Finally!

As of 9:35am today radio listeners in Oxfordshire can listen to their favourite local radio stations on DAB Digital Radio.

At a momentous joint broadcast to mark the 'Switch On', Oxfordshire  radio stations 106 JACKfm, BBC Radio Oxford and Heart Fm joined together to create a U.K radio first by all 3 radio stations broadcasting live from the one room at the Museum of the History of Science in Oxford, the home of the historic Marconi Radio exhibition.

Led by U.K Commercial Radio Station of the Year 2011 & 2012 Oxfordshire's 106 JACKfm, who are joint owners of the Oxfordshire DAB multiplex with broadcast transmission company Arqiva, the morning saw Minister for Culture, Communications and the Creative Industries,Ed Vaizey MP switch on the new local DAB digital radio signal for Oxford.

At the launch the minister said: “I’m very happy to be switching on these new transmitters for local digital radio in the Oxford area. Boosting local coverage means the excellent range of local DAB digital radio stations can be received by even more listeners, at home and in their car.”

From today many areas including Abingdon, Bicester and Banbury are receiving DAB digital radio for the very first time, with 300,000 listeners across Oxfordshire also now able to hear their favourite local stations in addition to national broadcasters on DAB.

Today marks phase one of the Oxfordshire DAB multiplex roll out, with two new transmitters at Oxford and Farthinghoe taking local digital radio coverage from zero to 61% of households. A further transmitter will be launched in South West Oxfordshire in 2013 and up to 7 more new transmitters in the coming years.

Ian Walker, General Manager of Jack FM, says: “We are delighted to finally be able to bring DAB to Oxfordshire. Our county has the third highest ownership of digital radios in the country and we have been bombarded with  requests over the past few years to make it happen.

Today’s switch on of the Oxford digital transmitters means we are now truly part of the digital economy in the county, offering our advertising partners the chance to reach more consumers across Oxfordshire"