New National Grid Wireless antenna increases 96.3 Radio Aire audience coverage by 10%

30 May 2006

National Grid Wireless, one of the UK's leading providers of broadcast transmission infrastructure, has developed a new broadcast antenna and enabled Leeds based 96.3 Radio Aire to increase its potential audience coverage by almost 240,000 (10%) new listeners.

The Emap owned radio station was given the go-ahead to improve its coverage, under demanding radiated power limitations, by Ofcom in 2005. A standard antenna would not do the job required so 96.3 Radio Aire turned to National Grid Wireless for assistance. The solution, developed by National Grid Wireless and constructed by antenna manufacturer Sira to construct it, utilises a number of standard antennas configured in such a way so as to meet the demanding radiated power limitations.

The final stage of the project involved testing the antenna in snow-covered conditions and getting it lifted on to site just days before Christmas.

The station has now re-launched and is delighted with the results, explains Alexis Thompson 96.3 Radio Aire's Managing Director: "My thanks to Ofcom for making this possible, to the team at ADRT who did so much of the preliminary work and to the team at National Grid Wireless who designed, tested and installed the final model, not forgetting Mark Story and Tim Cockram at Emap Radio and Radio Aire's engineer Bob Fox."

Tony Moretta, general manager, broadcast, at National Grid Wireless said: "This is another example of our renewed commitment to the commercial radio sector. In recent months we have won a number of new contracts; all proof of our ability to consistently deliver commercially and technically sound solutions."

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Notes to Editors:

National Grid Wireless is a wholly owned subsidiary of National Grid and is the leading independent provider of infrastructure to the mobile telecommunications operators in the UK.

National Grid Wireless is also one of two UK providers of terrestrial infrastructure for the transmission of analogue and digital television and radio broadcasts in the UK and as such achieves a 98% population coverage. In addition to the traditional analogue services, National Grid Wireless has a strong position in the growing digital television market, owning two of the six digital terrestrial television licences and providing infrastructure services to all the Freeview channels and the BBC and BSkyB.

For further information:

Stephen Arnold
National Grid Wireless
+44 (0) 1926 416 870
+44 (0) 7803 887 288 (m)