An aerial view of Britain's DAB stations

Are you making the most of your digital radio? Jimmy Lee Shreeve reports

3C

Tune in for Continuous Cool Country plays the best in Americana. Playlists include Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Buddy Miller and other C&W legends.

Listeners Around 109,000 each week.

Show of the week Nashville Nights, Mon-Fri evenings, for cutting-edge country music.

Where to find it Available on DAB in selected areas of the UK, and nationally on digital TV, or at www.3cdigital.com.

1xtra (bbc)

Tune in for The best in new black music - everything from hip-hop and R&B to garage and soca. The DJs speak "street", relating to their target audiences. Also broadcasts documentaries on subjects such as female MCs and hip-hop in the Holy Land.

Show of the week DJs Rodney P and Skitz play the latest hip-hop and interview leading artists.

Listeners 371,000 a week

Where to find it Available nationally on DAB radio and digital TV, or at www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra

BBC 6 Music

Tune in for Contemporary and classic artists, plus emerging bands. On Sunday mornings, Russell Brand and friends add risqué comedy to the mix. Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson hosts a rock show on Saturday nights.

Show of the week Tom Robinson, Mon-Thurs from 7pm, a highly eclectic mix.

Listeners 359,000 a week

Where to find it Nationally on DAB radio and digital TV, or at www.bbc.co.uk/6music

BBC 7

Tune in for Re-runs of BBC radio comedies such as The Goon Show and Hancock's Half Hour, and adaptations of books such as Wuthering Heights. Lots of shows for children, including readings of The Wind in the Willows.

Show of the week Recent play version of Alan Garner's spooky children's book The Owl Service.

Listeners 621,000

Where to find it Nationally on DAB radio and digital TV, or at www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7

BBC Asian Network

Tune in for Current affairs, chat and music aimed at Britain's Asian community. Music ranges from British Asian pop to Bollywood soundtracks and traditional devotional music.

Show of the week Silver Street, the station's soap which recently won the Broadcast Soap gong at the Race in Media awards.

Listeners 220,000

Where to find it Available nationally on DAB radio and digital TV, or www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork

BBC FIVE LIVE

Tune in for Coverage of the FA Barclays Premiership, Coca Cola League, Scottish Premier League and cup games; plus cricket, rugby, tennis and golf. The channel is only on air when an event is not covered elsewhere on BBC radio.

Show of the week Uninterrupted cricket and rugby league coverage throughout June.

Listeners 613,000

Where to find it Nationally on DAB radio and digital TV, or www. bbc.co.uk/fivelive/sportsextra

CAPITAL DISNEY

Tune in for Children's radio with celebrity gossip, hits, classic songs and competitions. Saffron presents the Saturday and Sunday Sleepover shows, every weekend between 8pm and 11pm, easing kids into sleep mode (not an easy task during sleepovers).

Show of the week On The Lake, weeknights from 7pm - music, showbiz news and guests.

Listeners 53,000

Where to find it In many parts of the UK on DAB radio and digital TV, or www.capitaldisney.co.uk

CAPITAL LIFE

Tune in for Classics from Donna Summer, Madonna and Abba, to new material from Will Young and The Corrs. Unashamedly middle-of-the-road. Also dance, classic soul and rare groove shows.

Show of the week Jonathan Miles, Fri and Sun 9pm, looks at the news of the week from behind the spin, with music old and new.

Listeners 78,000

Where to find it Nationally on DAB radio and digital TV, or at www.ukcapitallife.com

CORE

Tune in for Chart and dance music. Playlists regularly feature bands like the Black Eyed Peas, Girls Aloud and Coldplay. Core prides itself on being first to play (and predict) the next big hits. On the Core website you can request a song and you and a friend will be told when it will be played.

Show of the week Ministry of Sound on Core - Sundays from 8pm, playing the best in dance music.

Listeners 110,000

Where to find it Nationally on DAB radio and digital TV, or at www.corefreshhits.com

FUN RADIO

Tune in for Songs and singalongs, stories and games for children under 10. Plus nursery rhymes and a "nap hour" from 1pm. At weekends at 8pm there's Unwind, with relaxing music and information for parents.

Show of the week Breakfast with James!, weekdays from 7am, with music and madness for all.

Listeners 34,000

Where to find it Available in selected parts of the UK on DAB radio and nationally on digital TV, or at www.funradiolive.com

GAYDARRADIO.COM

Tune in for Music and chat for London's gay and lesbian community. Request and dedication shows playing hits, house and dance classics. On weekday mornings Jamie Crick presents Your Choice Top Ten and threatens to reveal what's in his lunchbox at 1pm.

Show of the week Baylen Leonard, midnight to 3am, offers dancefloor fillers and remixes.

