Community Radio sweeps across the UK as 18 Stations are licensed

06/10/2005
Ofcom announced today that 18 more Community Radio stations have been awarded full five year licences in Leeds, Oldham, Tameside, Stockport, Salford, North east Birmingham, Winson Green (north west Birmingham), Aston (north central Birmingham), Small Heath (east Birmingham), West Bromwich, Stourbridge, Wolverhampton, Belfast (two services), Lisburn, Newry, Downpatrick, and Banbridge. This brings the total number of Community Radio stations licensed to 48.  A list of the new stations follows.

Diane Reid, Director of the CMA, said: “In the Year of the Volunteer, we celebrate one of the fastest growing areas of volunteering – Community Media.  With 48 Community Radio stations across the UK and more to come, communities have new opportunities to get involved in a new form of broadcasting that unlocks the enthusiasm and potential of individuals to create positive social change."

In response to the announcement, Martin Blisset, Director of newly licensed ‘New Style Radio’ in Birmingham said: “It’s a massive moment for us.  We are excited and see a prosperous future ahead.”

Sean Paul, Director of  Féile FM in Belfast said: “We are absolutely delighted!  It’s very positive and exciting news for West Belfast.  We believe that this is a great opportunity for the community to enhance our radio station to fit the needs of everyone in the local area"

Community stations are a new tier of not-for profit radio stations, owned and run by local people, mostly volunteers, which enable communities throughout the UK to use the medium of radio to create new opportunities for regeneration, employment, learning, social cohesion and inclusion as well as cultural and creative expression. For more than 20 years the CMA and its members have campaigned for community station licences, achieving this last year, when the Community Radio Order was passed.

Applications for the first wave of full time Community Radio licences were invited in September 2004. Ofcom received 194 applications for full five year licences to be issued in 2005 and is currently assessing those applications and examining frequency availability options.

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For further information or pictures, please contact Alan Fransman on 0114 279 5219 or email alan.fransman@commedia.org.uk

List Of The New Community Radio Licensees
The new community radio licensees in each of these areas are:

Radio Asian Fever  (Harehills and Chapeltown, Leeds)
Contact: Jabbar Karim
229 Roundhay Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS8 4HS
Tel: 0113 240 2222
email: radioasianfever@yahoo.co.uk
website: www.radioasianfever.co.uk/

Radio Asian Fever aims to serve the South Asian communities of Leeds ; the Pakistani, Kashmiri, Indian (Sikh and Hindu) and Bengali communities. They mainly reside in the Harehills/Chapeltown, Hyde Park/Burley and Beeston areas.


Oldham Community Radio
Contact: David McGealy
PO Box 444, Oldham, OL4 2WY
Tel: 0161 626 4004
email: studio@oldhamcommunityradio.com
website: www.oldhamcommunityradio.com

Oldham Community Radio will target various disadvantaged communities in the Oldham area.


Tameside Community Radio
Contact: Simon Walker
166 Mottram Old Road, Hyde, Tameside SK14 3BA
Tel: 0161 367 9580
email: simon@tcrfm.com
website: www.tcrfm.com

The station will provide a service for the residents of Tameside, supporting the regeneration of the area.


Pure Radio (Stockport, Cheshire)
Contact: Doug Cresswell
Sanderling Building, Bird Hall Lane, Cheadle Heath, Stockport, SK3 0RF
Tel: 0161 474 5900
email: dave@pureradio.org.uk
website: www.pureradio.org.uk

Pure Radio aims to serve the community of Stockport, especially the various groups within the general community that are most disadvantaged.


Salford Community Radio
Contact: Paul Miller
The Angel, St Philip’s Place, Off Chapel Street, Salford M3 6FA
Tel: 0161 212 4987
email: salfordcommunityradio@hotmail.com

This station will target residents within a 5km radius of Swinton in Salford.


CVCR (north-east Birmingham)
Contact: Neil Hollins
Lower ground Floor, Topcliffe House, Hawkinge Drive, Birmingham, B35 6BT Tel: 0121 749 1343 email: nhollins@cvcr.co.uk
website: www.cvcr.co.uk

CVCR will provide a service to deprived communities in the north-east Birmingham area.


