Following on from the advertisement of the new local radio licence for Rotherham, Lincs FM-backed Rother FM have confirmed they will be applying for the licence.
The closing date for applicants is 8th February and it is expected Rother FM will be in competition with at least two other applicants.
Rother FM broadcast for two weeks from the Carlton Park Hotel earlier this year and were overwhelmed by the support they received from listeners and local organisations, as well as from local businesses that chose to advertise on the RSL.
Rother FM is proposing a truly local service for Rotherham, broadcasting 24 hours a day. There?ll be a strong commitment to local news and sport, information and interviews and a first-class travel news service. Rother FM?s musical blend is designed to appeal to the whole family, with the best music from the 1960s to the present day: from the Beatles to Coldplay, from Abba to McFly, from Elton John to James Blunt. Above all, Rother FM will offer a new news source and a new cost-effective opportunity for local advertising that?s independent of any other media in Rotherham. Research carried out in Rotherham recently showed that 86% of respondents said they?d be ?likely? or ?very likely? to listen to Rother FM if we?re successful in winning the new licence.*
Rother FM is backed by the Lincs FM Group. It?s the company behind Dearne FM, which serves Barnsley, Penistone and the Dearne Valley, and also Trax FM in Doncaster, two stations that have launched in the past few years and gone on to great success.
Ofcom will take the views of local people into account when deciding on the new licence. If you?d like to support Rother FM you can write to them at Rother FM PO Box 622, Rotherham, S60 9AY or email enquiries@rotherfm.co.uk.
*source: mruk research, September 2005