BBC To Expand Digital Radio Coverage

More than a million additional people will soon be able to receive BBC national digital radio services under plans for a further expansion of the digital radio transmission network.

The BBC is investing in a further 60 digital radio transmitters as part of its commitment to reach 90% of the UK population during this Charter period. This is the final part of a planned roll-out which started in 2008 and has which already resulted in more than 50 additional transmitters being added to the network.

Listeners in the areas will be able to tune in to the BBC's portfolio of digital-only stations as well as the BBC's existing national radio stations, and enjoy the benefits of digital audio broadcasting (DAB) with more choice and improved sound quality.

Transmitters will be added both to bring coverage to areas without reception and to improve and reinforce reception where necessary. It is hoped to complete the roll-out by the end of 2011, with the first of the new transmitters coming on-air in the summer.

The plan includes:

• Fifteen new transmitters for Scotland – including improvements in coverage for Glasgow and Dundee, and bringing coverage to both Shetland and the Western Isles for the first time
• Ten new transmitters for Wales – extending coverage through mid-Wales to Llandrindod Wells, across north Wales in Colwyn Bay, and improving coverage in south-west Wales to listeners in Pembroke and Carmarthen
• Seven new transmitters for Northern Ireland – bringing digital radio to both Enniskillen and the North Antrim coast, as well as improving coverage in Belfast
• Three new transmitters for Greater London and the Home Counties – boosting reception across the capital and providing coverage to the Kent weald, as well as providing coverage to High Wycombe, Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City
• Nine new transmitters for the south west – including extensions of digital radio to Newquay and Bodmin, Tiverton and Teignmouth
• Two new transmitters for Derbyshire, including one for Derby itself, and further new transmitters for Saffron Walden, Shaftesbury, Stroud, and Sunderland

The transmitters will come on-air as project work completes at each location. The industry-wide DAB digital radio postcode checker will be regularly updated to reflect new launches.

Tim Davie, the BBC's Director of Audio and Music, said: "The BBC is fully committed to digital radio. I'm delighted that we are now in a position to deliver on the BBC Trust's target to bring digital radio to 90% of the UK."

(BMcN/GK)