• Belfast, Edinburgh and Manchester
• 12-year managed transmission service
• Maximum coverage to increase choice for analogue listeners

Arqiva has won FM transmission contracts for three new metropolitan radio stations in 12-year deals worth over £1 million.  Belfast, Edinburgh and Manchester all have long-established commercial FM stations and these new licences will increase the diversity of services currently available to analogue listeners in those areas.

For Belfast and the surrounding area, the UTV-owned U105 will provide topical speech, and music from the Gold era right through to the present day, aimed mainly at a 45+ audience.  The station goes on-air today from Arqiva's Black Mountain transmitter.

allTALK FM is a new 24-hour talk radio station for Edinburgh also wholly-owned by UTV plc.  Around 1 million people will be served from the Arqiva mast at Craigkelly.  The service is due to launch in February 2006.

And in Greater Manchester, the GCap Media station Xfm launches in early-2006 with Indie rock for a potential audience of around 2 million.

John Rosborough, managing director of U105, said: "We're very happy to be working with Arqiva, who have shown once again that they understand the needs of the radio industry and offer the best possible coverage.  We're raring to go!"

Paul Eaton, Ariqva's head of broadcast radio, added: "These larger-scale metropolitan services will have maximum reach and offer additional choice on FM well beyond city boundaries.  We look forward to helping all three stations get on-air successfully and supporting them through their licence period."