Five FM, backed by River Media have won the local radio licence for Newry, Northern Ireland. The station will broadcast a music and information station for all adults in the Newry and Mourne area with a strong commitment to local content.
The new station aims to make a large investment in content and high quality programming with a heavy emphasis on local news, sport, music presented by high profile broadcasters drawn from within the community. River Media also own Mid 106 after CN Group sold the station earlier this year.
Competition for the licence came from just one other applicant, Quay 100. Ofcom will explain their decision shortly, and expect Five FM to start broadcasting within the standard two-year period which newly licenced stations have to commence broadcasting.
The area has an adult population (aged 15+) of around 66,000. However, the exact coverage will be determined by the location of the transmission site and other technical characteristics. The proposed main frequency (100.5 MHz ) is subject to international agreement on radio spectrum usage.