Three new radio stations for Staffordshire

From a press release to news@media.info
Posted 3 October 2014, 12.39pm bst

Ofcom today announced the award of three community radio licences in Staffordshire.

Licences have been awarded to BFBS Stafford and Stafford FM, for services in Stafford, and Hitmix Radio, for a service in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Community radio services are provided on a not-for-profit basis focusing on the delivery of specific social benefits to a particular geographical community or a community of interest.

BFBS Stafford will provide a community radio service that will serve military personnel, their families and the civilian population who live and work on or near the MOD Stafford base.

Stafford FM will provide a community radio service for the residents of Stafford and nearby villages.

Hitmix Radio will provide a community radio service for the town of Newcastle-under-Lyme and the surrounding villages.

Licences are awarded for a five-year period.

A statement setting out the main determining factors for the awards of these community radio licences can be found on Ofcom’s website.

In addition to the licence award detailed above, Ofcom considered one further application, but decided not to award a licence to WAM FM (Louth Air Ltd), Louth, Lincolnshire.

Three other applications have been rejected due to there being no suitable FM frequency available: BFBS Waddington, Cre8 Radio (Staffordshire University), and 6 Towns Radio (Potteries Media CIC), Stoke on Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme & Kidsgrove.