Wigan consortium to re-apply for small-scale DAB licence

Hospital station WWL Radio is re-applying for the Wigan small-scale DAB licence.

A licence for the town was awarded by Ofcom to Wigan & St Helens Community Media CIC, but was revoked after it failed to launch within 18 months.

It was backed by a local arts centre which had a change in financial circumstances and pulled the plug on the DAB project.

Now, Wigan DAB, which was the ‘runner up’ for the original licence, is applying again under the consortium made up of Kevin Riley of WWL (previously known as Wrightington Hospital Radio) with the help of Niocast Digital, local broadcasters Darren Ofsarnie and Phil England plus long-standing senior radio executives Chris Hurst and Ron Smith.

WWL has been broadcasting to the area’s three hospitals since the 1970s with initial sports broadcasts dating back to the early 50s.

Kevin Riley, station secretary says: “We are looking forward to developing a DAB platform for the residents of Wigan and St Helens. WWL has for some time recognised its community of interest goes beyond the hospitals themselves as outpatient services have expanded significantly over the years.

“small-scale DAB gives us a great opportunity to broadcast to that wider community and develop our service not least in the provision of positive health messaging we already hold the necessary CDSP licence. Alongside our own station we aim to deliver a rich and diverse range of radio services for the area.”

With a population of nearly 600,000, anyone interested in adding a radio service to the Wigan Multiplex is invited to make contact via the website WiganDAB.co.uk.