Cumbria.Digital has today announced the company has made the decision not to proceed with the build out and launch of the Carlisle and Penrith small-scale DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) multiplex, following a comprehensive review of the project’s long-term viability.
The multiplex licence was originally applied for by Penrith based Cumbria.Digital in July 2024 and awarded by Ofcom in April 2025. Since that time the company has said significant economic, geopolitical, and technological changes have reshaped the broadcasting landscape and impacted business across the country.
The company said that listener behaviour in Cumbria and across the UK has continued to evolve, with relatively low uptake of DAB+ radio devices locally and an accelerating shift to listening via smart speakers, mobile devices, and online platforms. At the same time, many radio broadcasters—particularly commercial stations—have reassessed their distribution strategies, increasingly favouring online delivery due to its lower cost and wider reach.
Cumbria.Digital said the companies business model relied on a combination of commercial and community radio stations broadcasting on the multiplex. Revenue generated from commercial station carriage was intended to subsidise access for community broadcasters, including the existing community stations in Carlisle and Penrith. However, changing market conditions have significantly impacted the feasibility to build the broadcast infrastructure.
Rising operational costs—including energy, business rates, and broadcast equipment—combined with reduced demand from commercial broadcasters with the shit to online delivery of services, have made the multiplex build and operation financially unsustainable. Without sufficient commercial participation, the burden of costs on community stations alone would be unviable for them.
Research by Frontier Economics, commissioned by Radiocentre released just this week, warns that switching off Digital Terrestrial Television in 2034 could increase radio transmission costs by over 50%.
As part of this review, Cumbria.Digital also reassessed its own station launch plans, alongside those of other prospective broadcasters.
In light of current global economic conditions, it was determined that launching new services on DAB at this time would not be commercially or operationally viable.
As a result, Cumbria.Digital took taken the decision not to proceed with the multiplex launch.
A Spokesperson for Cumbria.Digital said:
“This has been an extremely difficult decision for us. We invested a considerable amount of time and effort into developing the Carlisle and Penrith multiplex and genuinely believed that there was a sustainable future for small-scale DAB in Cumbria when we submitted our application in 2024.
“But the broadcasting environment today is very different. The economics have changed, technology has moved on and broadcasters have more ways than ever to reach listeners without the significant cost of DAB transmission.
“We have had to be realistic about what is commercially sustainable. Continuing with the multiplex simply because we had been awarded the licence would not have been the responsible decision for our business.
“That does not mean we are walking away from local radio in Cumbria. Quite the opposite. We are going to put our focus into developing our online platform and launching our own station, while creating opportunities for other local broadcasters and communities to use the platform.
“We still believe there is a future for local digital broadcasting in Cumbria. We just believe that, at this point in time, the best way to build that future is online rather than through a DAB network.”
Despite this, Cumbria.Digital said it remains committed to supporting local radio across the county. The organisation will now focus on developing its online broadcasting platform, which formed part of its original bid put forward Ofcom, alongside progressing the launch of its own radio station as an online service.
Looking ahead, Cumbria.Digital said the company will continue to monitor emerging technologies, including the potential future role of 5G broadcasting, as part of its long-term vision for digital radio in the region.
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