[CMA R] Seven new Community Radio stations brings total to 55

[Alan Fransman]

Community Media Association

News Release

10 November, 2005

Seven new Community Radio stations brings total to 55

Ofcom announced today that 7 more Community Radio stations have been 
awarded full five year licences in Alnwick (Northumberland), Newcastle 
upon Tyne, Kirkby Lonsdale (Cumbria), Withernsea (East Yorkshire), 
Worcester, Gloucester and Pontypool in South Wales.  This brings the 
total number of Community Radio stations licensed to 55.  A list of the 
new stations follows.

Diane Reid, Director of the CMA, said: “It’s exciting to see the number 
of Community Radio stations growing.  We offer our congratulations to 
the communities who have worked so hard to get to this point.”

Following the announcement, Lyz Turner, Project Manager of newly 
licensed Seaside Radio in Withersea, East Yorkshire said: “It’s 
absolutely fantastic! We have waited a very long time for this. 
Community Radio is the key to engaging our rurally isolated community. 
This is what we’ve been waiting for the past four years.  We have been 
giving the community the skills to participate and in six months time 
they could out these skills to good use.”

Darren Powis, spokesman for Toradio in Torfaen, South Wales said: 
“Fantastic!  This project is a team effort and getting the licence is 
just reward for all the hard work all involved have put in.  There’s a 
lot more work to do yet, but this is a giant leap for us.”

Community stations are a new tier of not-for profit radio stations, 
owned and run by local people, mostly volunteers, which enable 
communities throughout the UK to use the medium of radio to create new 
opportunities for regeneration, employment, learning, social cohesion 
and inclusion as well as cultural and creative expression. For more than 
20 years the CMA and its members have campaigned for community station 
licences, achieving this last year, when the Community Radio Order was 
passed.

Applications for the first wave of full time Community Radio licences 
were invited in September 2004. Ofcom received 194 applications for full 
five year licences to be issued in 2005 and is currently assessing those 
applications and examining frequency availability options.

-ends-

For further information or pictures, please contact Alan Fransman on 
0114 279 5219 or email alan.fransman at commedia.org.uk

Notes to editors
1. The Community Media Association (CMA) is the UK membership 
association for community media.  Its mission is to enable people to 
establish and develop communications media for cultural and creative 
expression, community development and entertainment.  The CMA membership 
consists of 300 community media organisations plus 300 individuals and 
associate organisations. CMA members work throughout the UK in sound and 
radio, television, video and new media.  The CMA’s head office is 
located in Sheffield and the organisation supports a development office 
in Scotland.
2. Community Radio is a third tier of radio distinct from Public and 
Commercial Radio.  Community Radio stations are locally owned and 
accountable to their audience.  They operate on public service 
principles for community benefit and are non-profit distributing.
3. Photos are available from cma at commedia.org.uk

Further information on the CMA can be found at http://www.commedia.org.uk


List Of The New Community Radio Licensees

The new community radio licensees in each of these areas are:

Lionheart Radio
Contact: George Millar
Alnwick Community Development Trust, The Centre, 27 Fenkle Street, 
Alnwick, Northumberland NE66 1HW
Tel: 01665 602244
email: studio at lionheartradio.co.uk
website: www.lionheartradio.co.uk
Lionheart Radio will aim to serve all the residents of Alnwick and 
surrounding areas in this rural district of Northumberland.

Community Broadcast Initiative Tyneside (CBIT)
Contact: Elaine Parker
CBIT, 41 Jesmond Vale, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 1PG
Tel: 0191 278 2957
email: admin at cbit.org.uk
website: www.cbit.org.uk
CBIT will aim to broadcast to, and encourage participation from, some of 
the deprived communities of Newcastle.

LVR FM ( Lune Valley Radio)
Contact: Paul Broadbent
LVR FM, 9 Market Street, Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria LA6 2AU
Tel: 015242 71294
email: paul at lakelandtoday.com
LVR will serve the semi-rural community within the Lune Valley area, and 
centred on the market town of Kirkby Lonsdale.

Seaside Radio
Contact: Lyz Turner
Seaside Radio, 27 Seaside Road, Withernsea, East Yorkshire HU19 2DL
Tel: 07903 729993
email: lyz at seasideradio.org
website: www.seasideradio.org
Seaside Radio aims to become an essential participatory service to the 
rurally isolated and socially deprived communities along the Holderness 
coastline in East Yorkshire.

Youth Community Radio ( Worcester)
Contact: Chris Fox
Youth Community Media, Saint John’s Youth Centre, Swanpool Walk, 
Worcester WR2 4EL
Tel: 0845 226 1246
email: chris at youthcommunitymedia.org.uk
website: www.youthcommunitymedia.org.uk
This service will be ‘owned’ and operated by local young people (11-25 
year olds) in Worcester.

Gloucester FM
Contact: Derrick Francis
The Trust Centre, Conduit Street, Gloucester, GL1 4XH
Tel: 01452 521693
email: Gfmno1 at hotmail.com
website: www.gfm.org.uk
Gloucester FM will provide a service targeting black and ethnic minority 
communities as well as disadvantaged groups in the City of Gloucester.

Toradio
Contact: Patrick Graham
c/o CoStar, 6 Blenheim Square , St. Dials, Cwmbran,Torfaen NP44 4RS
Tel: 01633 838063
email:patrick at costar-cwmbran.co.uk
website: www.tormedia.info
Toradio aims to provide an inclusive service for all residents in the 
County Borough of Torfaen. (This service will broadcast on AM.)

-- 
Alan Fransman
Community Media Association
15 Paternoster Row
Sheffield
S1 2BX

+44 114 279 5219

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