DAB for North Wales

Ofcom this week confirmed the award of the new local Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) radio multiplex licence for North Wales to the sole applicant MuxCo Wales.

MuxCo Wales Limited is owned jointly by Town and Country Broadcasting Limited (70%) and MuxCo Ltd (30%)

MuxCo proposes to commence the new service with six local digital sound programme services within two years of licence award, using a network of two transmitters providing DAB "outdoor" coverage to an unusaully low 50% of the adult population of the licensed area.

Included in the radio stations proposed for the new network are the broadcasts from UCB UK.

MuxCo also proposes to provide "a wide selection of speech and music podcasts provided by a range of companies".

One applicant for North Wales DAB mux

Ofcom has received one application for the North Wales local digital radio multiplex licence, that being from MuxCo North Wales Limited.

Shareholders in MuxCo North Wales Limited are Town and Country Broadcasting Limited (70%) and MuxCo Ltd (30%)

MuxCo North Wales Limited is proposing to provide six local digital sound programme services, in addition to BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru, including the broadcasts of UCB UK.

They also propose to provide "a wide selection of speech and music podcasts provided by a range of companies".

MuxCo North Wales Limited proposes to commence its service with all six local digital sound programme services within two years of licence award, using a network of two transmitters which it estimates will provide total 'outdoor' coverage of 50% of the adult population of the licensed area.

The full application for this licence will be published on the Ofcom website shortly and Ofcom seeks views on the application by 6 June 2008.

National Mourning Delays Launch of Radio Station

On the Pacific islands there is always a very public show of mourning when a family member dies. If a national church or cultural leader dies, the mourning becomes a national event.

In aural cultures, history is marked by the passing of national figures so their death is a time public sorrow and respect. Stories are told. In some countries, songs and dances are developed to pass the stories down the generations. In other countries, people are expected to wear only black clothing and old mats to show humility and respect. And there are special church services and memorial events. Public mourning for an important person can sometimes last for months.

The death of a prominent local leader on The Marshall Islands has prompted the decision, out of respect, to delay the launch of The Change 104.1FM, originally planned for April. Steve Clarke (Field Coordinator for Missionary Ventures) and the staff in Majuro wisely decided a public opening and celebration for the new station would be inappropriate.

Imagine a picture of atolls like strings of little beads, embedded in an Ocean of blue. - that’s the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

• The Marshalls are in Micronesia. On the equator, half way between Hawai'i and Australia.
• 62,000 people living on 5 small islands, and 29 small islets and atolls.
• The country has few resources and is economically dependant on aid from the USA.
• The islands of Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites.
• Kwajalein Island is the famous World War II battleground, and a US missile test range.
• The island of Ebeye is the second largest settlement in the Marshall Islands and because of
  its very small size, is one of the most densely populated places in the Pacific.

Steve and Shawn Clark are Field Coordinators with Missionary Ventures. They are based at Majuro, in the Marshall Islands, where they run a Christian school and Bible training Centre to train local people to reach their own nation for Christ.

Steve and Shawn help local Christians minister to the isolated communities that can
only be reached by boat . . . or by radio.

The Change 104.1FM was originally planned using one high-powered transmitter which would cover the whole country. However, the very high costs for electricity made this system too expensive to operate.

With the help of UCB Pacific Partners, Steve has now set up a low-power transmitter to reach the people of Majuro atoll. The next step is to “roll out” the broadcasts to the other small Marshall Islands using satellite and un-manned, low-powered, radio transmitters.

The enthusiastic radio staff of Change 104.1FM have had some basic training ready to start
broadcasting. In July, UCB Pacific Partners plan to send two trainers from Australia to provide further training.

As well as training local staff to make programs in their own language, UCB Pacific Partners will supply Bible and service programs (like news and weather) via their South Pacific radio network.

• UCB Pacific Partners
• The Change 104.1 FM

UCB proposed for new Gloucestshire DAB system

Ofcom has received two applications for the new Gloucestershire local digital radio multiplex licence.

The applicants are MuxCo Gloucestershire Limited (ownership UKRD Group Ltd 25% Murfin Media Ltd 25% Town & Country Broadcasting Ltd 25%MuxCo Ltd 25%) and Now Digital Limited (owned by GCap Media plc.)

MuxCo Gloucestershire Limited is proposing to provide ten local digital sound programme services, in addition to BBC Radio Gloucestershire, including UCB UK. Now Digital Limited is proposing to provide eleven local digital sound programme services, in addition to BBC Radio Gloucestershire, again including UCB UK.

