Analogue commercial radio
Licence 'pre-advertisements'
Ofcom has today invited declarations of intent to apply for the following FM local commercial radio licences. Please click on the 'area' in the first column for further detail on the pre-advertisements:
Re-awards
Ofcom has announced that it has re-awarded the following local FM commercial radio licences to the current licensees. The licences have been re-awarded under Ofcom’s ‘fast-track’ process, as set out in published guidelines, and will be for a period of 12 years from the current expiry date:
| Area (station) | Current licensee | Current expiry date |
|---|
|
Salisbury (Spire FM) |
Spire FM Limited |
4 September 2019 |
Licence renewals granted in this period
A seven-year renewal has been granted to the following:
| Area (station) | Current licensee |
|---|
| East Midlands (GEM) | Orion Media (East Midlands) Limited |
Local radio licence transfers
Ofcom has approved the transfer of the following local commercial licences:
| Area | Station name | Previous licensee | New licensee |
|---|
| North London | Love Sport | Panjab Radio London Limited | A Spokesman Said Ltd |
| Greater London | Panjab Radio | A Spokesman Said Ltd | Panjab Radio London Limited |
Analogue station Format changes
Each station has as part of its licence, a ‘Format’ which outlines what the essential nature of the service is and details any specific expectations of that service.
Any changes to a format can only be made by following the correct procedure and with the appropriate permission from Ofcom.
Alpha Radio (Darlington) (PDF, 195.8 KB)
Published 29|08|19
Durham FM (Durham) (PDF, 195.6 KB)
Published 29|08|19
Sam FM (Solent) (PDF, 211.7 KB)
Published 29|08|19
Local radio coverage improvement
During the last month the service listed below had its request for an improvement to its existing coverage provisionally agreed, subject to the new technical arrangements going through our usual formal clearance process (this includes Ofcom liaising with a number of outside agencies before changes can be implemented).
| Service | Licensed area | Change agreed |
|---|
|
Nation Radio Scotland
|
West Central Scotland
|
Relay for Inverclyde
|
Digital radio
Digital sound programme service (DSPS) licences issued this period
| Licensee |
|---|
|
Shout Media and Events Limited
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Cosoro Limited
|
DAB multiplex variations
The following multiplex variations were agreed during this period:
| Change | Multiplex |
|---|
Addition of Heart 70s – A music-led service playing music predominantly from the 1970s.
Heart 90s – A music-led service playing music predominantly from the 1990s.
Capital XTRA Reloaded – A music-led service playing predominantly urban, dance, Hip Hop and RnB.
|
Digital One (national) |
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Addition of Smooth Chill – A range of chill-out music
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London 1
|
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Addition of Smooth Country – A music-led service playing predominantly country music
|
Birmingham
Manchester
London 2
Berkshire and North Hampshire
Bournemouth
Cambridge
Cornwall
Essex
Exeter, Torbay and N. Devon
Kent
Leicestershire
Norfolk
Nottinghamshire
Oxfordshire
Peterborough
Plymouth
Swindon
Sussex Coast
|
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Addition of Atlantis – A 1960s centric music service
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Lincolnshire
Suffolk
|
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Removal of Gold – A music-led service playing predominantly classic hits
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Birmingham
Manchester
Berkshire and North Hampshire
Bournemouth
Cambridge
Cornwall
Essex
Exeter, Torbay and N. Devon
Kent
Norfolk
Oxfordshire
Peterborough
Plymouth
Swindon
Sussex Coast
|
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Removal of GN Radio UK – To reach out to all segments of the community to encourage access to the airwaves, enabling Ghanaians in the Diaspora to share their ideas and cultures with the community at large.
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London 3
|
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Removal of The Arrow – A music-led adult rock service targeted at listeners aged 40-59.
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London 2
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Removal of Chill – A music-led service playing a selection of Jazz, Soul, Blues and RnB from both heritage and contemporary artists
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Leicestershire
Nottinghamshire
London 3
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Removal of BFBS Brize Norton – A music-led station playing a mix of mainly CHR and Adult Contemporary music and targeting personnel of the Armed Forces in the Oxfordshire area, their families and the broad Forces community.
