Ofcom is extending the deadline for responses to the consultation about talkSPORT requesting to turn off some AM transmitters.
The closing date was today – 13th November – but the regulator says due to a technical error, the consultation will now close on 20 November 2019.
It is thought that some data of talkSPORT’s coverage was not included in the original documents.
talkSPORT asked Ofcom to reduce the transmission coverage of its AM national commercial radio licence by 2.4%.
The changes have provisionally been agreed but Ofcom says it will carefully consider any comments from stakeholders before making a final decision because it will mean some listeners will lose their ability to receive talkSPORT on the AM band.
talkSPORT says that there has been a decline in analogue listening at a rate faster than it had predicted and the listening at the sites it wants to close, based on RAJAR data, is no longer at appreciable levels due to the evolution of audience behaviour.
The following seven transmitters are at risk of closure:
• Rosemarkie (Inverness);
• Redruth (Cornwall);
• Redmoss (Aberdeen);
• Londonderry;
• Occombe (Devon);
• Plummers Barracks (Plymouth);
• Pearce’s Hill (Devon)
Even if someone did object, I doubt it would make a difference as Ofcom allowed Absolute to do pretty much the same thing a year or so back. Plus Ofcom have, in principal, already said yes, especially given that the areas affected are covered by DAB.
The DAB area covered by the Mounteagle station (Inverness) is a lot smaller than the A.M. station. Not that will have any bearing on the Ofcom decision.
I solve the problem by simply turning off talkSPORT. Permanently.
I see love sport has commandeered 1585 kHz , what happened to LGR? Very strong sixty miles away in Canterbury during the day
LGR is and always has been on 103.3FM.
The previous service on 1584 moved to 558, it and Love Sport swapped
Don’t know why they don’t shut down the.whoke network on AM. Listeners in percentage terms must be in single figures these days
I only listen on AM , Dab sets use too much Battery
Thousands of car radios only have FM/am, many makers only started fitting dab 2 or 3 yrs ago!
Dab battery consumption 4x greater than normal radios. Mine only lasts 2 hrs on dab battery…
I live in the Inverness DAB area, I have pasted a Talksport statement from the Ofcom consultation. Does this statement infer that the Inverness area will be getting the stations listed below as at present we do not receive the 2nd Commercial Digital Channel, although I notice the Aberdeen area which is also going to lose its A.M. service does get the additional channels. I have not replied to the Ofcom consultation as I feel the closures are a done deal.
4.7 talkSPORT notes its parent company, the Wireless Group’s, investment into their own digital services and the expansion recently with five new digital services (talkSPORT 2, Virgin Radio, Virgin Radio Anthems, Virgin Radio Chilled and talkRADIO).