Freeview Users Retune For Five

Freeview users must retune their Freeview boxes today, so they can continue to watch Channel Five. Half a million homes will be able to receive Five on Freeview for the first time following the upgrade, as it is moving to a public service multiplex in line with government requirements.

Meanwhile, 460000 homes will no longer be able to receive ITV 3 and ITV 4. Most Freeview users however, will be able to receive Quest, a new channel from Discovery providing entertainment, factual and lifestyle programming on channel 38 between 10:00-2400.

Premier's Prayers Answered

Premier Radio has began broadcasting on the Digital One DAB multiplex. The station replaced the second Digital One test just before midnight on Sunday.

Premier Radio is additionally still carried on the Greater London 3 multiplex. The Greater London service splits with the national service from two hours from 23:00 (Western European). Gospel Tonight can be heard in Greater London, but a late night discussion show which features some music and is presented by Cindy Kent is broadcast on all of Premier’s national platforms.

Premier Radio is grateful for the thousands of donations it received to get it to air on national DAB.

Global Stations Moving Multiplexes

Ofcom has given Global Radio permission to move XFM London to the Yorkshire and Humberside DAB digital radio multiplex. The Arrow will move to the Leeds multiplex where it will replace XFM Manchester, and the South Yorkshire and Humberside multiplexes where it will replace XFM London.

Chill is being replaced by LBC on the Edinburgh and Glasgow multiplexes. Chill is being removed from the Coventry and Wolverhampton multiplexes.

BBC Provides More Football Commentaries

BBC Radio Bristol is to provide commentary of every Bristol City and Bristol Rovers match. When one team is away and the other is at home, the away team’s match will be on 94.9 FM, and the home team’s match will be on DAB. Regular programming will continue on other frequencies. Meanwhile, all of Yeovil Town’s matches will be on BBC Somerset 95.5 FM. 1566 AM will broadcast commentary on away matches involving Bristol City and Bristol Rovers.

BBC Radio Humberside has won the rights to Grimsby Town matches. When Humberside’s three professional teams are in action, Hull City’s matches will be on FM, Scunthorpe United’s matches will be on AM, and Grimsby Town’s matches will be on DAB.

BBC Radio Suffolk will provide commentary on all Ipswich Town’s matches. Heart has pulled out of commentaries.

Coventry City’s matches can be heard on Mercia FM as well as BBC Coventry and Warwickshire.

As a result of Burton Albion being promoted to League Two, their matches will be on BBC Radio Derby AM when Derby County are playing. Derby County’s matches will be on FM.

BBC Essex will broadcast commentary on every Colchester United match on 95.3 FM, and every Southend United match on 103.5 FM.

Bradford City will not let any radio station broadcast commentary on the club’s home matches. Commentary on home matches in League Two, the League Cup and the JP Trophy will only be provided on the Bradford City website, except if Bradford City play Huddersfield Town in the League Cup or the JP Trophy, in which case Radio Leeds will provide commentary on the match, because the station has the Huddersfield Town home and away commentary rights. Due to an agreement between the BBC and the FA, BBC Radio Leeds can provide radio commentary on Bradford City’s home FA Cup matches. Commentary on all Bradford City’s away matches can be heard on BBC Radio Leeds and The Pulse. Bradford City have said BBC Radio Leeds and the Pulse weren't prepared to pay the amount of money Bradford City charge (£430 per match, a 66% increase on last season) for home match commentaries rights.

The Pulse will broadcast commentary on every Huddersfield Town home match.

Minster FM have renewed their agreement with Yorkshire Radio, to simulcast Yorkshire Radio's Leeds United commentaries.

South West Radio Stations Threatened With Closure.

South West Radio has gone into administration, making insecure the future of the Quaywest Radio stations, 3TR, Bath FM and Brunel FM. The administrators Kirk Hills are looking for somebody to buy the stations.

John Roberts owns South West Radio, and the company is managed by his son Paul Roberts.

In December, following concerns expressed to Ofcom, the communications regulator monitored Brunel FM and Bath FM, and found that both stations were not complying with their local content obligations. Monitoring Brunel FM and Bath FM on November 30th, Ofcom found that:

there was no local news, no local information and no presenter throughout the 24 hours of broadcasting.

