[Spencer]

Bauer are once again replacing FM stations with Greatest Hits Radio in preparation for the arrival of Ken Bruce.

Lincs FM will move to DAB only with Greatest Hits replacing it on 102.2 FM from Belmont and the two FM relays in Scunthorpe and Grantham.

The station will also replace Kiss in Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and NE Essex.    Kiss will continue on FM in Norfolk from the Tacolneston tx.

Not sure that Lincs FM will survive long on DAB only.  Has any other local station successfully transferred from analogue to DAB only? 

Not quite the same thing, but some of the teams made redundant in the big GHR rollout in September 2020 went on to launch DAB only stations almost identical in sound to those that were closed.

I’ve got a few friends/former colleagues at some of them and they all say they’re viable and doing well, albeit run on a shoestring compared to the former FM stations. So it can be done, albeit maybe with some belt tightening required.

Lincs’ audience figures have always been strong, so they must have a loyal audience who, if they value the service, I’m sure will follow the station to DAB or online. I don’t think not being on FM is necessarily a major handicap these days, given most listening is now digital.

Ultimately if Lincs continues to make money for Bauer on DAB, they’ll keep it open. But it’ll be interesting to see how things unfold.