- Home
- Licensing Home
- Radio broadcast licences
- Radio Broadcasting Updates
- Radio Broadcast Update November 2009
Radio Broadcast Update November 2009
Published 01|12|09
Commercial Radio
Licences issued in this period
| Licence Type | Licensee | Service Name/description |
|---|---|---|
| National DSP* |
United Christian Broadcasters Ltd. | UCB/ A station with a Christian ethos playing a range of melodic and soft Adult Contemporary music. Speech will include lifestyle features, information and religious content. |
| Local DSP* |
Sanjhi Awaz Radio Ltd | Sanjhi Awaz/A music and information service with specific local relevance for the Punjabi, Hindi, English and Urdu speaking Asian communities in the West Midlands. The service will promote music, arts, culture and religion of the target audience. It will cater for all age groups covering Bhangra, Bollywood, poetry, womens magazine, discussion and religious and spiritual music. It will also provide news bulletins, local traffic/travel reports and weather, all of particular interest to the target audience. |
| National DSP* | Panjab Radio Ltd | Panjab Radio/The service will consist of music, news and speech programming mainly in Panjabi or English. Music output includes a mix of modern and traditional Panjabi music. The station has particular appeal for followers of Sikhism and the output includes programmes that explain and comment on Sikh belief and scripture. Other speech content includes lifestyle, entertainment and news/current affairs features. The station aims to be inclusive to all people in the UK for whom Panjabi language or music is important, and has programmes with general appeal to Panjabi speakers of all faiths (e.g. the Muslim, Hindu and Christian faiths) or no religious belief. |
*Digital Sound Programme service
Licence re-advertisments
Declarations of intent
Ofcom has today invited declarations of intent to apply for the following FM local commercial radio licence. Please click on the 'area' in the first column for further detail on the pre-advertisement:
| Area/current Licensee | Current expiry | Proposed expiry date following re-award | Closing date for declarations of intent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mansfield/Mansfield and Ashfield Broadcasting Company Ltd (broadcasting as Mansfield 103.2). | 31 Jan 2011 | 31 Jan 2016 | 3pm on Thursday 7 January 2010 |
Invitiations to apply under fast-track
Ofcom has received one declaration for the following licences, in each case from the current licensee. We are therefore inviting the incumbent licensee to re-apply for the licence under the 'fast track' procedure as set out in Ofcom's guidelines:
| Area | Current Licensee |
|---|---|
| Caernarfon | Marcher Radio Group Ltd |
| Rutland | Rutland Radio Ltd |
Re-awards
Ofcom has today 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 from its current expiry date to 31 December 2015:
| Area | Current Licensee |
|---|---|
| Huddersfield | Huddersfield FM Ltd (broadcasting as Pennine FM) |
Licence extensions and renewals granted in this period
Four-year extensions have been granted to the following:
| Licensee/Service | Area | New expiry date |
|---|---|---|
| Passion Radio (Oxford ) Ltd / Oxfords FM 107.9 | Oxford | 13 February 2015 |
| Six FM Ltd / Six FM | Mid Ulster | 31 January 2014 |
Twelve-year renewals have been granted to the following:
| Licencee/Service | New expiry date |
|---|---|
| Galaxy Radio North East Ltd / Galaxy 105-106 (North East) | 31 May 2022 |
Analogue station Format Changes
Each station has as part of its licence a 'Format', which outlines the essential nature of the service 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.
Original Bristol
Published 26|11|09
Southend and Chelmsford
Published 23|11|09
DAB station Format Changes
The following multiplex Format changes were agreed in this period.
| Change | Multiplex |
|---|---|
| Replacement of The Arrow (Adult Rock) with Sanjhi Awaz (Asian) | West Midlands |
| Extension of provision of the Social Network Music Radio (Amazing Radio) DSP service for a further year. | National |
| Addition of service Rock and Pop Format and the service DABBL under that format. | Bristol and Bath, Swindon and West Wilts (Swindon only), Reading and Basingstoke, Southend and Chelmsford |
| Addition of Arabic Format and the service Sout al Khaleej under that format | London II |
Change of Control Reviews
Whenever a local radio licence undergoes a 'change of control' (for example, when it is sold), Ofcom is required under section 355 of the Communications Act 2003 to undertake a review of its programme output.
Specifically, Ofcom must review the likely effect of the change of control on:
- the quality and range of programmes included in the service;
- the character of the service; and,
- the extent to which local material and locally-made programmes are included in the service.
When the review has been completed, Ofcom may amend the content requirements of the licence.
Pennine
Published 26|11|09
Local Radio Licence Transfers
Ofcom has refused consent to the proposed transfer of the following analogue local commercial radio licences to Your Media Communications Ltd:
| Service name | Location | New Licensee |
|---|---|---|
| Bath FM | Bath | Bath Radio Ltd |
| Brunel FM | Swindon | Brunel FM Ltd |
| Quay West Radio | Bridgwater | BCRFM Ltd |
| Quay West Radio | West Somerset | Quay West Radio Ltd |
| 3TR | Warminster | Three Towns Radio Ltd |
These licences therefore remain with the existing licence-holding companies listed in the table above.
Community Radio
Community Radio Annual Report
Ofcom has published its Community Radio Annual Report for 2008-09.
The report includes information on the income and expenditure of the sector, as well as the community benefits that stations provide. It has been compiled from information supplied by community radio stations themselves.
Licences issued in this period
| Service Name | Licensee | Location |
|---|---|---|
| TCR FM | Tamworth Radio Broadcasting CIC | Tamworth, Staffordshire |
| Felixstowe Radio | Felixstowe Radio CIC | Felixstowe, Suffolk |
| Moorlands Radio | Moorlands Radio | Leek and Biddulph, Staffordshire |
| Hermitage FM | Carillon Broadcasting Ltd | Coalville, Leicestershire |
Licences awarded in this period and reasons for the awards
Ofcom has published the reasons for the award of one community radio licence in the southeast of England:
| Service Name | Area |
|---|---|
| 1 Ummah FM | Reading |
In its November meeting, the Radio Licensing Committee (RLC) considered two community radio applications and decided not to award a licence to either group. The groups were:
- Flame FM, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire; and
- Brill Oldies, Brill, Buckinghamshire
Community Radio Licence applications
Tuesday 3 November was the deadline for receipt of applications for community radio services in Greater London and other areas within the M25. A revised list of the applicants and their contact details is now available as Ofcom has accepted a further two applications. Both of these were received before the published deadline, but some details required checking before we were able to confirm their validity. The application forms will be published on our website in due course.