Warrington, Widnes & Runcorn DAB is a partnership between Halton Community Radio, Radio Warrington, Dee Radio Group and Niocast Digital. The company has been formed to apply for the licence to bring small-scale DAB digital radio to the populations straddling the M6 corridor between Manchester and Liverpool.
Halton Community Radio is a non-profit organisation. The station is run totally by volunteers, who give their time as supervisors and presenters. It is a community radio station, that fills the gap between national and commercial stations, by giving a voice to residents in the Runcorn and Widnes area.
Radio Warrington is the community radio station broadcasting 24 hours a day across Warrington and the surrounding areas on 1332AM, online, App and Smart Speaker. Operating from the town, for the town since 2007, the station features a broad mix of music, local news, history, arts, culture, business, sport, reliable traffic updates and more.
Dee Radio Group operates successful, locally-focused radio stations in Cheshire, regional music genre stations in Manchester and Liverpool and a local multiplex. It is run by former Wireless Group Local Radio MD, Chris Hurst, who knows the area well through his many years of involvement with Wire FM.
Niocast Digital operates the small-scale DAB multiplex in Manchester, one of ten across the UK taking part in a national trial of the new system. Having also run successful trials in Dublin and Cork, Niocast is one of the most experienced operators of small-scale DAB.
What is DAB?
DAB stands for 'Digital Audio Broadcasting' - the future of radio here in the UK and in many other countries around the world. As well as being interference-free it also opens up new opportunities for broadcasters and a dramatic increase in listener choice.
Here in Warrington, Widnes & Runcorn we’re planning to create a new ‘ecosystem’ of radio formats catering for a wide range of tastes, interests, communities and age groups.
DAB stands for 'Digital Audio Broadcasting' - the future of radio here in the UK and in many other countries around the world. As well as being interference-free it also opens up new opportunities for broadcasters and a dramatic increase in listener choice.
Here in Warrington, Widnes & Runcorn we’re planning to create a new ‘ecosystem’ of radio formats catering for a wide range of tastes, interests, communities and age groups.
How it Works
FM radio is sent out as a transmission on a particular frequency. Each one only has a very narrow frequency, so that the stations don’t overlap and interfere with each other. If you tune away from that frequency, you'll quickly be met by a wave of static. DAB radio works in a very different way. The digital transmission is made up of a string of ones and zeros. Since there are no frequency bands to stick to, that same signal can be sent out multiple times. This means that your radio has more chances to pick up the signal - making DAB far more reliable than FM.
The way DAB signals are sent brings some extra benefits, too. For one thing, stations can send out additional information along with the song. This includes things like the name of the station and the song that's currently playing. DAB signals are also better able to work around obstacles between your radio and the transmitter, like large buildings, and they carry their own protection against transmission errors.
FM radio is sent out as a transmission on a particular frequency. Each one only has a very narrow frequency, so that the stations don’t overlap and interfere with each other. If you tune away from that frequency, you'll quickly be met by a wave of static. DAB radio works in a very different way. The digital transmission is made up of a string of ones and zeros. Since there are no frequency bands to stick to, that same signal can be sent out multiple times. This means that your radio has more chances to pick up the signal - making DAB far more reliable than FM.
The way DAB signals are sent brings some extra benefits, too. For one thing, stations can send out additional information along with the song. This includes things like the name of the station and the song that's currently playing. DAB signals are also better able to work around obstacles between your radio and the transmitter, like large buildings, and they carry their own protection against transmission errors.
Why broadcast on DAB?
- Radio is as popular as ever in the digital age with 89% of the adult population tuning in each week - that's 48.9 million people!
- 67% of the population tune-in to digital radio every week.
- The vast majority of digital listening is via DAB.
- Warrington, Widnes & Runcorn DAB will be focused on the three towns so you won't be wasting money reaching places outside your immediate catchment area.
- DAB is eco-friendly, sustainable and socially responsible.
- It consumes 80% less electricity; requires 75% less capital investment; reduces operating expenditure and support costs by 65%.
A radio ecosystem is an interdependent community of transmission providers, broadcasters, advertisers and listeners - all connected for mutual gain and to maximise individual outcomes".
Join Us!
We'd love to talk about including your station in our line up of great formats for Warrington, Widnes & Runcorn. For a chat about how we may be able to work together please complete the form below and we'll call you straight back in complete confidence.
We'd love to talk about including your station in our line up of great formats for Warrington, Widnes & Runcorn. For a chat about how we may be able to work together please complete the form below and we'll call you straight back in complete confidence.
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Warrington, Widnes & Runcorn DAB Ltd,
Bluebell Lodge King Arthur's Walk Castlefields WA7 2NU Company Number: 13200911 |
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© Warrington, Widnes & Runcorn DAB 2021
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