Radio listeners get a Valentine’s Day treat

BBC Three Counties Radio, Heart, MKFM and Connect FM broadcast live from the National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park on Valentine’s Day.

For the first time, 1.8 milllion listeners in the area can now receive DAB stations.

Laura Moss, Managing Editor of BBC Three Counties Radio, says: “We are delighted that BBC Three Counties Radio will be available to listeners on DAB for the first time, bringing local news and stories to our listener with the digital benefits of easy tuning and scrolling information.”

Half of the homes in Herts, Beds and Bucks already have a digital radio, but until now they have not been able receive their favourite local stations on DAB.

Broadcast Minister Ed Vaizey said: “Boosting local coverage for Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire means the excellent range of local DAB digital radio stations can be received by even more listeners, at home and in their car.”

The four new transmitters at Sandy Heath, Epping Green, Zouches Farm and Bow Brickhill take local digital radio coverage from zero to 67.7 per cent of households.

To receive the new services, listeners with digital radios may have to re-tune their sets – find out more at getdigitalradio.com/retune

The switch-on comes as the Government has said they will make a decision on radio switchover later in the year.

It follows the completion of the successful digital TV switchover in the three counties area in 2011 (nationally in 2012).