The airwaves go digital (From Oxford Mail)

The airwaves go digital

11:10am Saturday 22nd December 2012 in News

RADIO listeners in the Oxford area can now tune in to local stations on digital devices after the service was switched on yesterday.

It means 300,000 residents can now pick up BBC Radio Oxford, Jack FM, Heart, Capital and Gold radio stations.

Culture minister Ed Vaizey, MP for Wantage, switched on the signal at the Museum of the History of Science in Oxford.

He said: “Boosting local coverage means the excellent range of local DAB digital radio stations can be received by even more listeners, at home and in their car.”

The Government has said it will make a decision on radio switch-over from analogue to digital in late 2013. TV was switched to digital this year.

Jack FM general manager Ian Walker said: “Oxfordshire has the third highest take up of digital radio sets in the UK but people in the county could not hear their three local radio stations.”

The transmitters, in Oxford and Farthinghoe, have been installed by Now Digital, a joint venture between Jack FM and communications infrastructure firm Arqiva. Another transmitter, in the Boars Hill area, is planned for next year.

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