Gold Manchester, the message has started.
richie wild
Posts: 9,893 Forum Member
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Getting ready for the closure of MXR North West in a few weeks, I thought I'd realign my DAB aerial to get the best of the Machester local MUX. However, it appears Gold is leaving even that too, despite being on AM in the area. Why are they shutting the North West off when it's also on Medium Wave?
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They need the space to accommodate Real/Heart/Capital.
When Real is eventually replaced by Heart, perhaps they will bring back Gold.
Gold was taken off the Birmingham mux a while ago when Free 80s was launched and never reinstated even though there was adequate capacity on muxes in the area.
Seems like the slippery slope.
Didn't Orion replace Gold with Free80s when they decided to end the franchise agreement with Global. Gold and Smooth had been operating alongside each other for many years and this was way before the GMG/Global takeover and associated CC study was in progress.
Unless I'm missing something.....
They point you to Sky, Freesat, Virgin Media, online, mobile apps, and suggest checking the website for frequencies but don't specifically mention AM.
Gold on MXR is still broadcasting as normal but the Manchester feed is looping the message, so has in effect already ceased.
This is in preparation for the addition of Real, Smooth and Capital to the Manchester multiplex.
It remains to be seen whether local weather and travel for Manchester will be maintained on Gold 1458am. Could the licence just be abandoned?
Gold has gone in Scotland, the Midlands and most of the north of England on DAB, save for Yorkshire where it is enjoying a swansong on the regional multiplex till at least next year, albeit it at 64kbps!
You do wonder what the future holds for Gold on 1458, especially as the programming is not a million miles from Magic 1152.
If it does close, hopefully the frequency will be given to Asian Sound radio- their signal on 1377 sounded pretty weak when I spent a couple of weeks in Fallowfield this time last year.
Asian Sound's 1377 signal is dreadful, it only operates at 0.08kW. A French station totally swamps it overnight. Gold and Magic use the same TX site but with far greater power.
Using 963 synchronised with the east lancs transmitter would make more sense imo. Stupid choice of frequency by Ofcock.
http://www.mygoldmusic.co.uk/Article.asp?id=486495&spid=18956 Does seem to hint they will bring Gold back or as Les and Ethan say perhaps merge with Smooth or Smooth 70's?
At least they are keeping these stereo rather than go 64k or 80k mono?
its still an utter farce. How can you grow an audience by pulling the station off DAB for months and then expect the audience to return?
I do think the Smooth 70's channel could easily be flipped to take the Gold feed thus giving Global most of the brands national coverage, but of course this couldnt happen until the CC are done.
When Gold left the Liverpool MUX for the MXR one there was a few days when it was not available, so the talk of it being unavailable through the "transition period" is at least hopeful. Gold in mono on D1 would be better than it not being available at all, and would have the benefit of being receivable around most of the country without the need to retune.
No chance, D1 is already cram-jam full.
I just see it as just another example of Globals increasingly cavalier attitude to their listeners..losing LBC was bad enough:mad:
I've now three DAB receivers which will be apart from my occasional peep in to Radio four extra virtually useless :eek:
Wouldn't even mind to add insult to injury I don't know of any DAB radios with am included
Internet radio for me all the way now
Even if Gold goes to FM here in Manchester still bad news
Both Smooth and Real frequency's are appalling reception wise as I've mentioned on DS before and I'm two and a half miles from city centre 105-4 Real especially so
To paraphrase the old Gold its all about the music tag..
Global its all about the cash ..!!! Shameful
If you want choice beyond pop, rock, dance, R'n'B and mono, you'll have to look elsewhere, with the handsome subscription you'll have to pay on top to an ISP and/or mobile phone network. Even the BBC is starting to look at giving the boot to specialist content. If you want more than that on a portable device, Internet radio is the only game in town.
Money talks and specialist walks.
Interesting to note that 'Sussex and Surrey (1521)' + 'Bradford (1278/1530)' are still listed on the page as AM frequencies broadcasting Gold.
1521 - closed two and a half years ago (1/2/11).
1278/1530- became Pulse 2 on December 1st 2008.
And yet Winter Hill's signal goes for miles in other directions.