Ofcom has announced the applicants for its round six small scale DAB multiplex licences. There are 25 licences areas up for award across parts of the UK with 33 applications received by Ofcom last month.
Some areas advertised by Ofcom have received three separate applications from groups now battling it out for the licences in those areas.
Ofcom has revealed on Friday the Carlisle and Penrith licence has received just one application submitted by Penrith based Cumbria.Digital.
Cumbria.Digital have announced plans to support existing and new community stations to get onto DAB along with a raft of commercial radio stations.
20 new stations could potentially be delivered to listeners in Carlisle and Penrith and local areas around the area if Ofcom award Cumbria.Digital the licence to operate the DAB multiplex.
Among the stations in the Cumbria.Digital lineup if Ofcom award the licence later this year are Eden FM, Cumberland Radio, Love Carlisle and a new station from the team here at Penrith.Town
The company has said it also hopes to work with the new Carlisle based community radio station along with supporting other community groups to launch community stations along with other commercial regional, national and niche stations.
The company has said if awarded the licence later this year it hopes to get it’s Penrith transmitter on air by Christmas 2024 and a second transmitter in Carlisle on air in early 2025 delivering upto 20 digital radio stations a potential audience of over 120,000 people.
Ofcom says it hopes to start awarding the first of the licences by the end of the year.