Plymouth's new radio: PlymDAB, SoundWave and more

Plymouth's radio dial has quietly grown a lot more crowded over the last couple of years, and it's worth knowing where the new voices are coming from. The biggest change is something you might not even notice until you're scrolling through your digital radio: PlymDAB, a small-scale DAB network that went live in early November 2023. It's run by a consortium of local media groups led by the company behind Devon's Radio Exe, in partnership with Exeter Community Radio Ltd, Hospital Radio Plymouth and Westward Media Ltd, and it can carry up to 25 stations on DAB+, so the whole point is more choice and more local stations on the same multiplex. It reaches around 250,000 listeners across Plymouth, West Devon and South East Cornwall, and Ofcom is rolling out similar small-scale DAB services across the country.

Alongside that, there's a new community voice. SoundWave Radio Plymouth CIC was set up in 2023, just months after Ocean City Radio closed, and it's built from a lot of the same people: Steve Rowlands, who worked on Ocean City, said the team was raring to go, and the station has taken over a studio at the Airport Business Centre in Estover, the same place Ocean City Radio had operated from. The presenter line-up runs from 17 to 76, with retired people and people unable to work because of health challenges among them, and the plan is to broadcast live, original material rather than leaning on playlists and repeats. Expect specialist shows for vinyl enthusiasts, soul and reggae programmes, chat shows and work with schools and community groups. For now, SoundWave is internet-only, because the cost of DAB was too high at this stage, though the aim is to join it in a sustainable way down the line. You can find them on Facebook or at info@soundwaveradioplymouth.com.

And then there's the veteran of the scene, Hospital Radio Plymouth, which has been going since 1969 and is run entirely by volunteers for patients at Derriford Hospital. It's a registered charity that broadcasts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with more than 60 hours of live programming a week, from specialist music and live ward-request shows to news, spoken word, classic comedy and sport, including live Plymouth Argyle match commentary from Home Park. The station moved into purpose-built studios inside Derriford Hospital in May 2025, which puts the volunteers only about five minutes' walk from the wards. You can pick it up on 107.3 FM, online and now on DAB+ through the PlymDAB network, and there's an app for sending requests, recording audio messages or donating.

So, if you've noticed more local names popping up on your radio, that's why. Between PlymDAB filling out the digital dial, SoundWave building its community presence online and Hospital Radio Plymouth continuing its long run from inside the hospital, Plymouth has quietly become a busier place for local radio than it was a few years ago.