New DAB transmitters in West Kent have just been switched on, bringing the total number of radio stations available in Southborough in the DAB band to more than 180.

The arrival of the new local DAB multiplex coincides with the launch on Monday 19th January 2026 of Weald Radio, which is music-focused but also features snippets of local weather, news and events.

Weald Radio says it aims to cover an area including Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.

The new Maidstone and West Kent so-called “Small Scale DAB multiplex” uses low power transmitters, so is cheaper and more accessible for a wider range of operators.  The new DAB transmitter sites are in central Tunbridge Wells, a site near Maidstone and the mobile mast near St Julian’s just south of Sevenoaks. 

The on-air line-up on Weald Radio includes five presenters who were previously on the local FM Community Radio station, West Kent Radio. They include the former West Kent Radio breakfast presenter, Alan Rustad (pictured below), who has now shifted to the drivetime slot on Weald Radio.

Weald Radio is run as a community-based CIC (Community Interest Company) with all income reinvested in the company. The two directors of the parent company of the station, Oast Radio CIC, are Nigel Peacock and Phil Mills.

Weald Radio will be financed by a mixture of advertising, sponsorship, and grants. The entire team is providing their knowledge and expertise at no cost.

The station says its brand is “Where Local Matters”. A weekly “Weald Discoveries” programme will highlight new and unsigned artists from across Kent, while a short recorded community spot will highlight the work of charities and good causes in the area.



Meanwhile, West Kent Radio continues to broadcast on 95.5 FM and 106.7 FM to Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells. Its licence to broadcast on FM ends this October, although it could apply to OFCOM to extend it.

West Kent Radio is also due to be carried on the new West Kent Small Scale DAB multiplex.

West Kent Radio was until recently carrying regular interviews with local people and news features. Those ceased in January but the station continues to produce a local live sports programme on Saturday afternoons and a Tuesday evening programme featuring new local musicians.

Until recently, West Kent Radio boasted 23 hours of live programming a week during the main listening times of weekdays 7am to 7pm. But after leadership changes in December and an exodus of volunteers, West Kent Radio’s weekday daytime live programming has now slumped to just 5 hours a week.

The live programming on West Kent Radio comes from a studio in Southborough. Weald Radio operates from computers in volunteers’ homes and doesn’t have a studio.

Weald Radio also uses AI voices for some speech content, with Alice Ingrham providing weather updates.

Another radio station now on local DAB playing familiar music non-stop is CPR, which used to be known as Cinque Ports Radio, based in Rye, where it can also be heard on FM. Both CPR and Weald Radio are also carried on the Ashford Small Scale DAB multiplex.

The full list of DAB stations available in Southborough is available on this page:
https://southborough-news.com/dab-radio/

The full list of FM stations available in Southborough is listed here:
https://southborough-news.com/fm-radio/

More details about the new Weald Radio are found here:
http://www.wealdradio.co.uk/local-news/local-news/weald-radio-launches/

The latest schedule for West Kent Radio is listed here:
https://www.westkentradio.co.uk/on-air/

For reader information, the author of Southborough News, Martin Webber, previously provided news reports for West Kent Radio for 3 years until January 3rd 2025, when he left the voluntary role.