Rival station Boom Radio has called on the BBC to let it join its national network as the broadcaster shuts down stations, leaving valuable transmission space up for grabs.
The golden oldies rival to Radio 2, which was launched five years ago, wants to reach more listeners by taking over a slot on the BBC’s national DAB transmitter network – one of three in the country – which is set to become vacant next spring with the closure of digital speech and drama station, Radio 4 Extra.
Boom, which has built an audience of one million listeners with a line-up of veteran disc jockeys coaxed out of retirement, would pay the broadcaster a market rate to “rent” the newly available broadcasting space on its transmitter network.
The move would go some way in helping to alleviate the BBC’s current financial crisis while extending Boom’s reach nationally, although the rival station has already poached former regular Radio 2 listeners since the departure of high-profile DJs such as Ken Bruce.
If agreed, it would improve reception for Boom’s DAB listeners – the BBC transmitters reach over 99 per cent of the UK – and allow its second service Boom Light, a spin-off playing 50s and “easy listening” music, to also reach a nationwide audience.
Boom offer ‘worth £1m a year’
Radio 4 Extra’s slot on the BBC’s network could be worth up to £1m a year, industry sources suggested.
But the BBC could earn substantially more if it upgraded its radio stations to the higher standard DAB+ format and sold slots on its current DAB transmitter network to other commercial stations which currently lack national reach.
“The BBC could earn £10-15m annually from renting out spare capacity,” one insider told The i Paper. “At a stroke that wipes out all the cuts to Radio 4 programmes. If the BBC closes more stations as it moves online-only, it shouldn’t be allowed to squat on spectrum others can use.”
‘Black spots’ that Boom can’t reach
Boom said the growth of Boom Light was significantly hampered by its lack of national DAB coverage.
There are two other national broadcast systems, Digital One and Sound Digital, used by commercial networks but all the space has been allocated, with two giant radio groups, Global and Bauer, controlling around 75 per cent of the capacity.
Phil Riley, Boom co-founder, told The i Paper: “There are still listening black spots Boom Radio can’t reach and we can’t expand Boom Light nationally. But the BBC will have significant transmission capacity with nothing on it.
“We would like to take over Radio 4 Extra’s slot and we have the resources to offer a good deal for the licence-fee payer and the BBC to do it.”
BBC like ‘ageing couple refusing to downsize’
The broadcaster faces a backlash if it failed to open up its resources to support the wider UK radio industry, Riley warned.
“The BBC is acting like an ageing boomer couple who live in a big old house and refuse to downsize, even though they’re not using all the bedrooms. Boom would be good tenants,” he said.
The closure of youth channel BBC Three next year will also present opportunities to commercial stations.
BBC Three was granted prominence by Ofcom when it relaunched on TV in 2022, guaranteeing it a valuable position within the first 24 slots on the electronic programme guides used by Sky, Freeview and Virgin Media.
BBC Three position on EPG ‘could be leased’
One former TV executive said: “BBC Three shares broadcast hours with the CBBC channel, which is continuing so it could lease out capacity from 7pm to 7am. That would be attractive to specialist channels, like shopping channel as it is limited hours. It would probably be worth more than £1m a year.”
The broadcaster announced the closure of Radio 4 Extra along with the TV channels BBC Three and BBC Scotland this week.
Launched in 2002 to give classics another airing from the drama and comedy archive, 4 Extra hit a peak audience of two million listeners a decade ago.
Actors union Equity said the closure was a “significant blow” to audio artists who rely on repeat fees for income. The BBC said some of the channel’s programming will be available on BBC Sounds.
The savings come as part of a wider £500m programme of cuts to shows, stations and jobs. Around 550 jobs have already been axed in news while 30 jobs losses were announced in the sport division.
Ministers are set to publish a White Paper in December, setting out a new funding mechanism to put the corporation on a “sustainable” financial footing, including an expected change to the licence fee.
The BBC was approached for comment.