OPINION: DAB boost will expand radio coverage in Harrogate and Wetherby - Nick Hancock, Your Harrogate

My good news comes at a time when we are all able to start looking forward again.

We can look forward to seeing more friends and family, to visiting the Great Yorkshire show and to seeing what the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival has to offer. We can even look forward to the next England match on Saturday night thanks to Harrogate’s very own Gareth Southgate.

I’ve met Gareth a couple of times and as you can tell from his TV interviews he is polite, smart and warm.

The first time I met him he told me his kids always listened to me on the radio on snow days to see if their school would be shut! Many people have said to me many times over the years.

Which brings me on to my good news. Following a lobbying campaign by Your Harrogate with support from Andrew Jones MP, as well as listeners and clients from across the District, Ofcom have announced Harrogate and Wetherby will be getting its own DAB multiplex. Small scale DAB means more local radio choice for listeners which I believe is a great thing.

It means you’ll be able to listen to Your Harrogate on DAB as well as online, app and smart speaker which you can do right now.

Since Your Harrogate started on 1st March we’ve had so much positive feedback from listeners, advertisers and the wider community.

The mix of music, local information, travel holds up (always plenty of those in Harrogate) local news, fun competitions and support for local charities, schools and businesses seems to have hit the right note with listeners. By adding DAB to our platforms we hope you’ll be able to enjoy Your Harrogate in even more places.

We all know Harrogate is a lovely bubble. Harrogate is an area where independent businesses can thrive. Harrogate is an area where residents truly support local. Harrogate deserves a truly local radio station. At Your Harrogate we are going to apply to Ofcom to operate the new multiplex and our aim is to work with other local stations to give them a slot on the multiplex too. Community focussed stations like Tempo in Wetherby, Drystone in Skipton, Harrogate Hospital Radio and Harrogate Community Radio all day a great job in bringing communities together.

They are also full of passionate people who give up their time to help other people.

If you would like to find out any more about small scale DAB for Harrogate and Wetherby feel free to drop me a line [email protected]