Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands.  The city and the surrounding area has a population of 383,794.
 
Wolverhampton lies northwest of Birmingham, and forms the second largest part of the West Midlands conurbation. To the north and west lies the Staffordshire and Shropshire countryside.  Historically part of Staffordshire, the city grew initially as a market town specialising in the wool trade. In the Industrial Revolution, it became a major centre for coal mining, steel production, lock making, and the manufacture of cars and motorcycles. The economy of the city is still based on engineering, including a large aerospace industry, as well as the service sector.

Wolverhampton has green belt within its boundary, as a part of the wider West Midlands Green Belt. This is scattered around the western half of the city, in the form of green wedges, due to it being highly urbanised. The green belt is in place to prevent further urban sprawl, and preserve greenfield areas.
Wolverhampton DAB  is a partnership between local community radio station WCR FM, Niocast Digital and senior commercial radio executive, Chris Hurst,  to run the small-scale DAB digital radio multiplex in Wolverhampton.
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WCR FM is the Ofcom-licensed community radio service for the City of Wolverhampton. It is operated by Wolverhampton Community Radio Training (WCRT). Established as the Wolverhampton Community Radio Association (WCRA) back in 1986, WCR has broadcast as “Challenge FM”, “Forge FM”, “One City FM”, “Wolverhampton Campus Radio” and currently “101.8 WCR FM”.  Over the years WCR has established extensive links with the community, representing a wide variety of social groups, all of which are frequently represented and highlighted on air. 

Chris Hurst operates successful, locally-focused radio stations in Cheshire, regional music genre stations in Manchester and Liverpool and a local multiplex.  Chris  knows  Wolverhampton well from his role as MD of Wireless Group local stations. through his involvement with 107.7  The Wolf  - the commercial radio station for Wolverhampton. 

​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.  DAB opens up new opportunities for broadcasters and a dramatic increase in listener choice. Here in Wolverhampton we’re planning to create a new ‘ecosystem’ of radio listening that caters for a wide range of tastes, interests, communities and age groups.

​Why you should get your radio station 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.
  • Wolverhampton DAB will be focused on the city so you won't be wasting money reaching places outside  your immediate catchment area.
  • DAB is eco-friendly, sustainable and socially responsible.
  • It is more environmentally friendly than analogue AM/FM as it consumes 80% less electricity; requires 75% less capital investment; reduces operating expenditure and maintenance 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".
​Contact Us!
Please feel free to contact us with any comments or queries If you’re a Programme Service Provider, we look forward to hopefully working with you on this exciting development for local radio in Wolverhampton.  To register your interest please complete the form below and we'll contact you in complete confidence. 

    Wolverhampton DAB Enquiry
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Wolverhampton DAB Ltd, 
Wcrt Newhampton Centre, Newhampton Road East, Wolverhampton, England, WV1 4AP

​Company Number:  14111028
© Wolverhampton DAB Ltd 2022 ​