Wireless Group Bids For Belfast FM Licence
Kelvin MacKenzie’s Wireless Group has announced a broadcasting partnership with the Belfast Telegraph in order to table a bid for an FM radio licence in the Irish city and its surrounding areas.
The bidding partnership brings together TWG and Independent News and Media, with the proposal being chaired by Chris Gibson, one of Northern Ireland’s most successful business leaders. If successful, the new station would add to TWG’s portfolio of 16 local radio stations across the UK.
Commenting on the bidding alliance Gibson, a successful business man and pro-chancellor at Queen’s University, said: “I am honoured and delighted to be involved with this exciting bid. There is a terrific mood of optimism and real growth within the Belfast area and a new commercial radio station will help to maintain the drive and dynamic of the marketplace.”
If successful, TWG’s offering will transmit to Belfast and the surrounding areas, enabling it to reach an audience of more than 750,000 adults. Bidding for broadcast rights in the area is due to close on December 8th following its advertisement by Ofcom last month.
The company’s application follows a similar bid for an FM radio licence in Edinburgh earlier this year. The broadcaster is currently awaiting a decision from media super-regulator Ofcom, but faces stiff competition from some of the UK’s most powerful radio operators (see Radio Heavyweights Line Up For Edinburgh Licence).
In addition, Ofcom recently invited bids for an FM licence in Durham, expected to air for the first time 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, although it is not yet known which broadcasting companies have tabled applications for the licence (see Ofcom Advertises New FM Licence For Durham).Wireless Group: 020 7269 7180
Recent Radio Stories from NewsLine RAJAR Results Q3 2004: talkSPORT Boosted By Euro 2004 RAJAR Results Q3 2004: Capital And Heart Feel The Heat RAJAR Results Q3 2004: BBC Extends Lead Over Commercial
Subscribers can access ten years of media news and analysis in the Archive