NOW Home Counties
Encyclopedia
Now Digital, is the name of the DAB multiplex operator for the counties of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire as well as the Unitarian Authorities of Milton Keynes and Luton, serving an area similar to the analogue area served by BBC Three Counties
.
The company was a wholly owned subsidiary of GCap Meida PLC until it was bought in 2009 by Global Radio
who later sold the DAB licences to transmitter company Arqiva
.
The DAB licence was advertised by Ofcom
on December 14, 2006. At the close on March 28, 2007, the regulator had received two applications, one from MuxCo (Home Counties), the other from Now Digital, a wholly owned subsidiary (at the time) of GCap Media PLC. On June 12, 2007, it was announced that Now Digital (Home Counties) had won the licence.
At present, all that's known is that there will be seven transmission sites used although non were listed at the time of the award, or since. All that is known is that of the requirement of having to carry the BBC Local service, BBC Three Counties
, on this platform.
A number of changes have taken place to radio services locally and nationally since the original application: UCB UK is now carried on the national Digital One multiplex; slots it had used on existing local/regional multiplexes were largely taken by sister services UCB Gospel and/or UCB Inspirational following the main service's move to D1.
A reorganisation of the Heart network
by Global Radio
in 2010 saw Heart Milton Keynes, Heart Northants, Heart Dunstable, and Heart Bedford merged into a single Heart Home Counties
with one local service across the four licence areas (local breakfast and drive shows, other programming from London) - this would reduce the need to have several versions of Heart available and thus free up space on the multiplex for other services.
Global Radio has also removed Chill
from many of the DAB areas in which it broadcast and replaced this with a relay of the now-defunct Galaxy Digital
(or 103.2 Capital FM South Coast, formerly Galaxy South Coast, in southern England); as a result it is unclear if Chill would appear on this multiplex.
and Milton Keynes would have been carried, alongside Gold Bedfordshire, Hertbeat FM
(now Jack), a relay of Jack FM
from Oxfordshire, Easy Radio (now defunct, from LMC) and Mercury Plus (from Adventure Radio, operators of Hertfordshire's Mercury 96.6 - now Heart Hertfordshire). There would also have been two further services, unnamed in the application: a "family-focused hit music" service and a "news, views & information" service.
None of the transmitter sites have yet to be announced.
BBC Three Counties Radio
BBC Three Counties Radio is the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire...
.
The company was a wholly owned subsidiary of GCap Meida PLC until it was bought in 2009 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...
who later sold the DAB licences to transmitter company Arqiva
Arqiva
Arqiva is a telecommunications company which provides infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The present company, with headquarters located at Crawley Court in the village of Crawley, Hampshire, was formed by National Grid Wireless...
.
The DAB licence was advertised by Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
on December 14, 2006. At the close on March 28, 2007, the regulator had received two applications, one from MuxCo (Home Counties), the other from Now Digital, a wholly owned subsidiary (at the time) of GCap Media PLC. On June 12, 2007, it was announced that Now Digital (Home Counties) had won the licence.
At present, all that's known is that there will be seven transmission sites used although non were listed at the time of the award, or since. All that is known is that of the requirement of having to carry the BBC Local service, BBC Three Counties
BBC Three Counties Radio
BBC Three Counties Radio is the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire...
, on this platform.
