Ofcom Invites Bids For Solent FM Licence
Media industry regulator, OFCOM, has today advertised the latest FM radio licence in its programme of development for the nation’s radio spectrum, inviting submissions for a new service to be launched in the Solent area, covering Southampton, Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight and West Sussex.
The new licence is expected to serve around 1.25 million adult listeners and is the most lucrative local licences to be offered by the regulator since its creation in 2003.
Amongst those companies already confirmed to be bidding for the licence are Guardian Media Group Radio and Kelvin MacKenzie’s Wireless Group. While GMG has abandoned a recent bid for the FM licence in Manchester in favour of the new frequency in the south, the Wireless Group has outlined plans for a speech station in the area, with Fred Dinenage, described by TWG as “one of Britain’s best-known broadcasters,” fronting the bid (see GMG Pulls Out Of Manchester Radio Race).
TWG’s bid for a talk station, operating under the name allTALK FM, is due to be submitted to OFCOM on 9 February.
Explaining the proposal, TWG’s business development director, Calum Macaulay, said: “I firmly believe people in the area need and will welcome a new dynamic speech radio station that not only broadens the range of commercial radio services available to them but also provides listeners with a new platform on which to discuss the issues that affect them. Given the diversity of opinion and interests within the area I m sure there will be no shortage of entertaining and compelling radio!”
The closing date for the receipt of applications is 3:00pm on 5 May, with each bid incurring a non-refundable fee of £12,000.
Elsewhere, OFCOM has also advertised an FM licence for the Torbay area. The licence is expected to cover an area with a potential adult audience of around 200,000.
Ofcom: 020 7981 3040 www.ofcom.org.uk
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