103 is part of Bauer's Place Network of... |
Local FM service | Still operating |
| Kiss | Dance/urban music | Still operating |
| Easy listening smooth classics | Closed by The Wireless Group in cost cutting exercise, slot taken over by Smash Hits Radio | |
| Piccadilly Magic 1152 Piccadilly Magic 1152 NB Piccadilly Radio re-directs here. See also Key 103Piccadilly Magic 1152 , began broadcasting as Piccadilly Radio, which was Manchester's first commercial radio station.-Early years:... |
Local AM service | Still operating |
| XFM London Xfm London Xfm London is a commercial radio station in the United Kingdom owned by Global Radio and broadcasts on 104.9 FM in London, on digital radio via 30 DAB multiplexes across the country, Sky, TalkTalk TV and Virgin Media.... |
Modern rock | Still operating, local Manchester service having replaced relay of London service |
Other services
The following list are other services which were available at some point on the platform:| Service | What happened |
|---|---|
| Smash Hits Radio | Removed on 29 June 2007, replaced by Traffic Radio Traffic Radio Traffic Radio was a digital radio station based in England.It was a 24 hour rolling traffic and travel service for motorways and major roads in England, run for the Highways Agency by Global Traffic Network.... |
| Traffic Radio Traffic Radio Traffic Radio was a digital radio station based in England.It was a 24 hour rolling traffic and travel service for motorways and major roads in England, run for the Highways Agency by Global Traffic Network.... |
Ceased broadcasting 31 August 2011 |
Regional multiplex
In addition to receiving the above stations, many listeners in the Greater Manchester area will also be able to receive the regional MXR North WestMXR North West
MXR North West is a regional commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, which serves the North West of England.- Transmitter sites :MXR North West currently broadcasts from the following sites:-Stations carried:...
service. This includes:
- relays of other local FM/MW stations from Manchester/the North West, such as 100.4 Smooth Radio, Real Radio (North West) (formerly Century), and Capital Manchester
- relays of LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
stations LBC 97.3LBC 97.3LBC 97.3 is a London-based talk and phone-in radio station. It is one half of the latest incarnation of LBC, the news and speech service which was Britain's first commercial radio station when it went on air in October 1973...
(speech), Choice FMChoice FMChoice FM, branded on-air as London's Choice, is a brand used by the UK's biggest radio company, Global Radio for its network of black music radio stations...
(urban music) and Heart 106.2Heart 106.2Heart 106.2 is an Independent Local Radio station based in London and is owned by Global Radio as part of the Heart Network.On 25 June 2007 it was announced that Heart along with its sister stations The Arrow, Sky News Radio, LBC and Galaxy were to be sold for £170 million to Global Radio from...
(adult contemporary) - all of which are owned by Global RadioGlobal RadioGlobal Radio UK Ltd. is a British commercial radio company, the largest in the country following acquisitions of Chrysalis Radio and GCap Media.The company's Chief Executive Officer is Stephen Miron, while the Group Chairman is Charles Allen... - digital-only stations Jazz FM (jazz), and UCBUnited Christian BroadcastersUnited Christian Broadcasters is an international Christian broadcasting and media group. Through affiliates in twenty five countries, it operates radio and television stations and publishes and broadcasts Bob Gass's free daily devotionals The Word for You Today and word4u2day...
UK and UCB Inspirational (both Christian).
The regional multiplex also now relays the network version of Gold, which replaced classic rock station The Arrow
The Arrow (radio)
The Arrow is a British digital radio station playing pop and the softer end of rock music. It broadcasts on DAB Digital Radio . It is also broadcast on TalkTalk TV and streamed online...
; this change was made due to Gold having been replaced by Absolute Classic Rock on the Bauer Liverpool
Bauer Liverpool
Bauer Liverpool is a local commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, which serves the Liverpool area.EMAP Digital Radio was the licence on February 10, 2000, having been the only by the closing date of November 9, 1999...
multiplex (amongst others). As a result, listeners in Manchester now have two versions of Gold; the "local" version (which now carries networked content) on AM and local DAB, and the network version on regional DAB.