MuxCo Gloucestershire Limited proposes to commence its service with all ten proposed local digital sound programme services and BBC Radio Gloucestershire in October 2008, using a network of four transmitters which it estimates will provide 'outdoor' coverage of 79% of the adult (aged 15+) population of the licensed area.

Now Digital Limited proposes to commence its service with all eleven local digital sound programme services by December 2008, using a network of three transmitters which it estimates will provide 'outdoor' coverage of 75.4% of the adult (aged 15+) population of the licensed area.

Ofcom is seeking views on these applications by 3 January 2008. Any written representations on the applications can either be emailed to commercialradio@ofcom.org.uk or posted to Neil Stock, Head of Radio, Ofcom, Riverside House, 2a Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 9HA. Please mark the correspondence 'Gloucestershire licence'.

• Ofcom Media Release

UCB to extend DAB reach in England and Wales

United Christian Broadcasters Limited (UCB) has secured DAB Digital radio capacity on MXR, covering five major regions and potentially reaching another 17.6 million people with the Gospel.

UCB is to extend its DAB Digital radio broadcasting reach across England and Wales with the addition of five regions which, with its existing London and Stoke licences, will mean that many of the UK's major cities will now be able to hear Christian radio, most of them for the first time.

UCB will commence broadcasting in the new regions on October 1st 2007 taking UCB's potential audience for its Christian radio output on the DAB Digital radio network to just under 30 million adults, according to Ofcom.

MXR Limited, which operates the five DAB Digital radio networks, covering almost 18 million adults, invited UCB to apply for access to their North East, North West, Yorkshire, West Midlands and Severn Estuary regions in March.

'We are really pleased to see UCB become a content provider on our multiplexes,' says Diane Wray, MXR Limited's Managing Director.'UCB is a quality broadcaster and they are bringing something new and exciting to these regions.'

Two Radio Stations
UCB is actually launching two radio stations across the five regions: UCB UK and UCB Inspirational. UCB UK is UCB's 'flagship' station which is currently being broadcast on DAB Digital radio across London and much of Staffordshire.

UCB's 21-year vision for national Christian radio broadcasting remains a driving force for the organisation and its many supporters.

'We set our sights on providing national Christian broadcasting back in 1986 and more recently determined we needed two very different radio formats to ensure we were able to meet the needs of all our supporters, regardless of their age,' says Ian Mackie, UCB's Chief Executive.
'This breakthrough takes us a long way to achieving both objectives.'

Towns and cities able to receive UCB's DAB Digital radio broadcasts for the first time will include Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield, Hull, Lincoln, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Coventry, Swansea, Cardiff, Bristol and Bath.

Web Links

• MXR Ltd
• UCB
  ===================================

UCB Ireland to launch on satellite

The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) has signed a ten year contract with United Christian Broadcasters (Ireland) Limited for the provision of a satellite radio service, which will be available on the Sky digital platform in Ireland and the UK.

UCB Ireland will be a dedicated Christian radio service which will give an Irish perspective of news, issues and life in Ireland.

Programmes will have an interdenominational focus and the primary target audience will be 25-55 year olds.

The service will broadcast 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, from January 2008.


From the UCB Ireland Website

On Monday 16th July, the contract for the first Christian satellite licence ever awarded in Ireland was duly signed at the offices of the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) by Peter Bradshaw and Richard Willoughby of UCB. After many years and much endeavour, UCB Ireland now has a licence, and work is underway to prepare the building, programming, acquire staff and equipment, all before we launch early in 2008.

This is a cause of much celebration for us, and we are supremely grateful to God for all His mercies to us. We also thank all our supporters who have enabled us to get this far through their prayers and financial support.

For more news, or ask to go on our mailing list for regular updates, please contact:
Peter Bradshaw in Dublin on 00 353 1 4299 899 or email pbradshaw@ucb.ie.
Or contact our Belfast office on 00 44 2890 282 000 or email ucbbelfast@mail.com.

Weblinks

• UCB Ireland
  
  =====================

UCB Canada to extend broadcast range

The United Christian Broadcasters Canada (UCB) is negotiating to locate a repeater sttaion to strengthen its signal in the Cobourg/Port Hope area.

Broadcasting from Belleville on 102.3 FM since 2003, the stations signal can presently be heard as far west as Port Hope.

The new repeater at 100.9 FM will make it much clearer for about 35,000 potential listeners in the Cobourg/Port Hope area

Licences for repeaters for Cobourg and Brock were authorized last October and the company has since been looking for the necessary sites for the equipment. A few options are currently being evaluated and UCB hopes to have the new repeaters up and running by the end of this year.

Web Links

• UCB Canada

===========================