The stations were issued with yellow cards.

Galaxy Competes With Kiss

Galaxy has replaced Chill on the Bournemouth, Bristol and Bath, Cambridge, Exeter and Torbay, Kent, Norwich, Peterborough, Plymouth and Cornwall, Reading and Basingstoke, Southend and Chelmsford, Sussex Coast, and Swindon and West Wiltshire multiplexes.

Galaxy has also joined the South Wales and Seven Estuary multiplex with XFM, replacing Choice FM and Nation Radio. Choice FM can still be heard on the Cardiff and Newport, and Bristol and Bath multiplexes.

In Bristol and Bath, Heart Bristol can be heard on the Bristol and Bath, and South Wales and Severn Estuary multiplexes. On the latter multiplex, the station has replaced Heart London.

The changes follow Arqiva’s acquisition of multiplex licences previously owned by Global Radio.

Australian Idle Judge Sacked Over Breakfast Show Stunt

2Day FM’s breakfast presenter Kyle Sandilands has been sacked from his judging role at Channel Ten’s Australian Idle. It follows an incident last Wednesday on 2Day FM’s breakfast show, in which a fourteen-year-old girl was asked about her sex life as part of a lie detector test.

The questions had been selected by the girl’s mother, and one of the questions related to whether the girl has had sex. The girl said that she was raped when she was twelve, and her mother already knew about the rape, and was unhappy that in light of this, the question had been asked. The lie detector test showed that the girl was being honest about the rape.

Kyle Sandilands has been accused of insensitivity, because after the rape revelation, he asked if the girl has had any other sexual experienced. Jackie O, who also presents the breakfast show stopped the interview and offered counselling to the girl. Kyle Sandiland appeared on air to be supportive of Jackie O’s decision.

In a statement, Channel Ten said:

"It has become increasingly clear that as Idol has remained a family-focused show, even more so this year with the 6.30pm Sunday time slot, his radio persona has taken on a more controversial position over this period which is not in the interest of the show,"

Chris Page announced on 2Day FM’s breakfast show today, and 2Day FM’s owners Austereo announced yesterday, that the Kyle and Jackie O breakfast show is in recess following the incident.

Last Thursday, Kyle and Jackie O apologised for the incident, explaining that they were not told about the rape prior to the show.

Community Services minister Linda Burney said her department has been in touch with 2Day FM about the incident.

"The Department of Community Services is in touch with the radio station and the producers, and I have to say that they are cooperating fully with our enquiries, particularly in terms of being able to contact the family and in particular this 14-year-old girl,"

ACMA isn’t currently investigating the incident, and has advised offended listeners to complain to Austereo about the incident.

Sell Radio 1

The Conservative Party’s arts and media spokesman Ed Vaizey has said BBC Radio 1 should be commercialised. He wants his party to consider selling the FM spectrum used by BBC Radio 1 to the highest bidder.

He accused Radio 1 of not catering to its target audience, and hampering commercial competitors.

Ed Vaizey also wants the BBC to disclose information about its employees who earn over £100000, so the question of how much the BBC undermines and restricts the commercial sector in radio, television and print.

Ed Vaizey claims the BBC has in effect become a newspaper, and that the corporation would gain an unfair advantage over other newspapers if they had to charge for their online content, while the BBC’s online content remains free.

Heart Expansion Completed

Heart has replaced nine radio stations across South and South East England, North Wales and West Cheshire. This final faze of the expansion coincides with the launch of the first Heartbreakers CD, a compilation of songs played during the nightly Heartbreakers show.

The rebranded stations are:

• Southern FM,


• Invicta FM,


• Ocean FM,


• 2CR FM,


• Essex FM,


• Marcher Sound,


• Buzz 97.1,


• Champion 103,


• Coast 96.3.

Iran Restricts Foreign Media

Iran has imposed restrictions on journalists covering protests there for foreign media. Journalists are allowed to work from their offices, but they cannot film or report from locations where protests are taking place.

It has been difficult for media organisations outside Iran to contact people in Iran by telephone. The media has had to rely on people in Iran sending emails and using social networking websites.

On Sunday, the BBC accused Iran of electronically jamming a satellite the BBC uses to transmit its content to the Middle East, Europe and Africa.