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Oxfordshire
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Analogue community radio
Licence extensions granted in this period
A five-year extension has been granted to the following:
| Service name | Licensee | Location | New expiry date |
|---|
|
Moorlands Radio |
Moorlands Radio Ltd |
Staffordshire |
6 November 2024 |
Services which have ceased to be licensed (handed back or revoked) in this period
| Service name | Licensee | Location | Reason |
|---|
| Chorley FM | Chorley FM | Chorley | Licence surrender |
| BFBS Stafford | BFBS Stafford Ltd | Stafford | Licence offer surrendered |
| BFBS Cottesmore | BFBS Cottesmore and North Luffenham Ltd | Cottesmore | Licence offer surrendered |
Coverage improvement and extension requests
During 2018, Ofcom invited community radio stations to submit requests for coverage improvements and extensions if they wished. During the last month the services listed below have had their requests provisionally agreed, subject to the new technical arrangements going through our usual formal clearance process (this includes Ofcom liaising with a number of outside agencies before changes can be implemented). We have considered the following requests to constitute coverage improvements.
Coverage improvements agreed:
| Service name | Location |
|---|
|
Beverley FM |
Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Future Radio | Norwich |
See the invitation to apply (PDF, 325.1 KB) for the range of factors we take into account when considering these requests (in particular, paragraphs 2.46-2.49).
| Station | Bishop FM |
|---|
| Current licence area |
Bishop Aukland and surrounding area
|
|---|
| Extended licence area |
Bishop Aukland and surrounding area
|
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| Reasons for agreeing to the extension | Increase in the licensed area: An extension via a relay was AGREED because the increase in the area and population served was deemed not to be significant. Exceptional circumstances: Ofcom did not need to consider whether there were ‘exceptional circumstances’ to justify an increase in this case. Other considerations: - The Licensee applied to extend its service into towns and villages to the east and south east of Bishop Aukland. Due to the local terrain main villages nearby are blocked from receiving the signal at present, and a relay transmitter is the best solution to extend the service into these areas.
- The Licensee said Bishop Aukland “is one of the largest market towns in south west Durham and a focal point for surrounding towns and villages”. Many people in these neighbouring towns and villages listen to the service on-line but would like to hear it on FM.
- The station “already consider this to be our target area and provide equal coverage to news and events in these areas”.
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| Station | Erewash Sound |
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| Current licence area |
Ilkeston and surrounding areas in Erewash
|
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| Extended licence area | Ilkeston, Long Eaton and surrounding areas of Erewash |
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| Reasons for agreeing to the extension | Increase in the licensed area: An extension via a relay to serve Long Eaton was AGREED because the increase in the size of the area and the population which would be served was deemed not to be significant. Exceptional circumstances: Ofcom did not need to consider whether there were ‘exceptional circumstances’ to justify an increase in this case. Other considerations: - The Licensee set out various relationships and affinities between Ilkeston and Long Eaton. For example, they are part of the same Parliamentary constituency and the same Council area (the Council has town halls in both Ilkeston and Long Eaton).
- Erewash Sound already broadcasts “news stories and other general community items from in and around Long Eaton” and gives them equal priority with items about Ilkeston.
- The Licensee “aims to… encourage cohesion and inclusivity across the borough” and will be better able to do this with a relay for Long Eaton.
- Some places around Long Eaton can hear the station now, albeit with poor reception. Long Eaton is not served by another community radio service.
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| Station | Gateway 97.8 |
|---|
| Current licence area |
Basildon
|
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| Extended licence area |
Basildon and surrounding area
|
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| Reasons for agreeing to the extension | Increase in the licensed area: A power increase was AGREED, because, while the resulting coverage was considered to be a significant increase in the licensed area, the decision-maker deemed there to be exceptional circumstances in order to approve this request. Exceptional circumstances: This area is densely populated and while the increase in the actual area served is not large (coverage is limited by both local terrain and incoming interference), we considered the increase in population served to be significant. However, we noted that largest increase was within the Borough of Basildon. Gateway 97.8 already does much work throughout the borough with a range of community partners (such as local schools) and it highlighted that many of its volunteers live in areas currently not able to receive good reception. As a result we were persuaded that these underserved areas, which have an affinity with Basildon town, should be included in an extended coverage area. We also considered that incoming interference was affecting reception in many parts of the coverage area shown on Gateway’s licensed coverage map, and a power increase would help make reception more robust for listeners and residents in these areas, as well as extending the current area to people in neighbouring parts of the borough. Other considerations: - The Licensee requested a coverage extension to include parts of Thurrock (to the southwest of Basildon). However, serving Thurrock via a power increase from the current site was not possible because of the local terrain. Therefore we were not able to consider or agree to an extension into parts of Thurrock.
