Kelvin MacKenzie’s London sports station Love Sport Radio has announced it will broadcast nationally via SDL by the end of the year.
The service started in London last March, on DAB and AM, but will now go up against talkSPORT on a UK-wide platform.
Just recently, the station swapped its 558 AM frequency with Panjab Radio, and now broadcasts to the North of the capital via 1584AM.
Kelvin, who is Chairman and Chief Executive of Love Sport and was the original founder of talkSPORT, said: “It’s always been our ambition to broadcast on a national platform.
“Having made a great start in London, we’re looking forward to giving a national audience the opportunity to listen to the output London already loves.
“There’s clearly a gap in the UK market for a fresh, young sports voice, and the latest audience figures unquestionably reflect this. Our listeners are more interested in Harry Kane, while our competitors are reaching for their walking cane.”
Steve Hodge, Programme Director of Love Sport added: “Love Sport has built a growing reputation for being a younger more dynamic sports broadcaster, that puts the real fans at the forefront of its coverage.
“With Euro 2020, The Olympics and Ryder Cup all next year…there’s never been a better time to offer a wider choice of sports programming for listeners across the UK.”
“now broadcasts to the North of the capital via 1584AM.”
Not any more it doesn’t unless they’re turned the TX power down so low I can no longer pick it up.
There wasn’t much point swapping AM frequency if they were planning national DAB launch
There was a banner at the top of this website advertising the 1584AM frequency to interested parties, so they are probably vacating this and the London DAB slot.
They may have done a deal with Panjab to take some of their 56k capacity on SDL, with both stations use DAB+.
True. I did see the advert!
talkSPORT ‘broadcasts nationally’ I can receive it on DAB in Carlisle. Will Love Sport be the same or will it be like Virgin Radio who ‘broadcast nationally’ but only be available in certain areas nationally?
SDL is the same MUX as Virgin is on so same coverage
They don’t have many listeners as it is and they’ve already lost the nighttime cabbie and trucker lot by ditching AM. If they go DAB+ the only people hearing the broadcast will be in the studio.
Mr Boltar, there are now thousands of DAB+ radio’s on the market, so there will be some people listening to that new station on DAB+.
Thousands? Maybe a few dozen at most and on the market doesn’t mean in peoples homes as there’s a huge installed base of old DAB radios. Radios don’t upgraded even as often as TVs never mind phones and in modern vehicles its almost impossible to upgrade as the radio is built into the dashboard computer. Things will change in the future but using DAB+ right now if you’re not also on FM or AM is a sure way for a station to get VERY few listeners.
Being associated with Kelvin MacKenzie is an even better way to get very few listeners though!
Nearly all car DAB radios will receive DAB+, as they are made for the European market, where DAB+ is used rather than the old format.
All Pure radios (the biggest selling brand) made since 2014 are DAB+ enabled, and those made since around 2012 are upgradeable.
The only radios that won’t receive it are the Evokes etc. that were on sale 8+ years ago, and only have MP2 chips. It’s thought to be below 40% of the sets in use.
All of them really?
What about the Elan IR5 (for example) …
That’s an internet-only radio.. All Pure radios that have DAB chips included, and have been manufactured since 2014, will receive DAB+.
You talk about 2014 as if it were a long time ago. 5 years is nothing for radios that may be used and not replaced for decades.
Mr Boultar I take it you are listening to the Light Programme on your medium wave amplitude-modulated monophonic wireless set and see no need to update it to one of those awfully modern strange frequency-modulated stereo-phonic ones?
No, but I do have a very nice Denon hifi DAB tuner which is about 10 years old and have no intention of chucking out or replacing anytime soon. And I suspect I’m not alone. “Da Yoof” don’t listen to much radio unless its pirate so its an older demographic that listens to DAB anyway and they won’t be buying a new radio just to pick up a few extra stations.
DAB is the most popular digital radio platform among 16-24 year olds.
Sticking with mp2 DAB means Radio 4 in mono in the evenings and Radio 4 Extra in mono all of the time, despite most of the source content being recorded in stereo, because there isn’t enough capacity on the BBC’s multiplex. So much for “hi fi”.
It’s time to move to AAC (DAB+) for a decent digital radio system with stereo sound, rather than mushy mono.
“DAB is the most popular digital radio platform among 16-24 year olds. ”
Its the ONLY digital radio platform unless you count online radio such as tuneIn which hardly anyone bothers with.
” because there isn’t enough capacity on the BBC’s multiplex.”
There are plenty of unused Band 2 blocks in the UK.
“It’s time to move to AAC (DAB+) for a decent digital radio system with stereo sound, rather than mushy mono.”
Mono broadcasts are down to bean counters, not the technology. Most of the AAC stations are low bitrate and will only get lower as time goes on. The artifacts can be nasty.
Has the DAB broadcasts started yet?
Surely most car radios ahve DAB+ my car a few years back had it a Sony System in a Ford Focus Titanium on a 2014 14 plate so if Ford had it 5 years ago im sure they still have
Excellent! Yet another reason not to buy a DAB radio …
Kelvin will make sure the station isn’t broadcasting in Liverpool….. Justiceforthe96.
It was 30 years ago. Did you lose a friend or relative there? If not then give the vicarious grievances a miss.
You really don’t have a clue do you?
Justice for the 96.
Hmm this is a big dilemma.. when to switch off DAB broadcasts. A legacy which has to go but when that’s the problem. Another 10 years probably at least imo