French DAB owners in London, of which there are sure to be many, can soon tune in to French Radio London
It's a French language music and speech commercial radio station, aiming to attract listeners from both the Francophone and Francophile communities.
In issuing the digital licence agreement for the station, Ofcom said: "There will be an 80:20 music to speech ratio with minimum 70 per cent French music, including music from French ex-colonies.
"Speech content will be local to reflect the fact that the Francophone and Francophile communities are also Londoners. In addition, the service will promote relevant cultural activities of interest in France."
FRL is the brainchild of experienced radio broadcast consultant Pascal Grierson, FRL's CEO, who comments: "We look forward to broadcasting a unique French voice on London's airwaves. This is an exciting development for listeners as well as UK and French based commercial partners who will benefit from a dedicated platform to reach French-speaking London residents and the wider Francophile community. A bientôt sur la DAB!"
Piers Collins of Switchdigital, owners of the London II multiplex where FRL will broadcast, adds: "It's been a pleasure working with Pascal and the FRL team. I'm genuinely delighted to have helped bring this much-demanded station concept to fruition. FRL will, I am sure, soon be the radio station of first choice for many London radio listeners."
FRL is taking over the channel slot released by Smooth Radio, which recently moved to the national Digital One multiplex. FRL will also be available online and on Smartphone apps.