Muxco Home Counties has been pipped at the post by Now Digital whilst seeking its first local DAB digital radio multiplex licence award. MuxCo Home Counties, a consortium of five companies, sought to launch ten stations on the DAB platform.

MuxCo has teamed up with a number of station operators and has made applications for licences in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, Northeast Wales and West Chester and is proposing an application for Northamptonshire.

Established DAB player NOW Digital, a division of GCap Media, will launch both local options of its Chiltern FM stations, Milton Keynes-based Horizon FM, its DAB-only Chill format, modern rock brand Xfm, Christian station UCB and rock/pop station Jack FM.

NOW Digital Limited

• BBC Three Counties Radio : news, information and music (BBC Radio)

• 97.6 Chiltern FM : pop and contemporary music (GCap Media Digital Ltd)

• 96.9 Chiltern FM : pop and contemporary music (GCap Media Digital Ltd)

• Horizon Radio : pop and contemporary music (GCap Media Digital Ltd)

• Classic Gold Digital : classic hits (Classic Gold Digital Ltd)

• Jack FM : pop and rock music (18 hours/day service) (Absolute Radio International Ltd)

• Chill : chillout music (GCap Media Digital Ltd)

• Xfm : modern rock music (GCap Media Digital Ltd)

• UCB UK : music and religious programmes (UCB Ltd)

NOW Digital plans to have the multiplex on-air in July 2008 with eight transmitters to cover the three counties.