Two bidders for Exeter digital radio service

Up to 25 new stations could launch

Broadcast regulator Ofcom has published details of two organisations that are bidding to run a new digital radio transmitter service in Exeter.

The city is one of 25 locations in the UK to get new 'small-scale DAB' radio stations - which will broadcast to an area of around five or six miles from central Exeter.

Radio Exe's parent company Exe Broadcasting is leading a local consortium, along with community stations Phonic FM and Riviera FM. Its service is called ExeDAB, which has already received more than 30 expressions of interest from stations wishing to broadcast on DAB.

ExeDAB is up against a company based in Greater Manchester called LikeDAB, which is made up of Like Futures Ltd, also based in the north west, and a Welsh company called Nation Broadcasting which runs stations in Scotland, Wales and East Anglia. As well as bidding to run the Exeter network, LikeDAB wants to operate services in Bristol and the Isles of Scilly. Nation Broadcasting, the UK's largest commercial radio station operator after Global and Bauer, is involved in 15 other applications to run services across the country. ExeDAB is applying only to serve Exeter.

Its chairperson David Treharne says: "We believe we've submitted a strong application which will introduce new radio stations to the city and benefit listeners who value local content, as well as other services that carry a range of entertainment. Services like Xpression, the Exeter University station, and Spark Radio at Exeter College, will be able to go digital if they wish. Devon20Twenty will have 20 minutes of Devon news every 20 minutes, and we'll bring other nearby local stations to Exeter too, such as Riviera in Torbay, South Devon Radio from Torquay and Sid Valley Radio, based in Sidmouth.

"Of course, that's only if we win the process, which is by no means guaranteed as the people behind the Stockport-based company competing against us have deep pockets and shareholders with considerable influence. Ofcom will judge the applications against set criteria, but they have also invited people to comment in a consultation process by the end of January."

A link to the ExeDAB application is here: https://bit.ly/38rn8Rg

Although the deadline for being included as a radio service in the application process has now closed, ExeDAB is operating a waiting list for stations, should its application be successful. An expression of interest form is here: https://exedab.com/join-us/

The LikeDAB application is here: https://bit.ly/2WGG1dw