MuxCo Sussex & Surrey
Encyclopedia
MuxCo, as the name suggests, is the name of the DAB multiplex operator for Surrey and North Sussex. It serves an area similar to the analogue area served by Heart Sussex and Surrey
(formerly Mercury FM) and 96.4 The Eagle
.
The DAB licence was advertised by Ofcom
on December 19, 2007. At the close on March 26, 2008, the regulator had received only one application, from MuxCo (Sussex & Surrey), a consortium made up of two companies - UKRD owning 50% with transmitter company National Grid Wireless owning the other 50%. They had to wait until April 22, 2008, before they were confirmed as having won the licence.
Under the original proposals it was to be one of the rare licences which uses two frequencies, with Block 10C serving the Western parts (served by 96.4 The Eagle
) with Block 10B serving the Eastern parts (Heart Sussex and Surrey
). Four transmitters were confirmed as carrying the platform initially; Guildford, Reigate, Midhurst and Leatherhead.
However, in 2010 MuxCo announced their intention to apply to Ofcom to alter the multiplex area to cover the county of Surrey only, feeling it would make more sense for North Sussex to be covered by an extension of the existing NOW Sussex Coast
multiplex. .
As such, following the publication of their consultation document 'An Approach to DAB coverage planning', published in June 2011, Ofcom now propose using Block 10C only, and for the multiplex to be scaled back to cover Surrey and North-East Hampshire only. This would allow the DRG London
multiplex to change from Block 11B to Block 10B, thus allowing NOW Sussex Coast
on Block 11B to be extended across the whole of East and West Sussex.
As required, the local BBC service, BBC Surrey
, has to be carried on this platform.
Unless indicated, the following services are expected to be carried on both frequencies.
Heart Sussex and Surrey
Heart Sussex and Surrey is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Sussex and Surrey from studios in the Portslade area of Brighton. The station began broadcasting on Monday 26 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Sussex and Mercury FM.-History:The regional station originally...
(formerly Mercury FM) and 96.4 The Eagle
96.4 The Eagle
96.4 Eagle Radio is an Independent Local Radio station in the Surrey and North Hampshire area of England owned by the UKRD Group. The radio station, based in Guildford, Surrey, was the brainchild of Mike Powell, previously the Managing Director of Surrey and Hampshire's County Sound Radio.Peter...
.
The DAB licence was advertised by Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
on December 19, 2007. At the close on March 26, 2008, the regulator had received only one application, from MuxCo (Sussex & Surrey), a consortium made up of two companies - UKRD owning 50% with transmitter company National Grid Wireless owning the other 50%. They had to wait until April 22, 2008, before they were confirmed as having won the licence.
Under the original proposals it was to be one of the rare licences which uses two frequencies, with Block 10C serving the Western parts (served by 96.4 The Eagle
96.4 The Eagle
96.4 Eagle Radio is an Independent Local Radio station in the Surrey and North Hampshire area of England owned by the UKRD Group. The radio station, based in Guildford, Surrey, was the brainchild of Mike Powell, previously the Managing Director of Surrey and Hampshire's County Sound Radio.Peter...
) with Block 10B serving the Eastern parts (Heart Sussex and Surrey
Heart Sussex and Surrey
Heart Sussex and Surrey is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Sussex and Surrey from studios in the Portslade area of Brighton. The station began broadcasting on Monday 26 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Sussex and Mercury FM.-History:The regional station originally...
). Four transmitters were confirmed as carrying the platform initially; Guildford, Reigate, Midhurst and Leatherhead.
However, in 2010 MuxCo announced their intention to apply to Ofcom to alter the multiplex area to cover the county of Surrey only, feeling it would make more sense for North Sussex to be covered by an extension of the existing NOW Sussex Coast
NOW Sussex Coast
NOW Sussex Coast is a local commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, which serves Brighton and the Sussex coast. It launched in February 2004 and is operated by NOW Digital and owned by Arqiva after being sold by Global Radio....
multiplex. .
As such, following the publication of their consultation document 'An Approach to DAB coverage planning', published in June 2011, Ofcom now propose using Block 10C only, and for the multiplex to be scaled back to cover Surrey and North-East Hampshire only. This would allow the DRG London
DRG London
DRG London is a Digital Audio Broadcasting multiplex available in the London area that has been broadcasting since January 2002. It is also referred to as the Greater London 3 multiplex...
multiplex to change from Block 11B to Block 10B, thus allowing NOW Sussex Coast
NOW Sussex Coast
NOW Sussex Coast is a local commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, which serves Brighton and the Sussex coast. It launched in February 2004 and is operated by NOW Digital and owned by Arqiva after being sold by Global Radio....
on Block 11B to be extended across the whole of East and West Sussex.
As required, the local BBC service, BBC Surrey
BBC Surrey
BBC Surrey is the BBC Local Radio service covering the English county of Surrey, along with North-East Hampshire and the northern fringes of West Sussex including Crawley, East Grinstead and Gatwick Airport...
, has to be carried on this platform.
Services expected to be on the platform
(Adjusted to reflect the way UK radio is now)Unless indicated, the following services are expected to be carried on both frequencies.
| Service | Service Type | Signal | Bit-Rate | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBC Surrey BBC Surrey BBC Surrey is the BBC Local Radio service covering the English county of Surrey, along with North-East Hampshire and the northern fringes of West Sussex including Crawley, East Grinstead and Gatwick Airport... |
BBC Local service | Joint Stereo | 128 kbit/s | Also on FM 104.0 (Reigate) & 104.6 (Guildford) & AM - 1368 |
| 96.4 Eagle Radio | Full Service | Joint Stereo | 128 kbit/s | Also on FM - 96.4 |
| County Sound Radio | Classic Hits | Joint Stereo | 128 kbit/s | Also on AM - 1566 |
| Heart Sussex and Surrey Heart Sussex and Surrey Heart Sussex and Surrey is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Sussex and Surrey from studios in the Portslade area of Brighton. The station began broadcasting on Monday 26 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Sussex and Mercury FM.-History:The regional station originally... |
Contemporary Hit Music | Joint Stereo | 128 kbit/s | Also on 102.7. |
| Easy Radio | Easy Listening | mono | 96 kbit/s | Provided by London Media Company (Sunrise) |
| NME Radio NME Radio NME Radio is the radio station from NME magazine, that broadcasts in a new commercially oriented alternative music format. It first began broadcasting on 24 June 2008.- History :... |
Modern Rock | mono | 96 kbit/s | Now on Digital One Digital One Digital One is a national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva. , the multiplex covers more than 90% of the populationfrom a total of 137 transmitters... . |
| Traffic Radio Traffic Radio Traffic Radio was a digital radio station based in England.It was a 24 hour rolling traffic and travel service for motorways and major roads in England, run for the Highways Agency by Global Traffic Network.... |
Travel Reports | mono | 48 kbit/s | Travel service. |
| Shuffle | Youth | Stereo | 128 kbit/s | Provided by MuxCo. |
| Podcast Service | various | mono | 16-80 kbit/s | Depending on service. |
Transmitter sites
These are the only confirmed transmitter sites at present:| Transmitter | KW | AREA |
|---|---|---|
| Guildford | ? | Depending on strength. |
| Reigate | ? | Depending on strength. |
| Midhurst | ? | Sussex Downs |
| Leatherhead | ? | Leatherhead & Epsom |