Channel 4 To Launch 3 National Digital Radio Stations

Channel 4 has today (Friday) confirmed plans to proceed with the launch of three new 4-branded national digital radio stations. The group’s radio division, Channel 4 Radio, is the leading shareholder in 4 Digital Group, which learned today (Friday) from Ofcom that it has been awarded the licence to operate the UK’s second national commercial DAB multiplex.

The 12-year licence award will lead to Channel 4 Radio launching three brand-new national digital radio stations from July 2008 onwards: E4 Radio, Channel 4 Radio and Pure4.

Andy Duncan, Chief Executive of Channel 4, said: “Winning this licence is a significant strategic milestone for Channel 4 and we are incredibly excited by the opportunity it represents. It gives us a platform to extend our innovative and highly diverse public service contribution into radio, challenging the BBC’s dominance of the medium, opening up new revenue streams to support our broader public service role and giving our audience access to Channel 4’s unique content on another fast-developing digital platform.”

Nathalie Schwarz, Channel 4’s Director of Radio, who led 4 Digital Group’s successful DAB bid, added: “The prospect of launching three brand-new national stations and extending Channel 4’s spirit of innovation and risk taking into radio is an inspiring one. We genuinely believe Channel 4 can add a fresh perspective to radio in the UK while extending choice for listeners and working with our partners to promote the medium and drive consumer take-up.”

The licence to operate the DAB multiplex is likely to come into effect in July 2008; the 4 Digital Group’s plans for operating the multiplex include the launch of 10 new national digital radio stations.