Services expected to be on the platform
(Adjusted to reflect the way UK radio is now)| Service | Service Type | Signal | Bit-Rate | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBC Three Counties BBC Three Counties Radio BBC Three Counties Radio is the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire... |
BBC Local service | Joint Stereo | 128 kbit/s | Also on FM & AM (Various frequencies) |
| Heart Home Counties Heart Home Counties Heart Four Counties is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire. The station began broadcasting at 4pm on Friday 16 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Milton Keynes , Heart Northants , Heart Dunstable and... |
Chart Music | Joint Stereo | 128 kbit/s | Also on FM - 96.9, 97.6 and 103.3 |
| Gold Bedfordshire Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a... |
Golden Oldies | Joint Stereo | 128 kbit/s | Networked from London with local opt-out's. |
| Chill Chill (radio station) Chill is a British digital radio station dedicated to chill out, ambient and trip-hop music.-The station:Chill is broadcast on DAB in London and Birmingham, across the UK on Sky channel 0177 and also online. The station's aim is to help listeners relax. It is owned by Global Radio... |
Easy Listening Music | mono | 96 kbit/s | Provided by Global Radio. |
| Jack FM 106 Jack FM (Oxfordshire) 106 Jack FM is an English language adult hits format radio station that broadcasts on 106.8 MHz FM in Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. The station is branded as Jack FM... |
Variety Pop & Rock | mono | 80 kbit/s | Relay of Oxfordshire service (0600 - 0000 only). |
| UCB UK United Christian Broadcasters United 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... |
Religious | mono | 96 kbit/s | Currently on Digital One Digital One Digital One is a national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva. , the multiplex covers more than 90% of the populationfrom a total of 137 transmitters... . |
A number of changes have taken place to radio services locally and nationally since the original application: UCB UK is now carried on the national Digital One multiplex; slots it had used on existing local/regional multiplexes were largely taken by sister services UCB Gospel and/or UCB Inspirational following the main service's move to D1.
A reorganisation of the Heart network
Heart Network
Heart is a radio network of 17 adult contemporary independent local radio stations in central & southern England and north Wales. Each station broadcasts local breakfast and drive time shows and simulcasts network programming at all other times...
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...
in 2010 saw Heart Milton Keynes, Heart Northants, Heart Dunstable, and Heart Bedford merged into a single Heart Home Counties
Heart Home Counties
Heart Four Counties is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire. The station began broadcasting at 4pm on Friday 16 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Milton Keynes , Heart Northants , Heart Dunstable and...
with one local service across the four licence areas (local breakfast and drive shows, other programming from London) - this would reduce the need to have several versions of Heart available and thus free up space on the multiplex for other services.
Global Radio has also removed Chill
Chill (radio station)
Chill is a British digital radio station dedicated to chill out, ambient and trip-hop music.-The station:Chill is broadcast on DAB in London and Birmingham, across the UK on Sky channel 0177 and also online. The station's aim is to help listeners relax. It is owned by Global Radio...
from many of the DAB areas in which it broadcast and replaced this with a relay of the now-defunct Galaxy Digital
Galaxy Digital
Galaxy Digital was a radio station broadcasting through the digital platform across the United Kingdom and was owned by Global Radio. It primarily broadcast in areas where Galaxy was not represented on FM, such as London, Leicester, Nottingham, and Derbyshire...
(or 103.2 Capital FM South Coast, formerly Galaxy South Coast, in southern England); as a result it is unclear if Chill would appear on this multiplex.
MuxCo application
Had the licence been awarded to rival bidder MuxCo, the stations carried would have differed slightly; the Heart services for BedfordHeart Bedford
Heart Bedford was an Independent Local Radio station based in the Priory Business Park in Bedford, Bedfordshire.-History:...
and Milton Keynes would have been carried, alongside Gold Bedfordshire, Hertbeat FM
Hertbeat FM
Jack FM Hertfordshire is a radio station broadcasting to Knebworth, Hertford, Ware, Hatfield, Stevenage, Hitchin, Letchworth Garden City, & Welwyn Garden City in the United Kingdom broadcasting on 106.7 and 106.9 MHz and streaming at www.106jack.com. Formerly Hertbeat FM, on 10 May 2010 it...
(now Jack), a relay of Jack FM
106 Jack FM (Oxfordshire)
106 Jack FM is an English language adult hits format radio station that broadcasts on 106.8 MHz FM in Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. The station is branded as Jack FM...
from Oxfordshire, Easy Radio (now defunct, from LMC) and Mercury Plus (from Adventure Radio, operators of Hertfordshire's Mercury 96.6 - now Heart Hertfordshire). There would also have been two further services, unnamed in the application: a "family-focused hit music" service and a "news, views & information" service.
Transmitter sites
These are the only confirmed transmitter sites at present:| Transmitter | KW | AREA |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ? | TBA |
| 2 | ? | TBA |
| 3 | ? | TBA |
| 4 | ? | TBA |
| 5 | ? | TBA |
| 6 | ? | TBA |
| 7 | ? | TBA |
None of the transmitter sites have yet to be announced.