Ofcom Advertises New FM Licence For Durham

The city of Durham will get its own dedicated FM radio station under new proposals being put forward by media super-regulator Ofcom.

Potential bidders have been invited to pitch for the FM licence, which is expected to air for the first time in midway through next year. The adult population of the area is believed to be around 160,000 people and the winning bid will be given two FM frequencies for broadcasting.

Durham is the seventh of at least 30 new radio licences for which Ofcom is inviting applications. Licences for stations in Edinburgh, Belfast, Blackburn, Ashford, Kidderminster and Cornwall have already attracted significant interest after being advertised earlier this year.

The closing date for the submission of applications for Durham is 5pm on January 6 2005. Ofcom will publish the applications on its website soon afterwards. Four commercial radio stations currently broadcast across areas encompassing Durham, including Galaxy 105/6, Century North East, Magic 1152 and Metro.

Last month a number of the UK’s most high-profile radio companies lined up to bid for the new FM radio licence in Edinburgh. Interested parties included Kelvin MacKenzie’s Wireless Group, the Guardian Media Group Radio, the Scottish Media Group, Chrysalis Radio and GWR (see Radio Heavyweights Line Up For Edinburgh Licence).
Ofcom: 020 7981 3040 www.ofcom.org.uk

Recent Radio Stories from NewsLine RAJAR To Upgrade Audience Measurement System Clear Channel Circles As Radio Merger Talks Advance Ofcom In No Rush To Set Switch-Off Date For Radio

Subscribers can access ten years of media news and analysis in the Archive