Ofcom Advertises Shrewsbury Community Radio Licence

Media regulator, Ofcom, has announced the advertisement of a new 12 year local FM commercial radio licence covering the town of Shrewsbury and the surrounding area.

According to Ofcom, the licence could achieve coverage of an area with an adult population of between 100,000 and 120,000, with the exact coverage determined by the location of the transmission site and other technical characteristics.

The closing dates for applications for the licence is 3.00pm on Monday 7 November 2005, with a non-refundable fee of £5,000 payable for each application submitted.

Community radio is a new sector of radio being introduced in the UK, representing the third tier of radio. It aims to serve the needs of different communities as well as complementing the mix of services already provided by the BBC and commercial radio sectors.

Earlier this year, Ofcom, announced that the first community licence had been awarded to the Forest of Dean Community Radio, giving them a five-year AM licence (see Ofcom Awards First Community Radio Licence).

Applicants for the first wave of community radio licences were invited in September 2004, with Ofcom receiving a staggering amount of responses to its proposals. Over 190 applications made by groups wanting to operate small-scale broadcasting services (see Ofcom Inundated With Community Radio Requests).

However, the new licences’ creation has sparked fury amongst some quarters, with several commercial broadcasters and industry bodies claiming that the new advertiser-funded stations could cannibalise revenues of small commercial operations, potentially distorting the local advertising landscape (see Ofcom Inundated With Community Radio Requests).

Ofcom: 020 7981 3040 www.ofcom.org.uk