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Ofcom awards four new community radio licences (February 2020)
Ofcom has today announced the award of three new community radio licences in England, and one in Scotland.
The new stations will serve communities in Edinburgh, Melksham in Wiltshire, Thornbury in Gloucestershire and Wimborne Minster, East Dorset.
Community radio services are provided on a not-for-profit basis, focusing on the delivery of specific social benefits to a particular area or community of interest.
More than 290 community radio stations are currently on air.
The four new community radio licences have been awarded to:
Radio Melksham (Radio Melksham Limited), Melksham, Wiltshire
Contact name: Phil Dawson
Website: www.radiomelksham.co.uk
Radio Melksham will be a local radio service for the community of Melksham and the surrounding area. It is run by volunteers from the local community and offer training in broadcasting skills.
Radio Wimborne (Radio Wimborne Limited), Wimborne Minster, East Dorset
Contact name: Kelly Webb
Website: www.radiowimborne.co.uk
Radio Wimborne will provide local news and content for the people of Wimborne Minster and neighbouring towns and village. The station will highlight community issues and provide training and support for young people interested in media.
Sam Radio (SAM Radio Limited), Edinburgh
Contact name: Zahid Iqbal Ali
Sam Radio will serve Edinburgh’s Asian community with an interactive service of entertaining, informative and educational programmes, broadcasting in Hindustani, Punjabi and Arabic.
Thornbury Radio (Thornbury Media Community Interest Company) Thornbury, Gloucestershire
Contact name: David Wrench
Website: www.tmcic.org
Thornbury Radio will provide a radio service for the residents of Thornbury with local information and news and opportunities to reduce social isolation and make new friends.
The licences are awarded for a five-year period. A statement setting out the main determining factors for the award of the licences above can be found on the Ofcom website.
Notes to Editors
- In addition to the licence awards detailed above, Ofcom considered two further applications, but decided not to award a licence to the following:
- East Coast Radio (Radwave CIC), Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Mablethorpe, Sutton-on-sea, Trusthorpe, Chapel St Leonards, Ingoldmells and Skegness.
- LCR (Leicester Community Radio Broadcasting CIC), Lutterworth and surrounding villages.
- One applicant has not been awarded a licence there was no suitable FM frequency available for the proposed service:
- Bux FM (South Bucks & Uxbridge Broadcasting Ltd), the South Bucks District and the north-west part of the London Borough of Hillingdon.
Original article link: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/media/media-releases/2020/four-new-community-radio-licences
