Double-blow for Kerrang! Radio listeners

Listeners in parts of the West Midlands are expressing their anger at Kerrang! Radio being removed from their radios – for a second time.

The station was replaced on 105.2FM by a simulcast of Planet Rock from London in May, and has now disappeared from DAB in parts of the region as well.

Listeners reacted badly to the arrival of Planet Rock, but owners Bauer Media reassured loyal fans that the station would be continuing on DAB.

However, with the removal of the regional MXR, Kerrang! moved to the local Birmingham multiplex, which doesn’t cover the entire region.

Heart, Capital, Smooth Panjab Radio were in a similar situation but they have secured space on the neighbouring Coventry and Wolves/Telford multiplexes to mirror coverage previously provided by MXR.

Bauer Media tells RadioToday they have no plans to put Kerrang! on additional multiplexes in the West Midlands.

One comment on the Kerrang Radio website said: Very, very poor Bauer. First of all you take Kerrang off FM, telling us it will continue on DAB – so us dedicated listeners go out and buy DAB radios, get our cars equipped to receive DAB, etc. Then it turns out that the DAB coverage area is being reduced so our new purchases are useless if we live outside of Brum. Online or mobile app? Not exactly much use in the car or a workshop now is it?

“Team Rock it is for me I’m afraid, even at 40 years old I’m not sufficiently geriatric for Planet Rock, “where Rock goes to die”. I’d rather be listening to Kerrang though.”

Another said: “Send me a young person round, I have Autotuned 5 times and JD is still babbling on. I shall be mighty miffed if Kerrang is no longer available in Telford, as I only bought a DAB so I could continue listening.”