The BBC is planning to bring in a digital transmitter to cover Douglas and the south of the Island by the summer.

Jenny Abramsky, the BBC’s director of Audio & Music has announced the build-out of the next phase of the BBC’s DAB digital radio transmitter network.
This confirms the location of the next nine transmitters on air by the end of April.

It is planned that the Isle of Man transmitter should come on stream over the summer, subject to planning approvals and engineering constraints.

Two of the new DAB enabled transmitters are already radiating the BBC’s services having been commissioned into service over the last couple of weeks. These two – one located at Christchurch and the other at Sergeant’s Law – extend the coverage of the DAB network around Newport, Gwent and south-west Glasgow and Dumbarton respectively.

The other seven transmitters are planned to enter service gradually over the next few months as the final project work is completed. These will serve the following areas:

Digital radio listeners will be able to tune in to the BBC’s portfolio of digital-only stations – Five Live Sports Extra, 6 Music, BBC7 and the BBC Asian Network – as well as the BBC’s existing national radio stations – Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4, Radio Five Live and the BBC World Service

Listeners will need a DAB digital radio to receive the BBC’s digital radio broadcasts. Existing digital radio listeners in each area should carry out an ‘autotune’ to scan and store the newly available BBC services in their radio set’s station list.

Paul Eaton, head of broadcast radio at Arqiva, said, “For many years we’ve built and operated transmitters for independent radio stations but these are the first we’ve provided for the BBC. It’s the start of a new digital era which will see us roll-out a completely new digital TV network for the BBC and, if approved, a substantial increase to their DAB network. We look forward to working closely with the BBC throughout and beyond Digital Switch Over.”