Wireless Group Scoops Edinburgh Radio Licence
Kelvin MacKenzie’s Wireless Group has been awarded the last remaining FM radio licence in Edinburgh, enabling the broadcaster to provide the region with a 24-hour speech radio station dubbed Dunedin FM.
The licence’s award followed several weeks’ consideration by Ofcom and will see the region offered the new station with a focus on local news, national and international current affairs and local information for the population of Edinburgh and the surrounding areas.
The licence covers the city of Edinburgh and the area surrounding the Firth of Forth, providing TWG with a potential adult audience of around 940,000. However, the exact coverage will be determined by the location of the transmission site and other technical characteristics. The proposed frequency of 107.0 MHz for the new station is subject to international agreement on radio spectrum usage.
Dunedin FM is expected to begin broadcasting at the earliest possible opportunity, and TWG is required to commence broadcasts no later than two years from the award of the licence.
Ofcom has also awarded the last remaining FM licence for Blackburn, selecting the Blackburn Broadcasting Company as its preferred candidate. The company’s owners, Two Boroughs Radio and The Radio Business will now provide the region with The Bee, a full service radio station with a “high profile and significant resources given to local news and information”.
The Blackburn licence is expected to achieve coverage of an area with an adult population of around 150,000 subject to the placement of the station’s transmission site.
The Edinburgh licence award follows bids from numerous broadcasters, with competition facing The Wireless Group from GWR and Virgin Radio (see
Wireless Group Enters Race For Edinburgh Licence
Wireless Group Enters Race For Edinburgh Licence www.ofcom.org.uk Wireless Group: 020 7269 7180
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