Listeners across Norwich will have a new option on their audio menu when a digital station launches this weekend.

Norwich Evening News: Antenna Radio managing director Ben Pintilie. Picture: Ben PintilieAntenna Radio managing director Ben Pintilie. Picture: Ben Pintilie (Image: Ben Pintilie)

Antenna Radio has chosen Norfolk to be home to a regional hub for its DAB programming, which is supported by an Ofcom trial.

The city is the fifth destination for the firm which said it plans to create five jobs in Norfolk.

Managing director Ben Pintilie said: 'To start with we will be broadcasting from our main studio in Preston, Lancashire, but we are already looking for studio space in Norwich as we start to grow in the area.

'Norwich's position on the east coast is great for us and we will aim to broadcast across the region from there.'

Ofcom has been trialling small scale DAB broadcasting since 2015 with Norwich one of the 10 locations selected for a network.

Antenna Radio's model sees it broadcast live programming between 6am to 2pm and 3pm to midnight on weekdays, with a live show from 1pm to 7pm on a Saturday and 1pm to midnight on a Sunday.

It aims to play 50 minutes of music every hour, as well as on-the-hour news and weather.

Mr Pintilie said the station would play contemporary music from the 80s to today with a part focus on songs which have sold well internationally but have not been popular in the UK as yet.

Mr Pintilie said: 'We are aiming to start producing local news and weather in the next couple of months.

'Because we are digital our competitors are Spotify, Apple Music and streaming services like that.

'We want to play the music but with some local news for people who want to stay in touch with the world.'

The station joins a healthy list of stations in the city, alongside Celador Radio's Radio Norwich, Global Radio's Heart FM and Future Radio, which all broadcast from the city.

Last month Celador announced jobs were at risk in its programming departments in Norwich and Ipswich with plans to consolidate the team.

Antenna will begin broadcasting in Norwich on bank holiday Monday, a year since it began its life on digital radio.

The station, which has sister services in Manchester, Glasgow, Portsmouth, Aldershot and Woking, can also be heard online or via its app.