- We took into account neighbouring community stations (in Brentwood and Southend); this coverage extension will not cause interference to these services or overlap into the main towns served by either service.
- Extending the service across the borough is important for the station as so much of its off-air work is borough-wide. Some of the colleges, schools and volunteers that the station works with can only listen on-line. Reception in Wickford, in particular, is poor and will be improved by the power increase.
- We noted that the station had already made efforts to improve coverage by other means (a site move and new equipment).
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| Station | HCR FM |
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| Current licence area | Huntingdon and surrounding villages |
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| Extended licence area |
Huntingdon, Warboys and surrounding villages
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| Reasons for agreeing to the extension | Increase in the licensed area: An extension to the service has been agreed via a relayfor the village of Warboys. It was considered that the increase in population served was not significant. Exceptional circumstances: Ofcom did not need to consider whether there were ‘exceptional circumstances’ to justify an increase in this case. Other considerations: - A relay transmitter will serve an area adjoining the currently licensed area of Huntingdon. Due to the local terrain, a relay at Warboys is the best way to serve this area.
- Warboys and surrounding villages to the north east of Huntingdon are agricultural communities not served by their own community radio service.
- The Licensee argued that Warboys and surrounding villages have a relationship with Huntingdon, for example for shopping and for other services, and as part of the same District Council area.
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| Station | Park Radio |
|---|
| Current licence area |
Diss, Harleston and Eye
|
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| Extended licence area |
Diss, Harleston and Eye and surrounding villages in the Lower Waveney Valley
|
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| Reasons for agreeing to the extension | Increase in the licensed area: This service has two transmitters, and a power increase has been agreed for each of them to extend the licensed area of this service. The increase in the adult population served was deemed not to be significant. Exceptional circumstances: Ofcom did not need to consider whether there were ‘exceptional circumstances’ to justify an increase in this case. Other considerations: - The Licensee asked to extend its service into a number of towns and villages in the Lower Waveney Valley. This is a rural area that is not served by another community radio service. The population currently served is fairly small, and while the geographical area will be increased, the size of the population that will be able to receive the service when the power increases are implemented is still modest.
- The Licensee argued that the change would help improve the sustainability of the service, and that wider area has “a clear heritage connection and strong common links with [the] core area” which is currently served.
- The stations said “extending to a slightly larger rural area…will allow us to expand our news and information output, although we already cover some relevant items of interest regarding those areas”.
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| Station | Zack FM |
|---|
| Current licence area |
Forest Heath District
|
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| Extended licence area |
Mildenhall and Newmarket
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| Reasons for agreeing to the extension | Increase in the licensed area: An extension via a relay to serve Newmarket was AGREED because the increase in the size of the area and the population which would be served was deemed not to be significant. Exceptional circumstances: Ofcom did not need to consider whether there were ‘exceptional circumstances’ to justify an increase in this case. Other considerations: - The Licensee asked for three relays in total. Ofcom turned down requests for relays to serve Thetford and Haverhill, as they were not adjoining the current licensed area as required by the legislation (taking into account predicted coverage). Whilst the addition of Newmarket represents a relatively modest increase in licensed area to include an immediately adjacent town, Thetford is 20km away and located in a different county, and Haverhill, although also in the West Suffolk district, is around 30km away. In addition, Ofcom noted that the overall increase in the size of the proposed coverage area and the population served, would be deemed significant.
- Ofcom considered the request for a relay to serve Newmarket was acceptable as it was for a modest increase in the area served, and Newmarket is an adjoining area to Zack FM’s current licensed area.
- There are clear relationships and affinities between Mildenhall and Newmarket. For example, these neighbouring towns are part of the same Council area
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Please note:
Ofcom received over 130 requests in total for an improvement or an extension from existing community radio stations. It is taking us some time to complete all the work required to assess each one; we have dealt first with requests for improvements before we turned our attention to extension requests.
The success of an application is, amongst other things, dependent on frequency availability and whether there may be an increase in harmful outgoing interference to other stations. In every case we need to take account of other services (community, commercial and BBC) on the same frequency or an adjacent one to yours (or to a frequency that we may be considering for a relay). Please see the guidance document (PDF, 325.1 KB) for further information.