New Style Radio ( Winson Green, north-west Birmingham)
Contact: Martin Blissett
339 Dudley Road, Winson Green, Birmingham, B18 4HB
Tel: 0121 456 3826 email: newstyle@acmccentre.co.uk
website: www.newstyleradio.co.uk

A station for people of Afro Caribbean heritage and its derivatives living in Winson Green and the surrounding areas of Birmingham.


Aston FM (Aston, north central Birmingham )
Contact: Muff Murfin
The Old Smithy, 1 Post Office Lane, Kempsey, Worcester, WR5 3NS
Tel: 01905 820659
email: Muffmurfin@btconnect.com

Aston FM will serve the various communities in the Aston area.


Unity FM (east Birmingham)
Contact: Dr. Mohammed Hanif,
PO Box 5243, Birmingham, B11 1TA
Tel: 07977 217088
email: Drhanif786@aol.com

This service is for Muslims in east Birmingham, including Small Heath and surrounding areas.

The Public ( West Bromwich)
Contact: Beverley Harvey
1 Overend Street, West Bromwich, West Midlands , B70 6EY
Tel: 0121 525 6861 email: bevharvey@thepublic.com
website: www.thepublic.com

Public FM will serve West Bromwich and the culturally diverse surrounding areas.


The Bridge (Stourbridge)
Contact: Dr. Paul Collins
PO Box 3968, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY8 5WR
Tel: 01384 394014 email: paul.collins@stourbridgeradio.com
website: www.stourbridgeradio.com

The service is intended to serve the community of Stourbridge.

WCR FM (Wolverhampton)

Contact: Peter Whitehouse
Newhampton Centre, Newhampton Road East, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV1 4AP
Tel: 01902 572260
email: whitehousep@wolvercoll.ac.uk
website: www.wcrt.co.uk

The service will target people living within a 5km radius of the centre of the City of Wolverhampton , particularly the most deprived areas to the east.


Féile FM (West Belfast)
Contact: Emma Mullen, 473 Falls Road, Belfast, BT12 6DD
Tel: 028 9031 3440
email: emma@feilebelfast.com
website: www.feilebelfast.com

Féile FM will broadcast mainly to the West Belfast community. It will reflect the diversity, cultural, political historical and social experiences of a broadly nationalist working class community.


Raidió Fáilte (Belfast)
Contact: Máire Uí Mhaoilchiaráin, Cultúrlann Mc Adam Ó Fiaich
216 Falls Road, Belfast BT12 6AH
Tel: 028 9020 8040
email:mary@aislingghear.tv

Raidió Fáilte intends to broadcast to the Irish language community in Belfast , including those who can understand Irish or are interested enough in the Irish language and Gaelic culture, in general, to want to listen to Irish orientated radio.


BFBS Lisburn
Contact: Marc Tyley
Chalfont Grove, Chalfont St. Peter, Bucks, SL9 8TN
Tel: 01494 878702
email: marc.tyley@bfbs.com
website: www.bfbs.com/ni

British soldiers, sailors, airmen, officers, their immediate dependents, and associated civilians living and working in the Lisburn community.


IÚR FM (Newry, Co Down)
Contact: Sean Og Mac Braoin
Aerwaves Ltd, Iontaobhas na Gaeilge, WIN Business Park, Canal Quay, Newry BT35 6PH
Tel: 028 3025 7800
email: info@iontaobhas.com
website: www.iontaobhas.com

The target community is the people of Newry City.


Down FM (Downpatrick, Co Down)
Contact: Ian McCormick
EDIFHE, Market Street, Downpatrick, Co Down BT30 6ND
Tel: 028 4461 5815
email: ian.mccormick@edifhe.ac.uk
Website: www.edifhe.ac.uk

Down FM will serve the town of Downpatrick and surrounding villages.


Shine FM (Banbridge, Co Down)
Contact: Mrs. Annmarie Asiimwe, 49 Cline Road, Banbridge, Co Down BT32 3HT
Tel: 028 4062 2445
email: admin@shinefm.org.uk
website: www.shinefm.org.uk

Shine FM intends to broadcast to Banbridge and the surrounding areas providing a community radio service with a Christian ethos.