Listeners 200,000

Where to find it DAB radio, in parts of the UK and, nationally, on digital TV, or at www.gaydarradio.com

KERRANG! RADIO

Tune in for Rock, punk and metal from the likes of Foo Fighters, Eminem, Franz Ferdinand and Feeder. Specialist shows include Full Metal Racket with black, doom and speed metal.

Show of the week Tim Shaw's Asylum, Mon-Thurs and Sun at 10pm, zany chat show.

Listeners 723,000

Where to find it Broadcasts across the West Midlands and in selected areas of the UK on DAB radio or at www.emapdigitalradio.com. Also on digital TV.

ONEWORD

Tune in for Books, news, drama and comedy. Top actors read from books by the likes of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Nick Hornby and Jacqueline Wilson, plus news and interviews. Oneword is part-owned by Channel 4.

Show of the week The Morning Report, weekdays at 7.30am, headlines and news.

Listeners 132,000

Where to find it Nationally on DAB radio and digital TV, or at www.oneword.co.uk

PLANET ROCK

Tune in for Classic rock like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and The Who. Besides DJs like Nicky Horne, rock legends, including Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi and shock-rocker Alice Cooper, will also spin the discs (from July).

Show of the week Rick's Place, Saturdays from 10am. Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman reveals a hidden comic talent.

Listeners 61,000

Where to find it Nationally on DAB radio and digital TV, or at www.planetrock.com

PANJAB RADIO

Tune in for Panjabi language shows covering religious and social issues, plus entertainment, news and music, from the latest bhangra to Panjabi folk songs.

Show of the week Miss T's Topical Talkouts, Tues/Weds 4pm.

Listeners Around 365,000.

Where to find it DAB radio, digital TV, or www.panjabradio.co.uk

PASSION

Tune in for Passion for the Planet covers health and environment issues, and plays world music.

Show of the week Chantal Cooke, various times.

Listeners 50,000

Where to find it DAB radio in some areas, digital TV or www.passionfortheplanet.com

SPECTRUM RADIO

Tune in for News, information and music aimed at ethnic communities. Spectrum broadcasts shows to the Chinese, Ethiopian, Italian, Turkish and Russian communities.

Show of the week Somali On Air (SOA), 6-8pm daily, caters to the Somalian community in Britain.

Listeners 47,000

Where to find it DAB radio digital TV, or www.spectrum radio.net

TALK SPORT

Tune in for Sport issues, current affairs and heated debate. Frequent phone-ins for comment on the latest sports and news stories.

Show of the week James Whale's late-night talk and phone-in show, covers everything from politics and sport to alien abduction.

Listeners 2,070,000 each week, including analogue listeners.

Where to find it DAB radio and digital TV, or at www.talksport.net. Also on AM, but best on DAB.

VIRGIN RADIO

Tune in for Current and classic rock and pop - from U2 and REM to The Beatles. Virgin has sister DAB channels specialising in classic rock, alternative and groove.

Show of the week The Geoff Show, 10pm Mondays to Thursday - phone-ins and chat from the very funny Geoff Lloyd.

Listeners Around 1,806,000 each week, including analogue listeners.

Where to find it DAB radio and digital TV, or at www.virginradio.co.uk. On FM in London, but on scratchy AM everywhere else.

XFM ONLINE

Tune in for The best in guitar music, dance and hip hop. Broadcasts regular sessions from bands such as Keane, Primal Scream and The Futureheads.

Show of the week X-Posure, Mon-Thurs 9pm, XFM's showcase for alternative underground music.

Listeners Around 622,000 each week, including analogue.

Where to find it Available throughout much of the UK on DAB radio and nationally on digital TV, or at www.xfm.co.uk. XFM also broadcasts on 104.9 FM in London.

The Hardware

Freeplay Devo £100

The Freeplay Devo is the first wind-up DAB radio. Wind it up for a minute and you'll get three-to-five minutes of DAB and an hour of old-school FM. A full wind will give six hours of DAB or 36 hours of FM.

www.freeplay.net

Denon DAB/FM Tuner £250

Owners of serious stereos will want a hi-fi component digital radio instead of a stand-alone unit. The Denon TU-1800DAB sounds great but is affordable - DAB separates can cost twice as much. Available in sleek silver and black.

www.denon.co.uk

Revo In-car DAB £199.95

The cheapest way of going digital in-car is to use an external receiver. The Revo links to your stereo over an FM frequency - you just need a good tuner and aerial.

www.revo.co.uk

Pure Digital PocketDAB £109.99

This pocket-sized DAB is compact and powerful. It has MP3 playback thanks to the Pure's SD card slot and will give 10 hours of DAB and 22 hours of FM radio with a single charge.

www.pure-digital.com