Ofcom Awards Nine New Community Radio Licences

Government watchdog, Ofcom, has awarded nine new community radio licences, bringing the total awarded to ninety-three.

The new licences will cover the areas of Dorset, West Yorkshire, Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Bedfordshire, Salisbury Plain, Hertfordshire and NorthEast Wales.

The new community licences will cover small areas with low power transmitters, forming a third tier of radio operating on a not-for-profit basis and complementing each area’s existing mix of commercial and BBC stations.

The characteristics of community radio are distinct from commercial radio in that the services will focus on providing specific social services to benefit particular communities and interest groups.

The creation of community licences was first outlined by Ofcom last year, although the practice has drawn considerable criticism from the commercial radio sector (see Ofcom Out Of Tune Over Community Radio Proposals).

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